Talks and Panel Debates

Expect live demonstrations, history and humour on this all-new science tour from Theatre of Science!

Expect live demonstrations, history and humour on this all-new science tour from Theatre of Science!

Expect live demonstrations, history and humour on this all-new science tour from Theatre of Science!

Expect live demonstrations, history and humour on this all-new science tour from Theatre of Science!

Expect live demonstrations, history and humour on this all-new science tour from Theatre of Science!

Expect live demonstrations, history and humour on this all-new science tour from Theatre of Science!

Why do we feel emotions like compassion or sympathy - and such joy in social connection? Find out how archaeological evidence helps us to reconstruct how our ‘better natures’ developed in the distant past.

Discover the fundamental role companies can play in driving sustainable consumption patterns through new business models which look beyond the ‘green consumer’.

Spaceflight expert Libby Jackson reveals the very best true stories of humankind’s thrilling journey to the stars. Grab your space suit and jump aboard – it’s time for an astronautical adventure!

Learn about the history of health inequality in Britain over the past 2,000 years and discover if we can do better in the future.

Art historian Elena Kashina discusses the dramatic change in Russian landscape painting which took place from the mid-19th to the early 20th century.

Astronomer Emily Brunsden and science communicator Chris Stewart ponder the infinities, space and time, in this special live episode of the Syzygy podcast.

The Global South undoubtedly bears the brunt of global climate change, biodiversity loss and extinctions. Learn more about the relationship between humans and animals, scientific ecology and the protection of nature.

Discover how archaeologist Rebecca Wragg Sykes uses her experience at the cutting-edge of Palaeolithic research to share new understanding of Neanderthals.

Archaeologist Barry Crump reveals the many meanings and uses of York’s iconic medieval city walls.

Cyberpsychology researchers Nicola Fox Hamilton and Catherine Talbot examine how we choose to present ourselves online and how we attempt to manage the impressions others form of us.

Learn how a tract of arable land has been transformed into a thriving biodiverse habitat of lake, lagoons, wet meadows and grassland at the University of York.

Dogs and humans: in the last 200 years no inter-species relationship has developed so fast nor come so far. Author Simon Garfield examines the history of this unique bond.

Intonation patterns are part of how we characterise regional accents and dialects. Linguist Sam Hellmuth explores intonational tunes in Middlesbrough and York and how these are changing over time.

How have, do and can Science and Religion relate to one another? Nick Spencer of the think tank Theos explores centuries of complex and colourful interaction between the two.

What lessons can we take forward from our time in lockdown to ensure business, culture, and learning become more inclusive for people with chronic and long-term conditions? Join writer and blogger Pippa Stacey.

Join Jenn Chubb and Sondess Missaoui from Digital Creativity Labs to hear about technical and ethical considerations when developing voice technologies for children, and recommendations for their adoption in the real-world.

If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then how can we define what is beautiful in York? Join in the conversation at a richly illustrated panel discussion from the beautiful Georgian Townhouse, Fairfax House.

Join author Robert Penn for a tale of rediscovery and a celebration of the everyday miracle of homemade bread.

Meet inspiring University of York PhD students and learn how their cutting-edge research is expanding knowledge and understanding of our world and beyond.

Award-winning Guardian columnist Oliver Burkeman provides an entertaining, humorous, practical, and ultimately profound guide to time and time management.

Using humorous insights from her past and present, multi-award-winning comedy and drama writer Georgia Pritchett reflects on a life lived anxiously.

Find out how French words and phrases lend English a certain je-ne-sais-quoi with Richard Scholar of Durham University as he explores the fascinating history of French words that have entered the English language.

Linguists Rachel Wicaksono and Dasha Zhurauskaya explore the mechanics of storytelling, focusing on the stories of a ‘hidden’ population of migrants in the city of York.

Join researchers from the University of York’s Speech Lab and discover why when it comes to hearing our ears are just the start!

Drawing on new archaeological evidence, author Anthony Barrett explores the history of Rome’s Great Fire and explains how it inflicted lasting harm on the Roman Empire.

