Public talks, broadcast appearances, interviews, and writing for general audiences.
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Statistics and Stupidly Smart AI, Royal Institution
Statistics are under pressure! It's harder to count the things that we make today than it was to count the things we used to make. And surveys, once the life-blood of our nation's statistics, are facing steep declines in response rates. This is Bad News for the country as statistics are critical infrastructure, like our roads or water pipes: they are used to make decisions about everything from school funding to taxes. What can we do? In this talk I'm going to show you how clever use of artificial intelligence can help to improve statistics and take the pulse of the nation in new ways. We'll see AI track traffic, predict the future, and work out if you’re doing the dishes, all in the name of better data. Like all technologies, AI can be good or bad. So we'll also see how AI is only 'stupidly smart': like a mischievous genie, you have to be very careful what you wish for. And, to cap it all off, I'll let you in on the secret of how AI could win you millions of dollars.
Appearance in a documentary on fusion hosted by Hannah Fry
Can Nuclear Fusion Power the Future? | The Future With Hannah Fry Episode 4
Nuclear Fusion and the Race to Power the Planet, Royal Institution
Following in the footsteps of my science outreach hero, Michael Faraday, here I am giving a lecture on nuclear fusion at the UK's Royal Institution, famous for its Christmas lectures.
Economics
Economic statistics and stupidly smart AI, Royal Statistical Society William Guy Lecture
I am the 2025-2026 William Guy Lecturer for the Royal Statistical Society for ages 16+. In this lecture, I discuss the challenges facing economic statistics, and how artificial intelligence—if used smartly—could help.
Inside Tech Careers by Mission Encodeable
Inside Tech Careers podcast interview with Mission Encodeable (https://missionencodeable.com/), an organisation that promotes coding for young people.
Research on gender pay transparency in the Financial Times
Soumaya Keynes writing on 'Should pay be more transparent?'
The Wonders of Data Science, Bristol Data & AI Showcase
A talk I gave on some of the amazing wonders that data science has and is bringing the world. Given at the 2022 Bristol Data & AI Showcase, hosted by the Jean Golding Institute.
How the pandemic accelerated use of anonymised location data from mobile phones (Business Matters)
An opinion piece in Business Matters magazine on how the Office for National Statistics' Data Science Campus began using anonymised mobile phone data for analysis during the pandemic.
Tracking the price of the lowest-cost grocery items
Experimental ONS Data Science Campus analysis tracking the cost of lowest priced groceries using web-scraped price data, carried out in response to concerns about the cost of living for those on the lowest incomes. Widespread coverage, including in The Times, Evening Standard, The Independent, The Guardian, Mail Online, The Sun, The Daily Mirror, Metro, Bloomberg, BBC, Reuters, Evening Standard, Sky News, FT, City AM, ITV, Huff Post, Morning Star Online, iNews, Irish News, Daily Express, Retail Gazette, Grocery Gazette, the Scotsman, the i paper, Sky News, ITV, Channel 5, Channel Four News, GB News, LBC.
'Why I left physics for economics' in The Guardian
An article in The Guardian about why I chose to leave physics.
Fusion and physics
'Faster, Please! — The Podcast' on nuclear fusion
A conversation with James Pethokoukis about a huge breakthrough in nuclear fusion.
Opinion piece on first net energy gain from fusion breakthrough at NIF in The Guardian
The carbon-free energy of the future: this fusion breakthrough changes everything
France 24 interview on net energy gain fusion experiment
'A moment in history': US researchers announce major nuclear fusion breakthrough. Note that they weren't supposed to use my ONS affiliation here; I was speaking in a personal capacity.
CNN's Connect the World With Becky Anderson
One of many appearances on news television and radio to talk about the first ever net energy releasing fusion experiment at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
TV and print media on the net energy gain breakthrough at the National Ignition Facility
I was quoted in the story that broke the news about the first net energy gain in a fusion experiment at the National Ignition Facility, and I did a whole sweep of media spots in the days after the amazing news! This included BBC's Outside Source with Ros Atkins.
'Patented: History of Inventions' episode on Nuclear Fusion
Dallas Campbell interviews me for the 'Patented: History of Inventions' podcast.
National Geographic article, 'Many scientists see fusion as the future of energy – and they're betting big', with quotes
An article in National Geographic magazine about nuclear fusion that includes some quotes from me.
The Curious Cases of Rutherford and Fry: The Puzzle of the Plasma Doughnut
An episode of a BBC podcast on nuclear fusion that I appeared on. Featuring Hannah Fry and Adam Rutherford.
Opinion piece on fusion breakthrough at JET in The Guardian
The power of stars to meet our energy needs? This is something to be excited about
Quirks and Quarks, on Canadian Public Radio
Appearance on the Quirks and Quarks podcast to discuss nuclear fusion and my book, The Star Builders.
Contributor to the Financial Times' 'Big Read' on fusion
Nuclear fusion: why the race to harness the power of the sun just sped up
BBC Breakfast Pint of Science talk on Nuclear Fusion
Talks in London and Cambridge on nuclear fusion for the Pint of Science festival. Interviewed on BBC Breakfast about the festival.
Political Economy with James Pethokoukis
Episode: 'Arthur Turrell: Is fusion power the energy source of the future?'
the ARC Energy Podcast
'This week, Dr. Arthur Turrell, author of the recently published book The Star Builders: Nuclear Fusion and the Race to Power the Planet joins the podcast'.
Piece on fusion in The Observer
The race to give nuclear fusion a role in the climate emergency
paper on ultrafast heating
You can find the paper on the research pages. Coverage in a wide range of media outlets.
Laser Quest
A night celebrating the uses of lasers held at the Ace Hotel in Shoreditch by Super Collider. There were also talks by Lian Han and Ceri Brenner, and tea from Bompas & Parr.
Science in Parliament article on fusion
An article in the parliamentary science magazine, aimed at policymakers.
Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition
An exhibit called 'Set the controls for the heart of the Sun' at the ever-fantastic RS Summer Exhibition.
Plasma: The mysterious fourth state of matter
A talk given at the 2011 British Science Festival