Trotter Paterson Lecture 2026

The Trotter Paterson Lecture was created in 1951 as a biennial event to commemorate two distinguished past Presidents of the Illuminating Engineering Society, Alexander Trotter (President 1917-1920) and Sir Clifford Paterson (1928). The Society of Light and Lighting was originally founded as the Illuminating Engineering Society. 

This year the Society of Light and Lighting are delighted to welcome Professor Glen Jefferies, Professor of Neuroscience, Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London to present The Importance of the Unseen. 

Solar light plays a powerful role in regulating metabolism across the body. However, much of this is outside the human visual range and largely unappreciated. Moving into the built environment with LED lighting isolates us from key longer wavelengths and leaves us metabolically challenged. This maybe reflected in the gradual increase in metabolically related diseases, particularly in ageing. Listen as Glen delves into the wonders of solar light and its role in regulating metabolism across the body. 

Glen undertook his first degree in Experimental Psychology at Sussex University. He completed his doctorate at Oxford University in Neuroscience and then moved on to postdocs at UCL, University of Chicago and back at Oxford before taking up a faculty position at the Institute of Ophthalmology UCL. 

His background career is in vision both in terms of the retina and the visual brain. Over the last 10 years he has become interested in the general impact of light both in its visual forms and in terms of wavelengths we do not see but which influence out bodies and their metabolism. This extends from natural light through to the light that we have in the built environment where we spend over 90% of our lives. Hence his research has platforms both in ophthalmology and also with architects and lighting designers.

Agenda

18:00 - Doors open and refreshments 

18:30 - Take your seats

18:45 - Lecture

20:00 - Networking and refreshments

Location: Darwin Lecture Theatre, UCL Main Campus, Mallet Street, London, WC1E 6BT

This is an in person event only, so please only register for a ticket if you are able to attend. 

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