From Field to Fermenter: The Science Behind Food and Beer

Humans have long shaped the natural world to fuel our rise—but in doing so, we’ve entered the Anthropocene, an era where our impact on the planet and its climate is unprecedented. Now, the challenge is clear: how do we work with nature, rather than against it, to build a more sustainable future?​ In this talk, Nikki explores cutting-edge research inspired by the natural world to transform the way we grow food. From harnessing wild relatives of crops to recover valuable traits lost through millennia of selective breeding, to uncovering remarkable bacteria capable of turning air into fertiliser, this work reveals powerful, nature-based solutions to modern agricultural challenges.​

This talk explores Seamus’ recently published book on humanity’s extraordinary food journey over the past 3 million years and its impact on our physical and cultural evolution. From hunter-gatherers to modern societies, food has shaped who we are. Rapid changes in the 20th century, including industrialised agriculture and new eating habits, have transformed diets and raised environmental concerns. By examining these changes from social, economic, and biological perspectives, this talk highlights the urgent need to rethink our current food systems.

Humans have been brewing with barley for over 10,000 years, from early civilizations like Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt, where beer was a daily staple, to today’s global brewing industry. At the heart of this process is malting, where barley grains are soaked, germinated, and dried to unlock the starch that is the raw material for fermentation—but this process uses a lot of water. As climate change and water scarcity become more pressing, there’s growing interest in making brewing more sustainable. My research focuses on breeding barley varieties that use water more efficiently in malting without compromising quality—helping to ensure that this ancient partnership between humans, barley, and beer can continue into a more sustainable future.

Have you ever wondered who makes you beer? It's not just the brewer, it is billions of tiny living organisms called yeast. They eat sugar, produce alcohol, and create the flavours you love. But not all yeasts are the same. Some work fast, some are fussy, and some are "stressed" and entirely change the taste of your beer. In this talk, we will dive into the hidden world of microbes inside your pint, and understand why studying them helps us brew better, more consistent, and more interesting beers. Next time you take a sip, you might think differently about what is in you glass.