Some face-to-face events are returning. Check carefully for any requirements.

Jun
22
Sat
Building an organisation: all you need to know @ St Cross College
Jun 22 @ 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

This one-day workshop with St Cross College Professional in Residence David Scrymgeour covers the steps towards building a successful organisation, from designing, starting, and growing, to managing, changing, fixing, and evolving. The workshop will be highly practical, and will help you to develop a model for thinking about an organisation and how to apply it in clear practical steps. During the course of the day, you will look at the ‘Three Pillars’ model of organisations: Sales, finance, and operations, and there will be case studies, question and answer sessions, and plenty of time for networking over a working lunch.

About David:

David Scrymgeour has worked as an entrepreneur, consultant, trouble-shooter and community advisor. He is currently Adjunct Professor and Executive-in-Residence at the Rotman School of Management.

Tickets are £5 which covers a working lunch.

Jun
24
Mon
No experience necessary: how to engage with your entrepreneurial spirit @ St Cross College
Jun 24 @ 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
No experience necessary: how to engage with your entrepreneurial spirit @ St Cross College

In this lecture, entrepreneur David Scrymgeour will talk about developing an entrepreneurial mindset, sharing best practice and words of wisdom gleaned from a career in business.

About David Scrymgeour:

David Scrymgeour has worked as an entrepreneur, consultant, trouble-shooter and community advisor. As Executive in Residence and Adjunct Professor with the Rotman Commerce Program at the University of Toronto he teaches, mentors and engages in philanthropic projects in partnership with business, not for profit, political, community and sustainable development organisations.

There will be a drinks reception after the talk.

Jul
2
Tue
Farmland birds, insects and wild flowers: a case for joined-up thinking? – Dr Alan Larkman @ St Margaret's Institute 30 Polstead Road, Oxford
Jul 2 @ 8:00 pm – 9:15 pm
Farmland birds, insects and wild flowers: a case for joined-up thinking? - Dr Alan Larkman @ St Margaret's Institute 30 Polstead Road, Oxford

Dr Larkman is a retired Oxford biologist who has been chairman of OOS for the last 5 years. His main interest is the precipitous decline in the UK’s small, seed-eating farmland birds over the last 50 years.

Jul
8
Mon
Engaging with the Humanities – Rewriting the rules of the art industry: a datadriven transformation @ Saïd Business School
Jul 8 @ 5:45 pm – 6:45 pm

The art market is one of the most visible, yet least understood industries in the world. And it is in the midst of a digital transformation that is redefining what and how art is transacts every day.

During this talk, Sotheby’s Senior Vice President of Data & Strategy, Edouard Benveniste gives an introduction to the art market with a focus on how data and emerging technologies are shaking up an industry long known for its opacity.

Benveniste, has spent the past decade at the world’s leading auction houses in roles spanning sales and technology, will share lessons from the transformation of the art world that can apply to any industry at the time of disruptive innovation.

Schedule:
17:15 – Registration opens
17:45 – Event starts
18:45 – Drinks reception (optional)
19:45 – Event close
About the event

The seminar is open for anyone to attend
Spaces are limited and tickets are non-transferable so registration is essential so please use the Register button above to confirm your attendance
Please note once the main room is full you will be directed to an overflow room to watch the a livestream of the event, so please arrive early to avoid disappointment

Sep
3
Tue
Track and Sign – the naturalist’s forgotten skill – Bob Cowley @ St Margaret's Institute 30 Polstead Road, Oxford
Sep 3 @ 8:00 pm – 9:15 pm
Track and Sign - the naturalist's forgotten skill - Bob Cowley @ St Margaret's Institute 30 Polstead Road, Oxford

The ability to accurately identify and interpret Track and Sign rests on a body of traditional knowledge that previous generations of naturalists would have regarded as fundamental. Sadly, now it is largely unknown and untaught, but with the upsurge of Citizen Science, it is perhaps more relevant than ever.

Oct
1
Tue
From Slime to Society – Professor Mark Fricker @ St Margaret's Institute
Oct 1 @ 8:00 pm – 9:15 pm
From Slime to Society - Professor Mark Fricker @ St Margaret's Institute

Slime moulds thrive in damp woodlands and normally spread over rotting logs eating bacteria and fungi. They are also unusual in being single giant cells that show remarkably sophisticated behaviour considering their humble form. This talk presents a little vignette of the science behind these curious beasts and how it has led to better understanding of other networked systems, and even the origins of civilisation.

