About: Battle of Ideas 2012 committee
![]() |
Duleep Allirajah sports columnist, spiked; Crystal Palace fan |
![]() |
Simon Belt IT consultant; coordinator, Manchester Salon |
![]() |
Piers Benn philosopher; author, Commitment and Ethics; visiting lecturer in ethics, Heythrop College, London and Fordham University, New York |
![]() |
Helen Birtwistle history and politics teacher, South London school |
![]() |
Tim Black editor, Spiked Review |
![]() |
David Bowden associate fellow, Academy of Ideas; culture writer |
![]() |
Justine Brian director, Debating Matters Competition |
![]() |
Miguel Fernandes Ceia writer, critic and translator; editorial assistant, Writers' Hub; contributor, Culture Wars |
![]() |
Dave Clements adviser to local government; blogger, Guardian, Huffington Post; convenor, IoI Social Policy Forum. |
![]() |
Robert Clowes chair, Mind & Cognition Group, Nova Institute of Philosophy, Lisbon University; chair, Lisbon Salon |
![]() |
Joel Cohen communications manager, BeyondMe |
![]() |
Niall Crowley freelance designer and writer |
![]() |
Dolan Cummings associate fellow, Academy of Ideas; author, That Existential Leap: a crime story (forthcoming from Zero Books) |
![]() |
Neil Davenport sociology and politics teacher; writer on culture; former music journalist |
![]() |
Stuart Derbyshire reader in psychology, University of Birmingham; associate editor, Psychosomatic Medicine and Pain |
![]() |
Ceri Dingle director, WORLDwrite & WORLDbytes |
![]() |
Alastair Donald associate director, Future Cities Project; architecture programme manager, British Council |
![]() |
Wendy Earle impact development officer, Birkbeck, University of London; convenor, Academy of Ideas Arts and Society Forum |
![]() |
Martin Earnshaw co-editor Future of Community: reports of a death greatly exaggerated; chair, IoI Social Policy Forum |
![]() |
Kathryn Ecclestone professor of education, University of Sheffield; author, Governing Vulnerable Subjects in a Therapeutic Age (forthcoming) |
![]() |
Craig Fairnington associate fellow, Academy of Ideas; university finance and accommodation officer |
![]() |
Claire Fox director, Academy of Ideas; panellist, BBC Radio 4's Moral Maze; author, I Find That Offensive |
![]() |
Tony Gilland associate fellow, Academy of Ideas |
![]() |
Luke Gittos criminal lawyer; director of City of London Appeals Clinic; legal editor at spiked; author, Why Rape Culture is a Dangerous Myth: From Steubenville to Ched Evans |
![]() |
Helene Guldberg director, spiked; author, Reclaiming Childhood: freedom and play in an age of fear and Just Another Ape? |
![]() |
Rania Hafez programme leader, MA Education, Greenwich University; fellow, The Muslim Institute |
![]() |
Dennis Hayes professor of education, University of Derby |
![]() |
Patrick Hayes director, British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA) |
![]() |
Bríd Hehir writer, researcher and traveller; retired nurse and fundraiser |
![]() |
Matthias Heitmann freelance journalist; contributor, NovoArgumente; columnist, Schweizer Monat |
![]() |
Tiffany Jenkins writer and broadcaster; author, Keeping Their Marbles: how treasures of the past ended up in museums and why they should stay there |
![]() |
Angus Kennedy convenor, The Academy; author, Being Cultured: in defence of discrimination |
![]() |
Geoff Kidder director, membership and events, Academy of Ideas; convenor, IoI Book Club; IoI’s resident expert in all sporting matters |
![]() |
Shirley Lawes researcher; consultant and university teacher, specialising in teacher education and modern foreign languages; Chevalier dans l’ordre des Palmes Académiques |
![]() |
Kirk Leech interim director, European Animal Research Campaign Centre; government affairs, Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry |
![]() |
Toby Marshall A Level Film Studies Teacher; PhD researcher in sociology of education, UCL Institute of Education |
![]() |
Tara McCormack lecturer in international politics, University of Leicester; author, Critique, Security and Power: the political limits to emancipatory approaches |
![]() |
Sally Millard co-founder, IoI Parents Forum |
![]() |
Alan Miller chairman, Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) |
![]() |
Para Mullan senior project manager, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development; FCIPD |
![]() |
Ed Noel teacher; former schools and alumni coordinator, Debating Matters Competition |
![]() |
Anwar Oduro-Kwarteng promotions manager, Academy of Ideas; writer on politics and ideology |
![]() |
Martyn Perks digital business consultant and writer; co-author, Big Potatoes: the London manifesto for innovation |
![]() |
David Perks founder and principal, East London Science School; director, the Physics Factory |
![]() |
Nina Powell doctoral research fellow, National University of Singapore |
![]() |
Paul Reeves engineering software designer, SolidWorks R&D (part of Dassault Systèmes); convener, manufacturing work group for Big Potatoes: the London manifesto for innovation |
![]() |
Viv Regan managing editor, spiked |
![]() |
Richard Reynolds trainee barrister; formerly, paralegal, Baha Mousa and Al Sweady Public Inquiries; founder, Student Academics for Academic Freedom |
![]() |
Jacob Reynolds consultant, SHM Productions |
![]() |
Jane Sandeman convenor, IoI Parents Forum; contributor, Standing up to Supernanny; director of finance and central services, Cardinal Hume Centre |
![]() |
Alka Sehgal Cuthbert educator, writer, doctoral researcher |
![]() |
Peter Smith director of tourism, St. Mary’s University College, Twickenham, London; co-author, Volunteer Tourism: the lifestyle politics of international development |
![]() |
Jason Smith associate fellow, Academy of Ideas |
![]() |
Susana Soares designer; senior lecturer, London South Bank University; former research fellow, Royal College of Art |
![]() |
Sandy Starr communications officer, Progress Educational Trust; webmaster, BioNews |
![]() |
Richard Stubbs educational consultant; former teacher; advocate, Greenwich Advocacy |
![]() |
Richard Swan writer and academic |
![]() |
Mark Taylor vice principal, East London Science School; London convenor, IoI Education Forum |
![]() |
Dan Travis director, Brighton Salon; tennis coach; author How to teach Young Children Tennis and In Defence of Competitive Sport. |
Smart drugs: magic bullet or cheating ourselves?
"There's a real sense of intellectual delight that so much can be discussed in just sixty minutes - and so thoughtfully - both by the speakers and especially by the audience. A rich feast of ideas."
Christopher Kelly, reader in Ancient History and Fellow and Director of Studies in Classics at Corpus Christi College





























































