Challenging misinformation
A year on from the publication of our online information environment report, the Royal Society brings the conversation up to date in this panel discussion.
Join journalist Julie Gould as she talks to a panel of experts, Professor Frank Kelly, Dr Alessandro Siani and Dr Bnar Talabani, as they explore the challenge of misinformation in the online age and how to tackle it.
Hear how the internet has changed the way we engage with scientific information, the impact misinformation has on different communities including children, and recommendations for policymakers and online platforms.
Attending this event
- In-person event
- Live subtitles will be available
- Over-18s only
- Free to attend
- No registration required
- Doors will open at 6.30pm and admission will be on a first-come, first-served basis
- This event may be popular and entry cannot be guaranteed
- View our travel and accessibility information
- This event will be recorded (including the live Q&A) and the recording will be available on YouTube soon after the event
About the speakers
Julie Gould (chair)
Julie is a physicist-turned-science communicator with a love for all things science. Over the last decade Julie has immersed herself in podcasts and radio to share and explore science and science careers. She’s dives into topics ranging from folding satellites and how one might land on Jupiter, to how mentorship and leadership play a vital role in science and science careers. Julie has taken her love of asking questions to live audiences by speaking at events, chairing panel discussions and curating international conferences in the UK, Europe and USA.
Professor Frank Kelly CBE FRS
Frank Kelly is Emeritus Professor of the Mathematics of Systems in the University of Cambridge. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1989, and an International Member of the National Academy of Engineering in 2012. In 2013 he was awarded a CBE for services to mathematical sciences. His main research interests are in random processes, networks and optimization. He is especially interested in applications to the design and control of networks and to the understanding of self-regulation in large-scale systems. He recently chaired the Royal Society report on the Online Information Environment.
Dr Alessandro Siani
Dr Alessandro Siani received his Biology BSc and Molecular Biology MSc, both summa cum laude, at the ‘Federico II’ University of Naples (Italy), followed by a PhD in Medical and Human Sciences and a Secondary Science PGCE, both awarded by the University of Manchester (UK). With a research background in the cellular and molecular bases of human pathology and a keen focus on science communication and education, he authored several peer-reviewed papers in both biomedical and educational journals. His recent research activity focuses on the social and political determinants of scientific literacy and misinformation, with particular emphasis on vaccine hesitancy. He currently works as the Associate Head (Students) of the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Portsmouth (UK), where he achieved his Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy in 2017.
Dr Bnar Talabani MBE
Bnar is a clinical academic nephrology trainee and a third year immunology PhD student at Cardiff University. Recognising that dis- and misinformation was present in multiple languages, with a void of accurate information in these languages, Bnar and colleagues formed Muslim Doctors Cymru (MDC) to create social media content and deliver webinars in several languages. Bnar has to date, delivered over 50 webinars and workshops for MDC, the British Society for Immunology, Team Halo and has worked with Welsh Government, the Department of Health and Social Care and several media outlets to deliver webinars and interviews on the Covid-19 vaccines. She was recognised for this work in her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II New Year’s Honour’s list, with an MBE and has won the Royal Society of Biology’s Leadership in Outreach and Engagement 2022 award, for this work.