University Events

Upcoming Lectures

Upcoming Lectures

Our next lectures in the Insights Public Lectures programme are listed below. Admission is free and no pre-booking required. All seats are allocated on a first-come first-served basis.

  • The Blair Government Reconsidered

    Dr Jon Davis. Free admission, all seats allocated on a first-come first-served basis.

    Date/Time: Tuesday 14 May 2019, 17:30 - 18:45

    Venue: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University

  • Our lives with algorithms

    Professor Louise Amoore. Free admission, all seats allocated on a first-come first-served basis.

    Date/Time: Thursday 9 May 2019, 17:30 - 18:45

    Venue: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University

  • New voices on science, agriculture and engineering

    Date/Time: Tuesday 2 May 2019, 17:30 - 18:45

    Venue: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University

  • Brain surgery and other stories (Fickling Lecture on Developments in Children's Literature)

    Henry Marsh. Free admission, all seats allocated on a first-come first-served basis.

    Date/Time: Tuesday 30 April 2019, 17:30 - 18:45

    Venue: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University

  • The Making of the British Landscape (Tyneside Geographical Society Lecture)

    Nicholas Crane. Free admission, all seats allocated on a first-come first-served basis.

    Date/Time: Thursday 28 March 2019, 17:30 - 18:45

    Venue: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University

  • Between the living and the dead: what are the limits of remembering through oral histories?

    Professor Paula Hamilton. Free admission, all seats allocated on a first-come first-served basis.

    Date/Time: Tuesday 26 March 2019, 17:30 - 18:45

    Venue: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University

  • Damsels of Defense: a story of Women, Peace and Security in changing times (Defence Lecture)

    Ambassador Clare Hutchinson. Free admission, all seats allocated on a first-come first-served basis.

    Date/Time: Thursday 21 March 2019, 17:30 - 18:45

    Venue: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University

  • Plant diversity is under threat: why should we care and what can we do?

    Professor William Willats. Free admission, all seats allocated on a first-come first-served basis.

    Date/Time: Tuesday 19 March 2019, 17:30 - 18:45

    Venue: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University

  • Henry Miller Memorial Concert

    Sarah Beth Briggs (piano). Please note this event is free but pre-booking is required.

    Date/Time: Sunday 17 March 2019, 16:00 - 17:30

    Venue: King's Hall, Armstrong Building, Newcastle University

  • Fish oils and brain health: what dose does what in whom? (Albert Latner Lecture in Clinical Biochemistry)

    Professor Anne-Marie Minihane. Free admission, all seats allocated on a first-come first-served basis.

    Date/Time: Tuesday 12 March 2019, 17:30 - 18:45

    Venue: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University

  • Childhood obesity; they should do something about that

    Professor Ashley Adamson. Free admission, all seats allocated on a first-come first-served basis.

    Date/Time: Thursday 7 March 2019, 17:30 - 18:45

    Venue: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University

  • Kurt Schwitters’ Merz Barn – from there to here

    Fred Brookes. Free admission, all seats allocated on a first-come first-served basis.

    Date/Time: Thursday 28 February 2019, 17:30 - 18:45

    Venue: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University

  • Uranium, the Bogeyman of the periodic table: a case of Dr Jekyll or Mr Hyde?

    Professor Steve Liddle. Free admission, all seats allocated on a first-come first-served basis.

    Date/Time: Tuesday 26 February 2019, 17:30 - 18:45

    Venue: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University

  • Understanding Islamophobia

    Professor Peter Hopkins. Free admission, all seats allocated on a first-come first-served basis.

    Date/Time: Tuesday 12 February 2019, 17:30 - 18:45

    Venue: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University

  • Martin Luther King Memorial Lecture

    Rt Hon David Lammy MP. Free admission, all seats allocated on a first-come first-served basis. [note later start time]

    Date/Time: Thursday 7 February 2019, 18:30 - 20:00

    Venue: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University

  • Seeing homosexuality in Joe Orton’s What the Butler Saw (LGBT+ History Month Lecture)

    Dr Emma Parker and Leonie Orton. Free admission, all seats allocated on a first-come first-served basis

    Date/Time: Tuesday 19 February 2019, 17:30 - 18:45

    Venue: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University

  • ELEMENTS: The elements of colour (Holmes Lectures for 10- to 14-year olds)

    Free admission, pre-booking required. To book your free spaces please contact: public.lectures@ncl.ac.uk or telephone: 0191 208 6093

    Date/Time: Wednesday 23 January 2019, 17.00 - 18.00

    Venue: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University

  • ** CANCELLED ** Dying to be free: African-American suffering and death during the American Civil War (Black History Month Lecture)

    Please note this lecture has been cancelled due to unforseen circumstances, apologies for any inconvenience caused.

