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Open lectures: Semester 1 - 2024-25

Every semester, the University organises free open lectures on a wide variety of topics and aimed at a general audience.

Most require tickets (available on individual event pages) but some do not. Look for the 'Book tickets' button on the web page. 

Upcoming events

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Past events

Friday 31 January 2025 2.30pm

Join a free lecture by Professor Richard Gale on AMD research and the launch of the “Anna the Eye Scanner” Appeal.

Wednesday 29 January 2025 6.30pm

We are delighted to welcome Dame Stephanie Shirley to give our 2025 Holocaust Memorial Day lecture online.

Tuesday 28 January 2025 6.30pm

Dr Mohammad Nasr Esfahani discusses building nanoscale devices for use in medicine, electronics, energy, and environmental protection.

Friday 24 January 2025 6.30pm

Speakers including Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for England, discuss the power of chemistry to tackle air pollution.

Thursday 16 January 2025 7.30pm

Gez Pegram, a conservation-focused structural engineer, shares principles of conservation engineering with examples from his UK heritage projects.

Wednesday 15 January 2025 3pm

Matthew Taylor will discuss using health economics and academia to shape policy, improve healthcare systems, and reduce health inequalities.

Tuesday 14 January 2025 6.30pm

Roddy Vann describes the exciting potential and the challenges of recreating the energy source of the stars, nuclear fusion, here on Earth.

Monday 16 December 2024 4pm

Rediscover York’s medieval city walls with archaeologist Barry Crump, who might make you see our city’s iconic landmark in a new light.

Friday 13 December 2024 6pm

The Department of Archaeology and University of York in collaboration with the Society of Antiquaries welcomes everyone to our annual Winter Lecture.

Thursday 12 December 2024 7.30pm

The aviation industry, responsible for 2.5% of CO2 emissions, targets net-zero by 2050 using SAF innovations like OXCCU’s catalyst.

Wednesday 11 December 2024 7pm

It is often said, and rightly, that the crucial question of our time is the question of man: what is the human being?

Wednesday 11 December 2024 6.30pm

Phil Hasnip explains how a clever theorem can allow us to predict material properties, and even design brand-new materials.

Wednesday 11 December 2024 5pm

How Change Happens explores social and political change, combining research and activism insights, with updates on digital activism and populism.

Monday 9 December 2024 5pm

Benjamin Poore and Rebecca Benzie broaden the definition of history plays, examining how recent works reflect diverse perspectives, feminist discourse, and historiography.

Thursday 5 December 2024 6.30pm

The Paralympics highlighted assistive technology, but Jane Draycott explores its historical roots in classical antiquity prosthetics.

Thursday 5 December 2024 6pm

A public lecture by Professor Clare Hemmings, celebrating York's Centre for Women's Studies 40th Anniversary.

Wednesday 4 December 2024 5pm

This talk explores friendship as an art historical method, focusing on Winifred Nicholson and Li Yuan-chia's relationship in 1960s Cumbria.

Tuesday 3 December 2024 6.30pm

This presentation covers Enhanced Audio Description (EAD) as a form of accessibility for film and television for visually impaired audiences.

Monday 2 December 2024 6.30pm

Join us as we hear from Ian Rice, one of the Paralympics official photographers, about his Paralympic story and how he approaches his art creatively to capture some of the most iconic sporting images of the summer.   

Monday 2 December 2024 5.30pm

As we think about moulding the future, what are the key solutions that can safeguard our planet and guarantee wellbeing?

Thursday 28 November 2024 7pm

The quantum revolution faces scaling challenges, but interdisciplinary collaboration and chiral materials can unlock its potential in advanced technologies.

Thursday 28 November 2024 5pm

Our speakers will be discussing the research for their current collaborative project on the feminist documentary photographer Franki Raffles, whose work is currently showcased in a major exhibition at Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art.

Thursday 28 November 2024 12pm

This webinar will share findings from research that took a community-led approach to address online child sexual exploitation and abuse.

Wednesday 27 November 2024 6.30pm

Star Carr, a Mesolithic site in North Yorkshire, revealed Britain's earliest house and significant artefacts through innovative archaeological research and public engagement.

Wednesday 27 November 2024 6.30pm

Agnes Noy reveals high-resolution images of DNA’s dynamic structure, showing how cellular stress alters its shape, impacting sustainable genome applications.

Tuesday 26 November 2024 6.30pm

In this talk, Amanda Guzinska, the Senior Manager of PsyCare UK, will discuss festival welfare, psychedelic harm reduction, and the critical importance of psychedelic crisis intervention.

Thursday 21 November 2024 3.15pm

Eedris Abdulkareem is a well known music activist in Africa. He is one of the pioneers of Nigerian hip hop, and he is regarded as one of the most influential Nigerian rappers of all time.

Wednesday 20 November 2024 5pm

What happens when we translate poetry? What decisions and negotiations do we make as translators and readers? How does translation affect one’s own writing?