How do we bring humanity into a sweet spot that meets the needs of all within the means of the planet? Economist Kate Raworth discusses her internationally acclaimed Doughnut Economics.

Author Daniel Lee reveals how a surprise discovery of personal documents concealed in an armchair for 70 years led to a gripping investigation into the life of a SS Officer during World War Two.

Chance Memory is a much-loved poem of the Great War by Philip Johnson. But who was Johnson and what was his connection to York? Join Sue Mendus of the University of York to find out.

Find out about one of the first professional women artists, Natalia Goncharova (1881-1962), who was at the forefront of the emerging avant-garde.

Take a virtual tour of Thin ice Press, home to historic iron presses and a reproduction common press, and discover how the invention of printing changed the horizons of what was possible.

Using the latest scientific techniques and findings, archaeologists Dawn Hadley and Julian D Richards unravel the movements of the Viking Great Army across England.

Somali-British justice activist, author and former elected politician Magid Magid presents a guide to being courageous, doing better and disrupting the age-old power structures in work, life and politics.

Join Scott Carson of the University of York for a virtual round in the popular ancient and medieval arithmetical gymnasium.

Join Harvard’s top astronomer Avi Loeb as he lays out his controversial theory that our solar system was recently visited by advanced alien technology from a distant star.

How have chemists brought colour to our lives? How do they use colour to help us understand the world around us? Find out the answers with Annie Hodgson of the University of York.

No preaching. No judgement. No guilt. Join author Jen Gale for easy, do-able, guilt-free eco-ideas for raising your children.

Expect live demonstrations, history and humour on this all-new science tour from Theatre of Science!

Come and listen to top female scientists as they take science to the streets of York – standing on a soapbox!

Brains! We all have one, we all need one, but how much do we really know about the part of us that does all the knowing? Matthew Foxwell of the University of York explains how the brain works and why it is so special.

What are the alternatives to capitalism? Alasdair Lord explores key aspects of post-capitalist systems in his Renaissance Yorkshireman Podcast.

For 400 years the potter’s wheel remained the cornerstone of pottery production in Roman Britain, before all but disappearing at the end of Roman rule. Ancient pottery technologist Graham Taylor examines why.

Enjoy an hour of rapid-fire entertainment as a troupe of York scientists takes to the stage with music, comedy, stories and tales of research.

Warm up for the re-scheduled Euro 2020 soccer tournament with former Premier League and FIFA listed referee Keith Hackett.

Expect live demonstrations, history and humour on this all-new science tour from Theatre of Science!

Join Robert Pecksmith and Lauren Stokeld, the creators of an historical mystery prototype game, The Death of Walahfrid, and explore how we can make the past playable.

Join us for a thematic roller-coaster ride through cinema history with cultural critic Peter Conrad as he explores the ways film has changed how we see the world.

Expect live demonstrations, history and humour on this all-new virtual science tour from Theatre of Science!

To infinity and beyond...or at least as far as the International Space Station! Take a fun-filled look at human space flight, with exciting experiments and live explosions.

Join world-leading forensic psychologists Laurence and Emily Alison and find out how to get what you want from even the most difficult characters by creating instant rapport.

Expect live demonstrations, history and humour on this all-new science tour from Theatre of Science!

Volcanoes erupt around the world in lots of different ways - some pour out rivers of red-hot lava, while others explode with a bang! Find out why with volcanologists from the University of Manchester.

As we head towards COP26, find out about the role our oceans play in climate change and the actions required to tackle this pressing issue and to protect marine diversity.

Expect live demonstrations, history and humour on this all-new science tour from Theatre of Science!

What role do the senses play in the experience of pilgrimage and sacred places? How can 3D visualisations bring medieval pilgrim experience to life? Join Dee Dyas of the University of York.

Find out about the discovery of a great Anglo-Saxon treasure, the research project that pieced its hundreds of gold and silver objects back together, and how they have transformed understanding of the warrior society of the day.

Find out how fusion has inspired blockbuster films from Back to the Future and The Saint to Chain Reaction and Spider Man II as we reveal the facts behind the fiction.

