Who am I?

I’m David Robertson. Beyond Panels is a small personal project with a big ambition: break the grip the panel format has on ‘intellectual’ public (and private) events. It crystallised in early 2016 after a string of frustrating events and some great conversations with @drmattfinch, but goes back further with my experiences working at the Science Museum and Lottolab. Some interesting academic research on science dialogue at the Museum’s Dana Centre was published by Sarah Davies, among others, and establish some of the theoretical underpinnings of what’s on this site.

I want anyone who feels motivated by the ideas in Beyond Panels to take them, use them, and make them better, bigger and fit for whatever place they’re applied to.

I’ll mostly be shouting into the wind on Twitter as @davesci, and would love to hear what you think. If you’re not on that platform and want to get in touch, you can find contact info on my personal website.