PET presents a series of talks celebrating the 100th birthday of the late IVF pioneer Professor Sir Robert Edwards. This eighth talk is by Nick Hopwood, professor of history of science and medicine at the University of Cambridge.
Professor Hopwood is author of a recent study of how the joint autobiography of Robert Edwards and Patrick Steptoe – which formed much of the basis for the film Joy: The Birth of IVF – came to be written. He has also discussed the accuracy and authenticity of the film 'Joy' in a recent article for BioNews (see BioNews 1316).
Professor Hopwood is introduced by Sarah Norcross, director of PET. This talk was originally given at the event 'Robert Edwards at 100: Remembering an IVF Visionary', produced by PET in partnership with the Association of Reproductive and Clinical Scientists.
The film of the talk was made by Video Production Edinburgh. If you can't see the film embedded above, you can watch it on YouTube.
Register for these upcoming PET events:
- Fertility and the Workplace: Can Employers Help? Should They?, taking place online on Wednesday 14 January 2026 – register here.
- Understanding Egg Donation: The Give and Take, taking place online on Wednesday 28 January 2026 – register here.
- Ancestry, Ethnicity, IVF Outcomes: Why Do Some Patients Fare Better than Others?, taking place online on Wednesday 4 February 2026 – register here.