Beauty expert Katie Service breaks down the big issues facing the skincare industry today, from recyclables and vegan or cruelty-free products to ‘dupes’ and toxic ingredients.

Why can memories feel so real? Leading psychiatrist Veronica O'Keane shows how the mysteries of the brain are illuminated at the extremes of human experience.

From the ‘French Ripper’, Joseph Vacher, to H. H. Holmes and his ‘Murder Castle’, crime expert Drew Gray re-examines the most captivating and intriguing homicides of the 19th century.

Discover how a thriving biodiverse habitat of lake, lagoons, wet meadows and grassland is attracting numerous species to the University of York and providing an ecology laboratory for students.

Award-winning journalist Philip Stephens of the Financial Times paints a fascinating portrait of a nation struggling to reconcile its waning power with past glory.

Where did the idea of human dignity come from, and how is it holding up in the 21st century? Join Peter Collier QC.

Neuroscientist Russell Poldrack discusses why bad habits are so hard to break and examines how evidence-based strategies can help us change our behaviour more effectively.

The story of one of York’s most famous families - the Rowntrees - is best told through their newly catalogued archives. Join our speakers to learn more about the archives’ potential.

Go behind the magic of Harry Potter with author Roger Highfield as he illuminates the fascinating links between magic and science in the boy wizard's world.

Historian Peter Furtado explores how people around the globe have suffered and survived during plague and pandemic, from the ancient world to the present.

Channel the feminist power of mythical goddesses as you take a colourful tour of ancient deities and legends with authors E. Foley and B.Coates.

Find out how the development of a prototype tool will allow York’s rich archival heritage to be explored in new interactive ways.

Explore atoms in fiction and fact as you discover the past, present and future of atomic thought with Stuart Kenny and Helen Smith of the University of York.

Join forensic anthropologist Sue Black for a journey of revelation and discover the secrets hidden deep within our bones.

Author Rob Ainsley shows you tricks and tips to make people think you know more about maths than they do. And than you do.

Join scientist, writer and storyteller Anna Ploszajski for a journey of exploration into the world of craft and discover the science behind the materials.

Author Hannah Ross celebrates the excellence of women in the history of cycling.

Find out about the Shakespeare’s Rivals project which aims to map the radically differing demands imposed on actors by the great playwrights who were Shakespeare’s competitors.

Neuroscientist Dean Burnett explores why mental health problems are so widespread, and why there is still so much confusion and stigma surrounding them.

Science communicator James Lees explores just how little we all can (and do) know about science, and why we should and shouldn’t trust experts.

Olivier Urbain of the Min-On Music Research Institute, Tokyo, explores the intersection between musicking and peacebuilding.

Join Marian Ursu of Digital Creativity Labs and learn how Cutting Room, an authoring toolkit for interactive storytelling, is opening up new infinite horizons for both audiences and media producers.

Poet Molly McCully Brown explores living within and beyond the limits of a body - in her case, one shaped since birth by cerebral palsy, a permanent and often painful movement disorder.

Can we really control computers with our brain? Find out the answer with Manousos Klados, of CITY College, University of York Europe Campus.

Discover how the Polonsky Foundation, which provides support for digitising ancient texts deposited in the world’s most eminent libraries, seeks to 'democratise access to manuscripts and scholarship generally'.

From Harvey Weinstein to the political misfortunes of Elizabeth Warren, author Kate Manne shows how privileged men’s sense of entitlement is a pervasive social problem with often devastating consequences.

Take a whistle-stop tour of the psychology of thought with Helgi Clayton McClure and Scott Cole of York St John University as they tackle such slippery concepts as consciousness and mental freedom.

Discover how churches took centre stage in the hey-day of railway advertising before the Second World War.

Join Richard Lane of York Community Energy for a trip through time as he explores the history and some of the possible futures of our electricity grid.

Biologist Sean B. Carroll of the University of Maryland, USA, presents an entertaining and thought-provoking account of one of the most important but least appreciated facts of life – the awesome power of chance.