Friday 15 November 2024 1pm

A mini-conference to honour the life and work of Dr Richard Rowland.

Thursday 14 November 2024 7pm

William Bowes Morrell expanded York Conservation Trust, founded York Common Good Trust, and promoted environmental conservation in York.

Thursday 14 November 2024 6.30pm

Join York's Drug Science Society for a talk on the pressing challenges and shortcomings of drug policy in the UK with Dr Geoff Page

Wednesday 13 November 2024 3.30pm

Most civil servants complied with the Trump administration, balancing professional duties with occasional resistance based on local conditions.

Wednesday 13 November 2024 1.30pm

This talk examines Guji women's folk songs as tools to challenge patriarchy, convey stories, and foster feminist solidarity.

Tuesday 12 November 2024 5.30pm

Mary Powley was a pioneering dialectologist, contributing to Victorian dialectology and Viking studies in Cumbria, especially local culture.

Monday 11 November 2024 12pm

Join a panel of experts from the University of Eswatini and the University of York as they discuss biodiversity conservation through the lens of ecosystem services.

Thursday 7 November 2024 12pm

This webinar presents research on vulnerability in policing, highlighting varied perspectives on responses to harm and ways to improve service support.

Wednesday 6 November 2024 6.30pm

The Company of Merchant Adventurers is delighted to welcome Julian Richer — retail entrepreneur, campaigner, philanthropist ,author, Sunday Times columnist and Company member — to the Merchants’ Hall.

Monday 4 November 2024 6.15pm

A philosophical ethics centered on epiphanies explores their significance, impact, and appropriate responses, as Sophie will discuss.

Wednesday 30 October 2024 9.30am

A celebration of business-led initiatives for sustainable and resilient development.

Thursday 24 October 2024 6pm

Andy Beckett discusses his book 'The Searchers' - a study of Diane Abbott, Tony Benn, Jeremy Corbyn, Ken Livingstone and John McDonnell.

Wednesday 23 October 2024 5pm

This talk examines foreign men's linen shirts in Renaissance Italy, highlighting fashion's influence on authority, allegiance, and identity.

Wednesday 23 October 2024 1pm

What do policymakers mean when they use the language of vulnerability?

Tuesday 22 October 2024 7pm

Research about solutions to perinatal loneliness identified that LGBTQ+ parents and carers experienced discrimination and exclusion, which resulted in feelings of loneliness.

Tuesday 22 October 2024 9.45am

Are you ready to take your business beyond just profits and create lasting value for your employees, customers, stakeholders and the wider community?

Monday 21 October 2024 5.15pm

This collection captures survival, mourning, and hope amid violence, drawing from media, history, and personal experiences of invasion.

Saturday 19 October 2024 10am

Research about solutions to perinatal loneliness identified that LGBTQ+ parents and carers experienced discrimination and exclusion, which resulted in feelings of loneliness.

Saturday 19 October 2024 10am

We will share highlights from recent research on childbirth, including anonymised real-world examples, to show how decisions are made about birth between midwives, women and their birth partners.

Friday 18 October 2024 6.15pm

The Department of Archaeology present a talk for World Menopause Day.

Wednesday 16 October 2024 6.30pm

Indrajit Roy's Audacious Hope explores acts of resistance in India, highlighting democratic struggles against authoritarianism, casteism, and majoritarianism.

Friday 11 October 2024 6.30pm

Fifteen years after The Spirit Level, social scientists discuss inequality's ongoing impacts and future, focusing on child poverty and hope.

Friday 11 October 2024 6pm

Professor Helen Smith will give a short talk on early modern paper, a substance that was both commonplace and remarkable.

Wednesday 9 October 2024 5pm

The Department of English and Related Literature present the first of Adam Phillips' talks this semester.

Tuesday 8 October 2024 5.30pm

The 1349-1350 Black Death killed nearly half of northern England, with new bio-sciences reshaping our understanding of its impact.

Thursday 3 October 2024 7.30pm

SSE Thermal and Equinor's Aldbrough Hydrogen Pathfinder project combines hydrogen production, storage, and power generation to advance UK energy transition.

Tuesday 24 September 2024 1pm

This talk looks at addressing the challenges in Kumasi's leafy greens supply chain, emphasizing the need for training, financial support, and sustainable practices.

Tuesday 24 September 2024 1pm

This talk will examine how African communities engage with introduced climate adaptation interventions, focusing on their responses, contexts, and local agency.

Saturday 21 September 2024 4.45pm

Professor Nigel Smith discusses Joost van den Vondel - a significant Dutch author, who used his plays to critique power and societal risks.

Thursday 19 September 2024 2.30pm

Explore how urban agriculture in Accra, Ghana can enhance climate resilience, highlighting policy challenges and proposing recommendations for improvement.

Thursday 5 September 2024 6.15pm

Professor Jack Stilgoe discusses 'Responsible AI' amidst growing elite interests and emerging AI safety research.