    Date/Time: Tuesday 9 October 2018, 17.30 - 18.45pm

    Venue: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University

  • ELEMENTS: The elements of health (Holmes Lectures for 10- to 14-year olds)

    Free admission, pre-booking required. To book your free spaces please contact: public.lectures@ncl.ac.uk or telephone: 0191 208 6093

    Date/Time: Wednesday 16 January 2019, 17.00 - 18.00

    Venue: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University

  • Santa, sprouts and angels: the popular imagery of Christmas

    Dr Gail-Nina Anderson. Free admission, all seats allocated on a first-come first-served basis.

    Date/Time: Thursday 13 December 2018, 17.30 - 18.45

    Venue: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University

  • Food, fuel, fibre, flowers or fun: what do we want from land and can we achieve it? (Cameron-Gifford Lecture)

    Emeritus Professor Chris Pollock. Free admission, all seats allocated on a first-come first-served basis.

    Date/Time: Tuesday 11 December 2018, 17.30 - 18.45

    Venue: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University

  • Was there ever an American Empire?

    Professor Antony Hopkins. Free admission, all seats allocated on a first-come first-served basis.

    Date/Time: Thursday 6 December 2018, 17.30 - 18.45

    Venue: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University

  • Brexit two years on: the politics and economics of a protracted divorce

    Free admission, all seats allocated on a first-come first-served basis.

    Date/Time: Wednesday 27 June 2018, 17:30 - 18:45

    Venue: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University

  • British Defence Policy and Brexit – time to consider Britain’s place in the world? (Defence Lecture)

    The Rt Hon the Lord Hutton of Furness. Free admission, all seats allocated on a first-come first-served basis.

    Date/Time: Tuesday 13 March 2018, 17:30 - 18:45

    Venue: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University

  • Henry Miller Concert 2018

    Date/Time: Sunday 11 March 2018, 16:00 - 18:00

    Venue: King's Hall, Armstrong Building

  • *LECTURE POSTPONED* Engendering the city we need? Overcoming the barriers

    Emeritus Professor Marion Roberts.

    Date/Time: Thursday 1 March 2018, 17:30 - 18:45

    Venue: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University

  • LECTURE POSTPONED: Brexit and populism: a sociological perspective

    Please note this event has been postponed, a new date will be announced shortly. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

    Date/Time: Thursday 22 February 2018, 17:30 - 18:45

    Venue: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University

  • CSI Richard III

    Professor Sarah Hainsworth. Free admission, all seats allocated on a first-come first-served basis.

    Date/Time: Thursday 8 March 2018, 17:30 - 18:45

    Venue: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University

  • How Good We Can Be: ending the mercenary society and building a great country

    Will Hutton. Free admission, all seats allocated on a first-come first-served basis.

    Date/Time: Tuesday 22 May 2018, 17:30 - 18:45

    Venue: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University

  • We are London – creating a museum for and of our time

    Sharon Ament. Free admission, all seats allocated on a first-come first-served basis.

    Date/Time: Thursday 15 March 2018, 17:30 - 18:45

    Venue: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University

  • BBC Radio 3’s Free Thinking Festival of Ideas at Sage Gateshead

    Admission is free but ticketed: to book visit www.sagegateshead.com or call 0191 443 4661 from 2 February.

    Date/Time: Sunday 11 March 2018, 11:30 - 12:30

    Venue: The Sage Gateshead

  • We need to talk about Nigel (Jacobson Lecture)

    Professor Sir Simon Wessely. Free admission, all seats allocated on a first-come first-served basis.

    Date/Time: Tuesday 27 February 2018, 17:30 - 18:45

    Venue: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University

  • The windows to the soul? - Animal vision (Holmes Lectures for 10- to 14-year-olds)

    Vision Researchers from the Institute of Neuroscience. To register for free places, please e-mail the Public Lectures office: public.lectures@ncl.ac.uk, or telephone: 0191 208 6093

    Date/Time: Wednesday 17 January 2018, 17:00 - 18:00

    Venue: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University

  • Democracy in crisis? The majority vote and populism

    Olivier Christin. Free admission, all seats allocated on a first-come first-served basis.