Drawing on sources from the Bible to literature and social media, author Jessica Martin considers what a distinctive holiness might look like within the distorting pressures of our highly sexualised modern culture.

How genuine are you at communicating who you really are? Duncan Lewis of Eaglei explores how to have the confidence to speak out and make an emotional connection with others.

Join author Madeleine Bunting as she explores the value and humanity of care, and offers a clarion call for change.

Joe Shute of The Telegraph unpicks Britain's long-standing love affair with the weather and discusses what happens when it changes beyond recognition.

Join Jennifer Allison of the Army Museums Ogilby Trust to discover the history of tattooing policy and culture in the British Army.

Why is ‘popular’ fiction often viewed as a form of guilty pleasure? Lydia Zeldenrust of the University of York investigates medieval romances, revealing why literary snobbery is timeless.

Join Greg Jenner, historical consultant to the award-winning TV comedy series Horrible Histories, and learn how he brings history to life through pop culture.

Join David Weintraub of Vanderbilt University, Tennessee, for the story of the search for life on Mars - and the moral issues confronting us as we prepare to send humans there.

Historian Christina Riggs explores how the world re-discovered Tutankhamun in the 1960s and ‘70s, turning an icon into an industry.

Astrophysicist Emma Chapman explores the brief but far-reaching period in the Universe's history when the very first stars burst into life and darkness gave way to light.

Political philosopher Michael J Sandel of Harvard University argues it’s time to rethink the attitudes toward success and failure that have accompanied globalisation and rising inequality.

Join Egyptologist Chris Naunton for a gorgeous presentation of intimate diaries and journals that capture the excitement of the golden age of Nile exploration.

Our speakers, including Dorothy Byrne, former Head of News and Current Affairs at Channel 4 News, examine the future of the media, discussing issues including impartiality, funding, populism and speaking truth to power.

Faced with creeping authoritarianism, a new agenda for liberalism is needed. Historian and Guardian columnist Timothy Garton Ash explores the future of liberalism in a post-Covid world.

Have you been inspired to mend a broken clock by the BBC series The Repair Shop? Well here’s your chance to learn how with conservator Matthew Read.

Author Robert Tombs reveals how the decision to leave the EU is historically explicable - though not made historically inevitable – because of Britain's historical experience and deeper ties outside Europe.

From star-nosed moles that have super-sensing snouts to electric eels that paralyse their prey, scientist Kenneth Catania unlocks the secrets behind some of nature’s most astounding animals.

Jung Chang, the best-selling author of Wild Swans, reveals the lives of three extraordinary women who helped shape 20th-century China.

Explore representations of British higher education in the Inspector Morse series of books and television programmes with our expert speakers.

From childhood to old age, how can literature show us ways to be wiser, more open and more self-aware? Psychoanalyst Josh Cohen reveals why fiction is much more than escapism and entertainment.

Award-winning investigative journalist Ian Cobain reconstructs the killing of an RUC officer in Northern Ireland in 1978, offering a unique perspective on the Troubles.

Join York conservators Emma Lloyd-Jones and Catherine Firth to share your experiences of binding a simple book and to learn about different techniques.

York is proud to be a host city for the 2021 Rugby League World Cup this autumn. Warm up for this exciting global event by hearing from those involved in its planning, preparation and legacy.

Discover how Weavr is providing new and exciting horizons for esports spectators, coaches and broadcasters with Florian Block of the University of York.

Discover how 3D visualisations are opening up new ways of experiencing pilgrimage, including the shedding of new light on Thomas Becket and the cult site of Canterbury.

Can robots really be conscious? Can we merge with AI as tech leaders like Elon Musk and Ray Kurzweil suggest? Author Susan Schneider discusses what AI can truly achieve.

Join the Guardian’s parliamentary sketch writer John Crace and journalist Tim Dowling for some humorous, razor-sharp insights into modern-day Britain.

Discover what Malay magic and divination manuscripts from the late 18th to early 20th century reveal about magical and divinatory practices in Southeast Asia.

