Lates: Stef Reid and Steve Haake - a conversation on innovation and sport

This event is part of the Royal Society's Summer Science Exhibition 2024. 

Stef Reid, a world-class athlete and motivational speaker, will share her incredible journey from a life-changing accident to becoming a Paralympic medallist. In a conversation with physicist and sports scientist Steve Haake, hear about her relentless pursuit of excellence in sports, her advocacy for inclusivity and innovation in athletics and her thoughts on the future of sports and technology.

Stef Reid is a British Paralympic long jumper and sprinter. She is a World Champion, four-time Paralympian, triple Paralympic medallist, and five-time world record holder. She was appointed MBE in the 2018 New Years Honours for services to Paralympic sport. Stef has a degree in biochemistry, and her adventures off the track include acting, modelling (including being the first amputee to walk the London Fashion Week catwalk!), and serving as Vice President for The Leprosy Mission UK and British Athletics. Stef competed in the Tokyo 2021 Paralympics and starred in the British reality TV show Dancing On Ice 2022, making it to the quarter finals and showing the world you can learn to skate with an artificial foot!

Steve Haake is a Professor of Sports Engineering and the Director of Engagement at the Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre at Sheffield Hallam University. He was appointed OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list in 2020 for services to sport. He has acted as a consultant to UK Sport, Callaway Golf in California, Adidas in Germany, and the International Tennis Federation in London. From 2006 onwards, he set up the Centre for Sports Engineering Research at Sheffield Hallam University, the largest academic centre of its kind in the world. Steve is the author of “Advantage Play: Technologies that Changed Sporting History”, published by Arena Sport in 2018.

Attending the event

This event will be held in the Kohn Centre on Tuesday 2 July 2024, 8pm - 8.30pm. 

• Free to attend, no ticket required
• The room has limited capacity, so we recommend that visitors arrive at least 10-15 minutes before the event. We operate a first-come, first-served policy
• This event will take place in person at the Royal Society and will also be livestreamed on the Royal Society YouTube channel
• Live subtitles will be available in-person and virtually
• Suitable for over 18s
• Travel and accessibility information and details on planning your visit - contact us directly to arrange any specific accessibility requirements
• Food and drink will be available for purchase at our onsite café

For all enquiries, please email us.