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INSIGHTS Public Lectures

Public Lectures at Newcastle University are free and open to all. Our aim is to offer a programme that will inform, stimulate, entertain, and excite.

About our lectures

INSIGHTS Public Lectures at Newcastle University are free and open to all.

Many of our speakers are leaders in their field and all have something of special interest to convey. Our lectures cover a wide range of disciplines. They frequently include key contemporary issues, particularly those that affect our daily lives.

Unless otherwise stated, lectures are held in-person in the Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, NE1 7RY. All our events remain free and open to all, but pre-booking is required. Bookings for lectures will open at 10:00 one week before the event. The booking link for each event can be found within the event listing.

Any views expressed by speakers are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Newcastle University.

Holmes Lecture for Children: Our immune system: the army inside our body (Lecture 1)

Date: 21 January 2026
Time: 17:00 - 18:00
Location: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University

Holmes Lecture for Children: Guardians of health: how oral hygiene supports our immune system (Lecture 2)

Date: 28 January 2026
Time: 17:00 - 18:00
Location: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University

Spring 2026 programme coming soon

Date: 5 February 2026
Time: 17:30 - 18:30
Location: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University

Defence Lecture: The end of the holiday from history by Iain Martin

Date: 5 February 2026
Time: 17:30 - 18:30
Location: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University
Guest speakers

LGBTQ+ History Month Lecture: Queer beyond London: LGBTQ lives in Brighton, Leeds, Manchester and Plymouth by Professor Matt Cook

Date: 12 February 2026
Time: 17:30 - 18:30
Location: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University
Guest speakers

NCLA Event: Karen McCarthy Woolf and Jennifer Wong in conversation with Sinéad Morrissey

Date: 17 February 2026
Time: 18:30 - 19:30
Location: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University
Guest speakers

Fake news: Historical perspectives, contemporary challenges by Professor Jo Fox

Date: 24 February 2026
Time: 17:30 - 18:30
Location: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University

Dementia support through football: A new way of meeting inequalities in dementia by Dr Marie Poole

Date: 3 March 2026
Time: 17:30 - 18:30
Location: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University

International Women’s Day Event: In conversation with Huffty McHugh

Date: 10 March 2026
Time: 17:30 - 18:30
Location: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University
Guest speakers

How can organisations and educators ensure the ethical use of AI? In conversation with Rob McCargow

Date: 12 March 2026
Time: 17:30 - 18:30
Location: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University
Guest speakers

NCLA Event: Poor Artists: The White Pube in conversation with Alex Pheby

Date: 17 March 2026
Time: 18:30 - 19:30
Location: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University
Guest speakers

New voices on arts, humanities and social sciences

Date: 19 March 2026
Time: 17:30 - 18:30
Location: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University

‘Justice for the 97’: Fractured lives, truth recovery and the Hillsborough Law by Emeritus Professor Phil Scraton

Date: 23 April 2026
Time: 17:30 - 18:30
Location: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University
Guest speakers

British Academy Lecture by Professor Russell Viner

Date: 5 May 2026
Time: 17:30 - 18:30
Location: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University
Guest speakers

The ‘other’ man: Enlightenment ideas and today’s racial fears by Professor Tommy J. Curry

Date: 12 May 2026
Time: 17:30 - 18:30
Location: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University
Guest speakers

Tyneside Geographical Society Lecture: Between the salt and the ash: A new North East pilgrimage by Jake Morris-Campbell

Date: 14 May 2026
Time: 17:30 - 18:30
Location: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University
Guest speakers

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