Future Chemistry Hub

The Future Chemistry Hub is taking over the University of Southampton's School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering on 16 and 17 September, two days of experiments, demonstrations, talks, tours and art. It's a satellite event of the British Science Festival 2026, so it's part of something much bigger than just one campus. The festival itself is Europe's longest-running science festival, first held in 1831 and run by the British Science Association to make science accessible, understandable and relevant to everyone.

This year's festival themes are environmental sustainability, maritime heritage, innovation, artificial intelligence, photonics and semiconductors, and health sciences. The Hub's programme leans into those, framing chemistry around data, AI, photonics, sustainability and real-world applications rather than as a single discipline. It's sponsored by Shimadzu UK, alongside Definition IP, Technically Social and Laboratory News.

There's a fair bit to get stuck into. Freya McGhee gives a talk, and there are hands-on activity stands: ReproducibiliTEA, Coral Detectives, the Electrochemical Circus, a data jigsaw, running your own IR spectrum and making sustainable slime. You can also book tours of the Chemical Engineering Lab, the Virtual Control Room and MRI in Action, so you'll see the actual spaces where this work happens.

Behind it all is the Future Chemistry Hub, the outreach arm of the University of Southampton's School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. They connect the university's chemistry and chemical engineering community with schools, teachers and the wider public to spark curiosity and share the excitement of the subject through hands-on activities, events and resources. The two days run at the chemistry buildings at Highfields, University of Southampton, Highfield Campus, University Road, Southampton SO17 1BJ, and it's absolutely free to attend.