Antimicrobial Resistance – How do we beat the silent pandemic?

Antibiotics have saved many millions of lives but infections from drug-resistant bacteria rose 69% between 2019 and 2023, according to Centers for Disease Control. So, should we be worried about so-called "nightmare bacteria” – and how can they be stopped?

On Wednesday 15th October, we're delighted to welcome Professor Jennifer Rohn to explain what antimicrobial resistance is, how it comes about, why it matters, and what science can do to prevent us returning to the days when even a scratch had the potential to kill you.

Antibiotics have been our go-to solution for almost a century. They prevent bacteria from infecting surgical wounds, stop us dying from dental accesses (as medieval monks sometimes did), and make many once-deadly conditions perfectly treatable. But bacteria have been fighting back for just as long and we're reaching crisis point.

Come to PubSci on Wednesday 15th October to learn how antimicrobial resistance has become such a major health issue that it's been dubbed The Silent Pandemic, costing the NHS £180 million a year, and responsible for almost 5 million deaths worldwide each year.

Luckily it's not all doom and gloom. Scientists are stepping up the arms race too, looking for novel antimicrobial agents in all kinds of unusual places and making some surprising discoveries in old ones too.

So, if you're wondering how we can beat the silent pandemic, this talk is for you!

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PubSci talks run for around 45 minutes and are followed by a Q&A session. The Old King's Head has a happy hour before 7 and the kitchen serves traditional pub grub. The nearest tube is London Bridge (Borough High Street exit). See FAQs for more.

See below for ticketing options, to read about this month's speaker, and learn more about PubSci.

Tickets

Booking is on a pay-what-you-can-afford basis.

There are two ticket options:

• Book without donating (max 4 tickets) if you prefer to put cash in the pot on the night
• Book for one + Support PubSci (max 1 ticket) if you prefer to contribute when booking – this option also reserves you one spot at the event.

Multiple tickets

If you need multiple tickets, you could get one Support PubSci ticket for whatever amount you're comfortable with for your group, then add the rest of your tickets for free. You can do this in one transaction, but how you book is up to you. Bring cash on the night to put in the pot if you prefer to support PubSci that way.

How much are tickets...?

There's no set 'price' – we trust you to contribute what you think is fair for an evening of great science. The precise amount is up to you, but the price of a pub drink is probably a good measure.

PubSci receives no other income. More information at the bottom of this page.

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About the speaker

Professor Jenny Rohn is a research scientist, academic, author and broadcaster.

She is Head of Urological Biology, Infection and Cancer in the Department of Renal Medicine in the Division of Medicine at University College London, UK.

Her writing has appeared in many places, including The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Times, BBC News, Nature and The Scientist. She speaks frequently to live audiences, and appears on TV, radio, in podcasts and as an expert in science documentaries. She was also the founder of Science is Vital, a grassroots campaign to protect public funding of science in the UK.

Jenny blogs about the scientific life at Mind The Gap, she established and named the science-in-fiction literary genre known as Lab Lit, is founding editor at LabLit.com and has written three published novels, each with a scientific theme. Jenny was one of our very first speakers when PubSci was founded in 2011.

PubSci is delighted to welcome Jenny as the latest speaker in our 2025 talks programme.

About PubSci

PubSci presents accessible science talks in the comfort of a pub meeting room so you can enjoy top quality science talks with a drink in your hand.

It is an independent initiative run by volunteers, is not-for-profit, and receives no funding other than attendee contributions.

We believe science is for everyone and we want everybody to be able to afford our events, so we run PubSci on a Pay-What-You-Can basis. To contribute via Eventbrite choose "Book for one + support PubSci". To contribute on the night, please bring cash.

By making a donation, you make it possible for PubSci to put on events like this. If you're not sure what's a reasonable amount, we suggest the same as you'd pay for a drink at the pub. If you want to support somebody attending who can't afford it, consider the price of two drinks.

Note: We aim to keep PubSci accessible for all, but it is unsuitable for under 18s as we meet in the upstairs room of a pub. Regrettably, there is no wheelchair access.

Check out our Future Events page where you can also subscribe to our Google Calendar. PubSci events will then automatically appear in your own iCal compatible calendar.

You can learn more about PubSci via our LinkTree and download our events programme here.

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