Pint of Science 2026

Pint of Science is the world's largest festival of public science talks, bringing the stars behind the latest scientific research to a venue near you. Come and quench your thirst for knowledge with talks on everything from the world of artificial intelligence to zoology.

Engineering researchers will explore how scientists design and test materials.

Building the Materials of the Future

We will explore how scientists design materials from the bottom up — from interlocking grains that tangle together to form stable structures, to metals engineered to survive extreme environments. What if the behaviour of a material could be programmed simply by changing the shape of the tiny pieces it’s made from? Discover how shape alone can create new kinds of programmable materials, how researchers test metals under intense pressure and stress, and why these advances matter for technologies ranging from delicate food handling to hydrogen pipelines and clean energy infrastructure.

Ashkan Rezanejad - Programmable Materials Made from Interlocking Grains

What if materials could change their behavior simply because of the shapes of the tiny pieces (or grains) they’re made from? We created a new kind of material made of specially shaped grains that can hook and tangle with each other. Unlike sand, they don’t just pile up; they interlock, forming stable structures without glue. By changing the complexity of their shapes, we can control how strongly they stick together and how easily they come apart. We even built a magnetic version that can grab and retrieve hard-to-handle materials like fresh herbs simply by tangling with them. In this way, the shape of the grains alone becomes a way to program how materials behave. 

Alfredo Zafra - Metals under pressure: how we test materials for extreme conditions

Metals are everywhere in modern technology, but can they survive extreme conditions? In this talk, discover how scientists test materials under high pressure, repeated stress, and hydrogen exposure to understand why they fail — and how to make them stronger. From hydrogen pipelines to metal 3D printing, we explore how designing tougher materials is key to building safer infrastructure and enabling the clean energy technologies of the future.