TEDxUEA: Creativity
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x=independently organised event
These TEDxUEA speakers explore how creative thinking can change the way we understand the world around us. Through stories from science, medicine, philosophy and marketing, they show that some of the most exciting ideas emerge when we challenge what we think we know.
They'll cover why people are drawn to certain ideas, how old questions can help us tackle new technologies, the surprising overlap between science and art, and what happens when we bring together knowledge from different fields.
TEDxUEA: Original Minds will take place on 11 November 2026 at the Enterprise Centre on UEA's stunning campus in Norwich.
Book your place at TEDxUEA)
Dr Georgy Pyatakov
Talk: How to sell a rock to a caveman
Georgy Pyatakov trained as a medical doctor, then went into marketing, and has spent eight years joining the two up: human biology and the science of selling. Alongside running global marketing campaigns in medical technology, he has analysed more than 430 studies to find out how brands appeal to instincts older than the wheel. Now he is writing a book about the instincts that kept our ancestors alive, and the marketers who've learned how to use them.
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Prof Lucy Barnes
Talk: When rules become a hindrance: what can legal philosophers tell us about AI and sustainable business practices?
Lucy Barnes holds a PhD in the philosophy of law from the University of Kent. She is a professor in the UEA Law School where she teaches, among other subjects, the philosophy of law. Lucy has taught in higher education institutions for over 20 years and holds a particular interest in demonstrating how (legal) philosophy can have tangible impact on our practices and actions in the 21st century.
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Dr Nick Desnoyer
Talk: Flower bioengineering: creating living art
A specialist in flower bioengineering, Nick Desnoyer develop flowers as programmable living media for art. During a PhD at the University of Zurich, Nick transformed Arabidopsis thaliana into an ornamental flower whose traits can be designed through environmental stimuli. His work has reached more than one million people, and he has delivered over 20 invited talks across 10 countries. Now a Swiss Mobility Fellow at the Sainsbury Laboratory, Nick is founding OpenFlower, a non-profit organisation supporting flower bioengineering for art and education.
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Prof Nicco Krezdorn
Talk: Your next breakthrough lives in someone else's toolbox
Professor Nicco Krezdorn is a reconstructive plastic surgeon, scientist and Head of Department at Zealand University Hospital in Denmark. Alongside his clinical work, he leads research spanning surgery, artificial intelligence, regenerative medicine and emerging healthcare technologies. He is particularly interested in how ideas from different fields can solve complex problems. As a speaker and writer, he explores innovation, decision-making and the future of medicine.