Dr Jessamyn Fairfield is a lecturer in the School of Natural Sciences at the University of Galway who leads research and practice on partnerships between art and science. She created Bright Club Ireland, a science comedy variety night which has run 116 events across Ireland, trained over 300 academics in standup comedy, and reached over 6,800 audience members at live events in major Irish cities as well as festivals such as Body & Soul, Electric Picnic, Vodafone Comedy Festival, and the Dublin Fringe. She also co-created NanoDance and CONDUIT with choreographer Deidre Cavazzi, to explore nanoscience and neuroscience through dance theatre performances and workshops, and is currently leading “We Built This City on Rock and Coal” to engage rural communities with climate action using improvised theatre.

Dr. Fairfield also contributes to engagement and leadership training for female and nonbinary researchers through Soapbox Science, the Mawazo Institute, and Homeward Bound. She is a sought-after public speaker, and is regularly invited to contribute to national TV and radio, co-presenting Future Island on RTÉ1 and covering science news for Futureproof on Newstalk. And, she is a writer, comedian, and improviser who believes in creativity to connect ideas and people, for a more understanding and equitable world.

Dr. Fairfield's research team is focused on art/science partnerships, both for engagement with science and to explore societal challenges using transdisciplinary epistemologies. They use comedy, dance, and other performing arts to communicate science, and have been funded for this work by Science Foundation Ireland and Creative Ireland. They have also explored nanomaterials for novel electronics, and game-based learning, and love to look at interdisciplinary questions that require many different ways of knowing.