From Sudoku to Healthcare: Durham Researchers Uncover 'The Hidden Logic Behind Everyday Tech' at Pint of Science 2026

On Monday, 18 May 2026, a sold-out crowd of around 25 attendees gathered at the Head of Steam pub in Durham for an evening of engaging talks titled "The Hidden Logic Behind Everyday Tech". The evening was part of Pint of Science, an annual, worldwide science festival that simultaneously brings thousands of researchers out of the lab and into local pubs across more than 25 countries.

While the festival takes place globally across three consecutive nights every May, the Durham series featured a fantastic local program. Spread across three unique pubs each evening, the local team delivered a total of nine diverse showcases across the city, breaking down the barriers between formal academia and the community.

Bridging the Gap and Building Community

For the Department of Computer Science, the evening was doubly significant. Alongside its role as a vital public outreach initiative, the event marked an exciting move toward fostering a richer, more active departmental social life moving forward.

By stepping out of the labs and lecture theatres into a relaxed, informal environment, the festival brought colleagues, students, and researchers together to support one another's work and connect socially after hours.

"Events like this show that computer science doesn't just happen behind a screen," says Yilin Li, an organizer of the event from the Department of Computer Science. "It’s been a fantastic opportunity to share our passion with the public, but just as importantly, it’s a brilliant way to kickstart a more vibrant, connected social calendar for our department moving forward."

Highlighting Durham’s Computing Research

Doors opened at 7:00 pm, and from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm, the audience was taken on a fascinating journey through three distinct areas of computer science. The evening aimed to uncover the surprising, often invisible algorithms and histories that power the technologies we rely on every day.

Three representatives from Durham's Department of Computer Science presented their work:

• Professor Noura Al Moubayed opened the presentation line-up by looking toward the future with “How Artificial Intelligence Will Transform Healthcare.” Professor Al Moubayed shared insights from her clinical research, demonstrating how AI models are being used for early skin cancer prediction, risk stratification for chemotherapy patients, and tracking patient deterioration in A&E.
• Dr Kristina Asimi connected a familiar pastime to a million-dollar question in her talk, “How to Become a Millionaire by Solving Sudoku.” Dr Asimi used the grid structure of Sudoku to explain the famous 'P vs NP' problem – one of the biggest open questions in computer science.
• Dr Eamonn Bell brought a wave of 2000s nostalgia to the pub with “Secrets of the CD-R: How Invisible, Intangible Writing Became Totally Normal.” Dr Bell explored the material history of the humble mix CD, unpacking the industrial R&D and software standardization behind how burning microscopic patterns onto plastic discs became an everyday norm.