Stimulating lectures

Dr Martin Farr, co-chair of Insights Public lectures said: “We hope our Spring programme - which ranges from the power of poetry, and the power of Britain's defences, in February, through to the economic empowerment of the North East, and advances neuromuscular diseases research, in May - provides a stimulating range of lectures and discussions which are, as ever, free and open to all."

The new season begins with best-selling and multi ward winning author Joseph Coehlo discussing the power of poetry in the annual Fickling Lecture on Tuesday 4 February. He wrote The Boy Lost in The Maze which won the 2024 Carnegie Medal for writing and has received international acclaim appearing on the White Raven Book list - Munich, The IBBY UK Honour Books List and awarded The Extraordinary Book of 2023 by The International Children's Literature Festival of Berlin. Joseph was the Waterstone's Children’s Laureate 2022 - 2024. 

Professor Anusha Shah will discuss making connections for a nature and people-positive world on Tuesday 18 February. The President of the Institute for Civil Engineers will consider how climate and nature, and ecosystems and human societies, are interdependent and why engineers and infrastructure professionals of today and tomorrow should focus not on building assets, but connections.

Dr Vivek Nityananda from Newcastle University’s Centre for Behaviour and Evolution will ask do bees have emotions? on 20 February. Drawing on input from other disciplines and society, Dr Nityananda  will talk about his recent work on pessimism in bees, how this is affected by stress and how we make sense of these scientific results.

Climate comedian and environmental researcher Dr Matt Winning, will ask What can we do about climate change? on Tuesday 25 February. Matt has a PhD in climate change policy and has been an active researcher, combining his two worlds of comedy and environmental issues in an attempt to help save the planet.

Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon, social entrepreneur and computer scientist, will be in conversation with Laura Heels, lecturer in Newcastle University’s School of Computing, for the British Science Week lecture on Thursday 13 March. Dr Imafidon is best known for her work as a champion of diversity in the tech industry and for co-founding Stemettes, a social enterprise that inspires and supports young girls and women to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Professor Dame Lesley Regan will give the Sir Eric Thomas Memorial Lecture: Optimising women’s health benefits everyone in society: Why every nation should invest in a women’s health strategy, on Thursday 27 March. She is the first woman in the UK to hold a chair on obstetrics and gynaecology and combines her clinical work and research with a passion for communicating to the wider world. She has been the Women’s Health Ambassador for England since 2022 and is a former President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, only the second woman to ever hold this role.

Live Music in the King’s Hall resumes with the Lewis Watson Quartet on 6 February. Other highlights of the programme includes the Grace Smith Trio on 20 March and Afro Fusion Collective Hannabiell & Midnight Blue on 27 March.

Live in the King’s Hall concerts take place at 1.15pm on Thursdays and are free to attend. Student performances also take place at 4pm on Thursdays.

Unless otherwise stated, INSIGHTS public lectures are held in-person in the Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, NE1 7RY. All events a free and open to all, but pre-booking is required. Bookings for lectures will open at 10.00am one week before the event.