Research
Science Communication
Hannah was a senior lecturer in science communication at UWE Bristol for 4 years. Her main research interests are the use of methods from cultural evolution to look at how scientific information is transmitted online and in the real world, and also analysing how metaphor and analogy affect the communication of science. While at UWE, she completed work evaluating the Royal Institution's Christmas Lectures, looked at Escape Rooms as a possible method for science communication, and worked with "I'm a Scientist: Get me out of here" developing, running and evaluating an online training course for science communication. She continues to research linguistic and cognitive aspects of science communication and storytelling, and the use of science fiction and comedy as tools for public engagement in science.
At Liverpool, Hannah is a part of the Science and Literature Hub Research Group in the Department of English and the Olaf Stapledon Centre for Speculative Futures in the School of the Arts.
Linguistics, Language Evolution and Science Fiction
Hannah's PhD, postdoc and some current work is on cognitive science and language evolution. How did human language get to be how it is? She is particularly interested in the emergence of linguistic structure (phonology, morphology and syntax) in both humans and non-human animals, and how modality (speech or sign), iconicity and social factors influence linguistic structure.
Hannah is currently writing a book based on an article series she wrote for Babel magazine about how science fiction has influenced linguistic research over the years, and how speculative fiction can be used as a research tool that gives us access to outsider perspectives. She is often found giving comedic talks and stand-up sets on this subject, which she has presented at various science and arts festivals including the British Science Festival and TEDx. She has been on Radio 4 a couple of times talking about sci-fi and linguistics, and has also helped run a competition for science fiction authors writing about language evolution.
Hannah is part of the UK SETI Research Network and the SETI Post Detection Hub hosted at the University of St Andrews who seek to design procedures to allow humanity to respond responsibly should we make contact with extra terrestrial intelligence.
Data and digital rights
Hannah has done some public perceptions work on digital data collection in relation to robotics and smart cities as part of the EU Horizon 2020 project, SciRoc, and also worked on similar themes with Drag*n (Data Research, Access, Governance Network) at UWE Bristol. She was previously a Data Fellow at the South West Creative Technology Network working on methods for audience mapping work for data rights advocacy. She is a board member and active supporter council member for Open Rights Groups, a UK based digital rights advocacy group.
She is a part of the Discourse, Data and Society Research Group and the Digital Media & Society Institute in the Department of Communication and Media, and the Language, Data and Society Research Centre in the School of the Arts.
Research grants
Would you trust a simulation? Communicating (un)certainty and establishing confidence in virtual testing
ROYAL SOCIETY (CHARITABLE)
October 2024 - September 2026
Cognitive biases in storytelling: applications and implications for science communication
BRITISH ACADEMY (UK)
April 2022 - September 2023