Oct
8
Tue
Space – 10 things you should know with astrophysicist Becky Smethurst @ Science Oxford Centre Theatre
Oct 8 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Space - 10 things you should know with astrophysicist Becky Smethurst @ Science Oxford Centre Theatre

Join astrophysicist Becky Smethurst on a whistle-stop tour through space, stopping off to explore everything you need to know about the universe. Guiding you through the galaxies, explaining the mysteries of black holes, dark matter and what existed before the Big Bang. She provides evidence as to whether we really are alone and highlighting what we still have to learn. If you have big questions about space or just want to expand your mind join Becky as she provides us with some answers.

Becky’s book Space: 10 things you should know will be available to buy on the night and she will be signing.

‘Bite-sized, cutting edge science delivered with enormous enthusiasm – all you need to travel the cosmos’ CHRIS LINTOTT

Dr Becky Smethurst is an astrophysicist and research fellow at the University of Oxford. Her current research is trying to answer the question ‘How do galaxies and black holes evolve together?’. Her Youtube channel Dr. Becky, where she explains unsolved mysteries, weird objects found in space and general space news each week, has 46k subscribers and counting. She also presents physics videos for YouTube channel Sixty Symbols and astronomy videos for Deep Sky Videos. She was shortlisted for the Institute of Physics Early Career Physics Communicator Award and was named Audience Winner of the UK National Final of the FameLab 2014 Competition.

Kaja Odedra, Change.Org; author of Do Something: Activism for Everyone @ Simpkins Lee Theatre, Lady Margaret Hall
Oct 8 @ 7:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Kaja Odedra, Change.Org; author of Do Something: Activism for Everyone @ Simpkins Lee Theatre, Lady Margaret Hall

Kajal Odedra has always been passionate about helping other people affect change.
She is Executive Director of Change.Org and author of ‘Do Something: Activism for Everyone’. Change.org is the world’s largest petition platform with 15 million UK users and 200 million globally.

Oct
14
Mon
“The technology trap – capital, labour and power in the age of automation” with Carl Benedikt Frey @ Oxford Martin School
Oct 14 @ 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm

In this book talk the Author, Carl Benedikt Frey, will discuss how the Industrial Revolution was a defining moment in history, but how few grasped its enormous consequences at the time. Now that we are in the midst of another technological revolution how can the lessons of the past can help us to more effectively face the present?

This talk will be followed by a book sale, signing and drinks reception. All welcome.

Oct
16
Wed
Oxford SciBar: An introduction to Astrophysics @ St Aldates Tavern (The Blue Room)
Oct 16 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Oxford SciBar: An introduction to Astrophysics @ St Aldates Tavern (The Blue Room)

Astrophysics is the science of the stars, and more widely the science of the Universe. During this stellar event, Prof James Binney will present extracts from his Very Short Introduction to Astrophysics (OUP). You will learn about the rapid expansion of the field in the last century, with vast quantities of data gathered by telescopes exploiting all parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, and the great advance of computing power, which has allowed increasingly effective mathematical modelling.

Oct
18
Fri
Life Times: experiencing change through mind, body and place @ Weston Library
Oct 18 @ 12:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Life Times: experiencing change through mind, body and place @ Weston Library

How do our minds and bodies alter as we age? Can attitudes change from one generation to the next? How have the built and natural environments around us changed in the last 200 years? What are our hopes and fears for the future and how different will it be? Join researchers at the Bodleian’s Weston Library to look into the past, present and future. This event includes hands-on activities all day and a Living Library of researchers and talks in the evening.
The shop and cafe will be open until 9pm.

“Psychologically informed micro-targeted political campaigns: the use and abuse of data” with Dr Jens Koed Madsen @ Oxford Martin School
Oct 18 @ 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Data-driven micro-targeted campaigns have become a main stable of political strategy. As personal and societal data becomes more accessible, we need to understand how it can be used and mis-used in political campaigns and whether it is relevant to regulate political candidates’ access to data.

This book talk will be followed by a drinks reception and book sale, all welcome

Oct
21
Mon
Clearing the Air @ Waterstones Bookshop
Oct 21 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Clearing the Air @ Waterstones Bookshop

Award-winning sustainability journalist Tim Smedley has travelled the world to major cities dealing with severe air pollution problems including Delhi, Beijing and Paris, interviewing scientists and politicians to discover the full story of air pollution. Join him to discover what air pollution is, where it’s coming from and, most importantly, what we can do about it.