Acclaimed historian, writer and broadcaster William Dalrymple tells the story of the East India Company as it has never been told before.

How do we improve the quality of people’s lives and tackle the great global challenges of our times? Join leading economist Mariana Mazzucato and the co-author of the best-selling The Spirit Level, Kate Pickett.

Join us for an internationally-curated event celebrating the incredible creative force of women through performance and discussion.

How do we find a space to talk about what’s really important at work? Join us for a special screening of the film Any Other Business followed by a panel discussion of the issues raised.

Why do we feel emotions like compassion or sympathy - and such joy in social connection? Find out how archaeological evidence helps us to reconstruct how our ‘better natures’ developed in the distant past.

Discover the fundamental role companies can play in driving sustainable consumption patterns through new business models which look beyond the ‘green consumer’.

Our expert panel discusses how music interventions aim to improve mental health and social relations for youth considered ‘at risk’.

Join us for a celebration and discussion of the works of Elena Ferrante with the novels’ translator Ann Goldstein, FT journalist Isabel Berwick and Merve Emre of the University of Oxford.

Hope matters. More so in the uncertain times which we live. But how do we understand hope? Join in the discussion as our expert panel of speakers explores the horizons of hope.

Join in the discussion as Citizens Advice York explores how barriers to technology have impacted York residents in the Covid-19 pandemic.

Should music intervention be used more widely to improve public health? Hear the views of our expert panel.

Take a virtual tour of Thin ice Press, home to historic iron presses and a reproduction common press, and discover how the invention of printing changed the horizons of what was possible.

What is the human cost of pollution and what are the possibilities of change? Hear the views of an international panel of experts.

Warm up for the re-scheduled Euro 2020 soccer tournament with former Premier League and FIFA listed referee Keith Hackett.

Find out about recent groundbreaking research on the victims of the eruption of Vesuvius in 79AD with archaeologists Oliver Craig, Silvia Soncin and Tim Thompson.

Join us for a panel discussion exploring the ethics and importance of inclusivity in the modern world.

Discover how a thriving biodiverse habitat of lake, lagoons, wet meadows and grassland is attracting numerous species to the University of York and providing an ecology laboratory for students.

The health benefits of music for our own health and wellbeing are now widely-recognised. But how can those providing music for others care for themselves? Hear the views of our expert panel.

What were the Science Wars? Does combat rhetoric around Covid and climate change unite or polarise? Our speakers explore the effects of warfare narrative in science, and introduce more productive metaphors in science communication.

Join us for a special film screening of Industry Voices followed by a discussion of the issues raised. Discover why the lack of diversity in the film and TV sector impacts not only on those working in the industry, but on those watching too.

What does ‘levelling up the economy’ mean? Is it just a new name for an old idea? And most crucially, is it possible? Our expert speakers discuss the challenges.

Join Susan Halfpenny, Stephanie Jesper and Siobhan Dunlop of the University of York as they voyage into our possible futures, reimagining our digital horizons.

What does it mean to be a woman with a northern accent in leadership settings in 2021? A panel of tenacious women come together to share their experiences, and offer advice and inspiration.

Olivier Urbain of the Min-On Music Research Institute, Tokyo, explores the intersection between musicking and peacebuilding.

Our expert panel reveals how a green recovery could create millions of jobs, promote our health and wellbeing, and lead us to a fairer, more resilient future.

Take a fresh look at the Franco-Prussian War with our international panel of historians.

Our speakers, including Dorothy Byrne, former Head of News and Current Affairs at Channel 4 News, examine the future of the media, discussing issues including impartiality, funding, populism and speaking truth to power.

Our virtual panel shines a spotlight on the black British-South African writer Noni Jabavu (1919-2008) with her York connection, whose work and fascinating story deserve to be better known.

An expert panel discusses what remains to be done for girls and women to gain full possession of their sexual and reproductive rights, and the expected impacts on their health and wellbeing.

York is proud to be a host city for the 2021 Rugby League World Cup this autumn. Warm up for this exciting global event by hearing from those involved in its planning, preparation and legacy.