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Chemists as Politicians

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Chemists as Politicians

Date

16 October 2026

Subject areas

General Interest

Location

London, UK

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This meeting will look at the career of chemists who became politicians (mainly in the UK), both in the past and more recently. The speakers will discuss the influence of their chemical training (and in some cases their chemical research) on their political thinking and their actions as politicians. They range from Henry Enfield Roscoe and Chaim Weizmann to Margaret Thatcher and Julian Huppert.听

10:00Coffee and tea

Session One (chair: Mary Archer)

10.30Welcome from John Nicholson, Chair of the Historical Group

10.35 Peter Reed, 鈥淟yon Playfair: Chemist, MP, Minister and Polymathic Reformer鈥

11.05Peter Morris, 鈥淗enry Roscoe: The Campaigning Chemist鈥

11.35 Richard Toye, 鈥淪tafford Cripps: The Chemistry of Politics鈥

12.05 Jon Agar, 鈥淢argaret Thatcher, Scientist鈥

12.35 Lunch (not provided)

Session Two (chair: tbc)

2.00 听听 Brian Iddon, 鈥淐hemistry and Politics: An Unlikely Mixture鈥

2.30 听听 Julian Huppert, 鈥淎re Politicians and Chemists Miscible?鈥

3.00 听听 Tea and coffee

Session Three (chair: tbc)

3.40 听听 Tony Travis, 鈥淐haim Weizmann: From Science Fiction to Birth of a Nation鈥

4.00 听听 Viscount Stansgate, 鈥淧arliament and Science鈥

4.40 听听 Closing remarks by Peter Morris

4.50 听听 Meeting ends

Speakers

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Peter Reed

Independent Scholar

United States

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Peter Morris

University College London

UK

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Richard Toye

University of Exeter

UK

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Jon Agar

University College London

UK

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Brian Iddon

retired

UK

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Julian Huppert

University of Cambridge

UK

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Anthony Travis

Hebrew University, Jerusalem

Israel

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Viscount Stansgate

House of Lords

UK

Event details

This meeting is open to everyone, including the general public, and is free of charge. If you wish to attend, please send an email giving your details (and requirements if any) to the 黑料社区 Historical Group Secretary, Mike Leggett, at [email protected] by 8 October 2026.

Deadlines

Burlington House

Library, Burlington House, Royal Society of Chemistry, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London, W1J 0BA, UK

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Mike Leggett

黑料社区 Historical Group

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