Meet the Scientists

Come and meet our researchers in a family friendly event and learn about our world leading research.

What is Meet the Scientists?

Meet the Scientists is an annual series of interactive science days for families, brought to you by the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences in partnership with the World Museum.

Next dates: Saturday 7 March 2026

Celebrate British Science Week by bringing your research to life for local children and families through hands-on activities, experiments, and interactive fun at World Museum!

Meet the Scientists is open to all University staff and postgraduate students (PG level and above) from across the University. No previous public engagement experience is needed—we’ll support you every step of the way, from shaping your idea to on the day logistics.

Register your interest by emailing HLSEngagement@liverpool.ac.uk

This March's event also links to International Women's Day so we would welcome interest from any women in STEM hoping to inspire future scientists, or anyone working on research to support the health and wellbeing of women and girls.

We’ll provide:

• Guidance and support to develop an engaging activity
• A budget to purchase materials
• Lunch for everyone who helps out

We’ll take care of the event planning, purchasing materials and logistics—you just need to turn up on the day with your activity and enthusiasm!

Get involved by:

• Running a family-friendly activity based on your research (aimed mainly at children aged 4–12). This can be a brand-new idea or something you’ve run before.
• Helping behind the scenes on the day, such as welcoming visitors, supporting activities, and collecting feedback.

Places are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

Interested in taking part or want to find out more? Get in touch at HLSEngagement@liverpool.ac.uk. Please share this opportunity with colleagues and networks who might be keen to get involved—we’d love to see a wide range of exciting research represented!

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Examples of stands at past events

• Galactic Quest - this activity was an interactive board game where we will learn together about space, space exploration, the international space station and planetary defence.
• My Marvellous Medicine -  Here we had some special tasting strips that could identify a 'super taster!' Then we made our own personalised medicine in a bottle.
• Mysterious mammals and where to find them - Our scientists showed visitors how we use footprint tunnels and camera traps to monitor mammals in Britain and the signs they leave behind while also  design their own footprints or use our custom footprint stamps. 
• Poo Station - what is poo made of? What does healthy poo look like? Can we identify diseases from the smell of poo? Our researchers helped our visitors learn all about gut microbes and how they keep us healthy
• Hypoxia Chamber of Secrets - what is hypoxia and how does it affect cancer treatment? Visitors were invited to  blast their way through our giant inflatable intestine and find out how our research is working to improve radiotherapy treatment.  Our scientists also provided a keyhole surgery simulator where families were challenged to perform a timed task to test their skills.
• MicroAge: Sending muscles into space - Our researchers helped visitors to build their very own version of the equipment used for the MicroAge project, launched on SpaceX-24 to the International Space Station
  
• Inside Our Body – bones, muscles and organs - Families played pin the organs on the body. They were challenged to identify some of the organs of our body and locate them on mannequins and to learn what these organs do for us, and why it’s important to keep them healthy. There was also a friendly skeleton to help assemble some limbs using a selection of model bones.

A collaborative commitment to science education

For almost 10 years, the University of Liverpool has been working in collaboration with the World Museum to work towards our shared commitment to science education and outreach. Alongside our flagship event of Meet the Scientists, we also hold pop-up events at the World Museum to inspire and educate the local community.