Date: October 17-18, 2026.

Location: University of Oxford, UK and online

“Science and Sensibility: Method Meets Art”

A Transdisciplinary Conference

Date: October 17-18, 2026

Location: University of Oxford, UK and online

Fees (for both attendees and presenters):

£180 (In person participation)

£100 (Online participation)

Prices exclude Eventbrite fees

Proposal Submission Deadline: August 15, 2026

Call for Papers

Abstract form on: https://forms.gle/xyGsPLShekVkNtZ29

“Art and science bear intrinsic similarities in their attempts to illuminate aspects of the human condition. Grounded in exploration, revelation, and representation, art and science work toward advancing human understanding”, Patricia Leavy, Method Meets Art.

According to Richard Dawkins, “There’s real poetry in the real world. Science is the poetry of reality”. So why are art and science sometimes considered as two separate fields, rather than two different sides of the same coin? And who says that scientists, engineers, and medical researchers take interest only in matters within the boundaries of the laboratories and hospitals? How might the perspective of art provide fresh avenues for understanding and contribute significantly to the enrichment of scientific knowledge? For poets, writers, and artists there are no such boundaries, for there is poetic wisdom in scientific knowledge, beauty in anatomy, and concepts worth celebrating in writing. And for biographers and memoirists, the medical humanities offer experiences that are worth preserving in prose. Our forthcoming conference seeks to deconstruct the common divide between two seemingly distinct disciplines of art and science, building bridges instead of boundaries, and showing the importance of creatively contemplating, cherishing, and preserving the beauty of what we learn and experience.

This conference, therefore, aims to bring together scholars, creatives, and other arts-based researchers from different disciplines working on topics related to transdisciplinarity, with a focus on the bridging of science with the arts. You may be a scientist or a medical practitioner who writes poems and stories or takes on another art (such as music, sculpture, the visual arts, etc.) or alternatively, you may be a creative inspired by science, or a practioner in a field that utilises creative approaches for scientific purposes—so the intertwining of your thoughts, ideas, and creativity are welcome, and we can’t wait to hear about your work that combines your creativity with science!

Send us your proposals by August 31st. Presenters can either share academic papers and/or creative work (poetry, prose, photography, music, painting, etc.), as we highly encourage arts-based research. We welcome proposals from scholars (of all disciplines), creatives, graduate students, practitioners and professionals.

So whether you are working on research bridging art with creativity, or you have a piece containing astronomical images, eco-poetry, aesthetic reflections on chemicals and substances, lunar photography, artistic depictions of the human body, alchemical musings, art and arithmetic, psychological fiction (or non-fiction), an ode to omicron, or any other creative pieces arising from “scientific” inspiration, please share them with us!

We welcome 15-minute presentations on topics related (but certainly not limited to) the following fields:

Fiction as a mode for knowledge

Transdisciplinarity in its various forms

Music-based practices

A/r/tography

Physics as an inspiration in literature

Chemistry and the culinary, literary or visual arts

Astrophotography

Alchemy as an art and science

Psychology and the arts

Symbolic healing

Ecopoetics

Anatomy in painting

The medical humanities

Poetry and medicine

Photography and medical technology

Ruminations based on scientific theories

Space poetry

Art therapy

Music and mathematical formulas

Viruses and philosophy

The human body

Mental illness and the arts

Quantum physics and artistic expression

Technological advancements and their impact on artistic creation

Mathematical patterns in visual arts

Neuroscience and creativity

Climate change and environmental art

Data visualization as an art form

Ethical considerations in scientific art collaborations

Evolutionary biology and literature

Augmented reality and immersive storytelling

Artificial intelligence and its role in creative processes

Bioart and biotechnology in artistic practice

Intersection of robotics and performance art

Astronomy and music composition

Psychology of color in visual arts

Medical imaging techniques and artistic interpretation

Intersection of archaeology and art history

Cognitive science and theater/performance studies

Genetics and contemporary art practices

Philosophy of science and its influence on artistic discourse

Ecological activism through artistic interventions

Anthropology and the representation of cultures in art

Social sciences and documentary photography

Nanotechnology and its implications for artis

Description supplied by the event organiser.