If I had a pound for every time someone said "I hated chemistry at school", I'd be a very rich man! Chemistry teachers have the unenviable task of trying to get students to see the unseeable, which evidently doesn't come naturally to most of the population.

This talk will attempt to demystify some aspects of the subject, helping the audience to appreciate the value of chemistry in their everyday lives, and hopefully assisting them in understanding some of the chemical principles that govern the world around us.

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David Read is Professorial Fellow in Chemical Education at the University of Southampton. David was previously a schoolteacher at a secondary school and has led on the development of innovative teaching methods and the use of learning technology in chemistry and more widely at Southampton. David is currently admissions tutor for the Science Foundation Year and Director of Outreach in Chemistry, and works closely with those involved in public engagement in the department. David is partly seconded to the Centre for Higher Education Practice (CHEP) at Southampton, where he is Education Collaborative Lead (Partnership with Faculties), supporting the development and delivery of training activities for academics and organising the University’s Festival of Learning and Teaching. David works closely with teachers in the local area on the development of teaching resources and research projects. HE was awarded a National Teaching Fellowship in 2017 and Principal Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy in 2023.