    Date/Time: Thursday 5 October 2017, 17:30 - 18:45

    Venue: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University

  • A composer’s personal reflections on the impact of religious, social and aesthetic influences on music

    Sir James MacMillan. Free admission, all seats allocated on a first-come first-served basis.

    Date/Time: Wednesday 22 November 2017, 17:30 - 18:45

    Venue: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University

  • Music, modernity and the search for the sacred (Riddell Memorial Lectures)

    Sir James MacMillan. Free admission, all seats allocated on a first-come first-served basis.

    Date/Time: Tuesday 21 November 2017, 17:30 - 18:45

    Venue: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University

  • Facing adversity with a smile (Fickling Lecture)

    Baroness Floella Benjamin OBE. Free admission, all seats allocated on a first-come first-served basis.

    Date/Time: Tuesday 3 October 2017, 17:30 - 18:45

    Venue: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University

  • The windows to the soul? - Human vision (Holmes Lectures for 10- to 14-year-olds)

    Vision Researchers from the Institute of Neuroscience. To register for free places, please e-mail the Public Lectures office: public.lectures@ncl.ac.uk, or telephone: 0191 208 6093

    Date/Time: Wednesday 24 January 2018, 17:00 - 18:00

    Venue: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University

  • A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived (in association with the North East Humanists)

    Dr Adam Rutherford. Free admission, all seats allocated on a first-come first-served basis.

    Date/Time: Thursday 19 October 2017, 17:30 - 18:45

    Venue: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University

  • CANCELLED: Rethinking public value

    Please note this event has been cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances. Apologies for any inconvenience caused.

    Date/Time: Thursday 27 April 2017, 17:30 - 18:45

    Venue: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University

  • Mind the gap – tackling oral health inequalities (Founders & Benefactors Lecture)

    Professor Richard Watt. Free and open to all. To register please e-mail: magdalena.grainger@ncl.ac.uk or telephone 0191 208 7898.

    Date/Time: Friday 16 June 2017, 16:30 - 18:00

    Venue: RB Green Lecture Theatre, Medical School, Newcastle University

  • Innovation: opportunities, academia and changing the ecosystem (Grey Turner Lecture)

    Shaf Keshavjee MD, James Wallace McCutcheon Chair in Surgery. Free admission, all seats allocated on a first-come first-served basis.

    Date/Time: Wednesday 28 June 2017, 17:30 - 18:45

    Venue: David Shaw Lecture Theatre, Medical School, Newcastle University

  • Technologies for bee health

    Mike Brown, Animal and Plant Health Agency. Free admission, all seats allocated on a first-come first-served basis.

    Date/Time: Tuesday 7 March 2017, 17:30 - 18:45

    Venue: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University

  • Medicine 20 years ahead: where we are winning, where we are not (Jacobson Lecture)

    Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Scientific Adviser, Department of Health. Free admission, all seats allocated on a first-come first-served basis.

    Date/Time: 24th November 2016, 17:30 - 18:45

    Venue: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University

  • Should the NHS pay for obesity surgery? (Rutherford Morrison Lecture)

    Professor David Kerrigan, Bariatric Surgeon, Phoenix Health and University of Chester. Free admission, all seats allocated on a first-come first-served basis.

    Date/Time: 25th October 2016, 17:30 - 18:45

    Venue: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University

  • Our Dynamic Earth: Where on Earth are We? – an Introduction to Geomatics

    Delivered by staff from Newcastle University’s Geosciences and Geomatics Research Groups.

    Date/Time: 26th January 2017, 17:00 - 18:00

    Venue: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University

  • Our Dynamic Earth: Third Rock from the Sun – an Introduction to Earth Science

    Delivered by staff from Newcastle University’s Geosciences and Geomatics Research Groups.

    Date/Time: 19th January 2017, 17:00 - 18:00

    Venue: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University

  • Human struggle and hope – Christian and Muslim perspectives

    Mona Siddiqui, OBE. Free admission, all seats allocated on a first-come first-served basis. 

    Date/Time: 1st November 2016, 17:30 - 18:45

    Venue: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University

  • Eyes: windows to the soul and mind control

    Professor Gwyneth Doherty-Sneddon, Head of the School of Psychology, Newcastle University. Free admission, all seats allocated on a first-come first-served basis.

    Date/Time: 18th October 2016, 17.30 - 18:45

    Venue: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University