New director appointed to Edinburgh Science Festival

Edinburgh Science Festival has announced that it has appointed a new director to take over after the retiral of Dr Simon Gage after 34 years with Edinburgh Science.

The new Director will be Hassan EL-Zafar.

He said: “I am thrilled to step into the role of Director at Edinburgh Science. Since its inception in 1989, the Edinburgh Science Foundation has stood as a trailblazer, notably the driving force behind the world’s first Science Festival. Our mission, centred on igniting curiosity and nurturing creative engagement with science across diverse communities, deeply resonates with my professional journey. Looking ahead, I am eager to uphold our distinguished tradition of excellence, harnessing the UK’s dynamic intellectual, industrial, and cultural landscape to foster an even deeper appreciation for scientific dialogue, engagement, and inquiry.”

Mr Zafar has a CV which includes engagement on various educational projects in the UK and further afield. He has worked with the Royal Society of Chemistry, the UK Research and Innovation. He has created pioneering educational collaborations with TikTok and has delivered STEM campaigns such as the International Year of the Periodic Table in 2019.

Edinburgh Science’s Chair of the Board, Brendan Dick, said: “Hassun El-Zafar brings a wealth of experience in science engagement that will be key for Edinburgh Science in the coming years. The Edinburgh Science Board is delighted that Hassun El-Zafar is joining us to continue Simon Gage’s legacy of leading the organisation in its critical role of societal science engagement.”

Next year’s Edinburgh Science Festival will explore the challenges of living on a planet with finite resources with the theme Spaceship Earth. Drawing inspiration from a collision between science fiction and science fact, the Festival will consider the mundane – how to keep the lights on for the next million years; and the exotic – self-diagnosed and administered healthcare with ‘cyborg’ technologies.