Started in 2009 by two academics from University College London, Bright Club is a form of research and knowledge exchange, and public engagement, that supports academics and others with specialist knowledge to share their insights and work. The Guardian article below captures the purpose of Bright Club nicely, terming it the “thinking person’s comedy night”.
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2010/dec/07/academics-public-engagement-comedy
A full Bright Club event normally has a number of academics performing short comedy sketches or talks about their work, interspersed with the support of a compere and sometimes musical intervention!
Bright Club@ISBE 2023 will be a condensed version of a traditional Bright Club event and will happen as part of our Welcome Celebration being held on Wednesday 8th November from 6:30-8:30pm at STEAMhouse. We are delighted to announce that we have two academics who will be taking the stage along with the support and guidance of stand-up comedian James Cook and these are:
Dr Sally Jones – Reader in Entrepreneurship and Gender Studies from Manchester Metropolitan University
Sally has over 30 years’ experience in training and teaching within the voluntary, public and private sectors. With a PhD in Education and Professional Development, she has researched and published extensively in the fields of higher education, leadership, entrepreneurship and gender.
Dr Helen Williams – Senior Lecturer in People & Organisations from Swansea University
Helen is an interdisciplinary scholar who draws on a diverse portfolio of work as a researcher and industry professional. Helen’s research contributions have advanced scholarly debates and applied issues in the field of entrepreneurship. Helen’s empirical work challenges the assumptions of entrepreneurship as an economic activity concerned solely with wealth-creation.
James Cook – Stand-up comedian
James Cook is an award-winning comedian and former UK board game champion who regularly appears at comedy clubs across the UK and at the Edinburgh Fringe. ‘A top-class comic’ – Birmingham Mail. ‘***** – a genuine laugh every 10 seconds’ – Broadway Baby.