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Kersten Hall is visiting fellow in the School of Philosophy, Religion and History of Science at the University of Leeds. He is the author of 'The Man in the Monkeynut Coat' which explores the life and work of William Astbury, the forgotten man of the search for the double helix, for which Watson and Crick finally took the credit. The book was featured in The Observer and was reviewed in the journal Nature.

Kersten will highlight the role played by William Astbury in developing X-ray diffraction techniques, and the contribution this made to biological research. Astbury carried out his research at Leeds University between 1928 and 1961, when he effectively pioneered the emergence of the powerful new science of molecular biology.