We’re delighted to introduce the 15 Early Career Researchers who have been selected to present their cutting edge research at the AHRC Science in Culture Theme Ignite event on 26th March 2014. The event will be held at the Natural History Museum and limited tickets are still available.

The ninth Science in Culture Theme Ignite Speaker is:

DR GREG LYNALL, University of Liverpool, ‘Technologies of the Sun in Literature, Science and Culture’

LYNALLIn the spirit of Ignite can you describe your topic in 140 characters?

How literature, art and other cultural forms have imagined, mythologized and reflected the possibilities of solar technology

What would you like people to take away from your Ignite talk?

The cultural history and imagined futures of solar power can make a contribution to current debates about energy production and the response to climate change.

How did you get involved in interdisciplinary research across Sciences and Arts and Humanities?

From Master’s level work onwards I was fascinated by the connections between literature and science, particularly in the eighteenth century, and pursued that interest through my PhD thesis and first book. My research has now turned to exchanges between science, technology and culture more broadly, whilst retaining a focus on the role played by works of the imagination in the creation and dissemination of scientific knowledge.

Tell us a bit about your academic background.

My first degree (Manchester) and PhD (Birmingham) are both in English Literature. I work in the School of English at the University of Liverpool, and my monograph Swift and Science was published in 2012.

A film of Dr Greg Lynall’s presentation at the AHRC Science in Culture Theme Ignite event is available here.