Nerd Nite

Nerd Nite London is a monthly event where three speakers give 18-21 minute fun-yet-informative talks across all disciplines, while the audience drinks along.

This February we’re going to be learning about the Russian orthodox church, the science behind photo-ID, and why people cheat in relationships.

Tickets: Early Nerd Tickets £4, General Admission £5, Extra-generous donation to Shine Trust £7.50. All proceeds will be donated to charity. Tickets on sale here

Love Factually

Ever wondered what to look for in a partner, why people cheat or how Covid is impacting our relationships? Join Laura Mucha to find out.

Laura Mucha is an ex-lawyer turned poet and author. Her book Love Factually / We Need to Talk About Love, is the result of ten years of interviews with hundreds of strangers aged 8-95 across every continent, together with extensive academic research. Richard Curtis describes it as “much better and more useful than my film”. Laura has appeared on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, WNYC, ABC and Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch, and The Guardian describes her as “a fantastic nosy parker”.

Orthodox Christianity in Russia: Pussy Riot, KGB, and actually nobody believes in God

Russian cities are sprinkled with solemn cathedrals that watch you as you walk down the streets minding your own business. Behind the heavy doors you’ll see the ultra-religious babushkas, businessmen, and young women. Dig deeper, and you’ll find a troubled relationship between the church, the state and the people. Many Russians believe that the church cooperates with FSB agents. With the share of believers at an all-time high, practically nobody reads the Bible or attends church regularly. And yet, almost 3 new churches are built every day in Russia. We’ll talk about how Orthodox Christians are a very unhappy group of people and how it is possible to get a prison term of 2 years for singing in a church.

Olga Ponomarenko is a Russian researcher turned computer scientist. She has worked at startups, international monetary institutions, and banks. Her work ranges from coding up mobile apps to developing radio programming, to studying the effects of Russian Orthodoxy on contemporary Russia. She was actually born in Belarus.

Face value: The science behind photo-ID

We use photo-ID to verify our identity in a variety of situations. But research has shown that the process of checking photo-ID, that is unfamiliar face recognition, is surprisingly error-prone. Here we’ll talk about how we might improve photo-ID, or the process of checking it, with insights from psychological science.

Dr Kay Ritchie is a senior lecturer in psychology at the University of Lincoln and also heads Lincoln’s Pint of Science team. Kay’s research focusses on human face processing, particularly face recognition.

All proceeds from Nerd Nite London go to charity. this year we are partnering with The Shine Trust to help foster a new generation of nerds.