IF Oxford is operating a Pay What You Decide (PWYD) ticketing system. This works by enabling you to pre-book events without paying for a ticket beforehand. Afterwards, you have the opportunity to pay what you decide you want to, or can afford. If you prefer, you can make a donation to IF Oxford when you book. All funds raised go towards next year’s Festival.

Oct
22
Tue
Joris Luyendijk In Conversation with Alan Rusbridger @ Monson Room, Lady Margaret Hall
Oct 22 @ 5:45 pm – 6:45 pm
Joris Luyendijk In Conversation with Alan Rusbridger @ Monson Room, Lady Margaret Hall

Joris Luyendijk was born in Amsterdam and studied in Kansas, Amsterdam, and Cairo. He is a writer, journalist and anthropologist. He has written about the Middle East, the banking crisis and Brexit.

Out of this world Cabaret @ Wig & Pen Oxford
Oct 22 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Out of this world Cabaret @ Wig & Pen Oxford

Grab a pint and join us for a cabaret with a difference as six stellar acts take you out of this world with their entertaining riffs on life at the edge of existence. From outer space to the dinosaurs, we’ll be rocketing through a medley of music, comedy and creativity that’ll keep you weightless with laughter all night. If you love science, solar systems and stand up, this cabaret should be right up your Milky Way.

Featuring Chris Lintott (BBC Sky at Night), Lucy Rogers (Robot Wars) and many more.

This event is part of the IF Oxford Science and Ideas Festival 18-28 October 2019. IF Oxford is operating a Pay What You Decide (PWYD) ticketing system. This works by enabling you to pre-book events without paying for a ticket beforehand. Afterwards, you have the opportunity to pay what you decide you want to, or can afford. If you prefer, you can make a donation when you book.

There may be tickets available on the door – spaces may be reallocated if ticket holders are late.

IF Oxford science and ideas festival 18-28 October #IFOx2019

Oct
23
Wed
Turtle Doves, trial plots and Trichomonas: understanding and conserving the UK’s rarest dove. – Dr Jenny Dunn @ Exeter Hall
Oct 23 @ 6:45 pm – 9:15 pm
Turtle Doves, trial plots and Trichomonas: understanding and conserving the UK’s rarest dove. - Dr Jenny Dunn @ Exeter Hall

Bernard Tucker Memorial Lecture – Joint with Oxford Ornithological Society

Oct
25
Fri
Fe Fi Fo Fum: battle for the iron crown @ New Road Baptist Church
Oct 25 @ 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Fe Fi Fo Fum: battle for the iron crown @ New Road Baptist Church

From the geological component of a life-supporting planet, to changing how we made tools or helping your body survive every day, iron plays an important part in being human. But which of iron’s roles is the most important? Join us for a fun evening where researchers from across the sciences and the humanities (Fe)rociously try to persuade you that their use of iron is the most important. Who wins this battle of the new iron age? You decide!

IF Oxford is operating a Pay What You Decide (PWYD) ticketing system. This works by enabling you to pre-book events without paying for a ticket beforehand. Afterwards, you have the opportunity to pay what you decide you want to, or can afford. If you prefer, you can make a donation to IF Oxford when you book. All funds raised go towards next year’s Festival.

The Crowd and the Cosmos @ Wig and Pen
Oct 25 @ 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
The Crowd and the Cosmos @ Wig and Pen

Scientists need your help! As we get more information about the Universe, we risk becoming overwhelmed but – as Oxford astronomer Chris Lintott explains in his new book, you can help. Hear from Oxford scientists who have worked with volunteers to find planets, and to count penguins, and even hunt aliens.

IF Oxford is operating a Pay What You Decide (PWYD) ticketing system. This works by enabling you to pre-book events without paying for a ticket beforehand. Afterwards, you have the opportunity to pay what you decide you want to, or can afford. If you prefer, you can make a donation to IF Oxford when you book. All funds raised go towards next year’s Festival.

Superheavy @ Waterstones Bookshop
Oct 25 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Superheavy @ Waterstones Bookshop

Marking the 150th anniversary of the periodic table, Kit Chapman reveals the incredible and often surprising stories behind the discovery of the superheavy elements; how they have shaped the world today and where they will take us in the future. Be introduced to the amazing people whose tireless quest to drive the periodic table forwards has led to scientists rewriting the laws of atomic structure.

IF Oxford is operating a Pay What You Decide (PWYD) ticketing system. This works by enabling you to pre-book events without paying for a ticket beforehand. Afterwards, you have the opportunity to pay what you decide you want to, or can afford. If you prefer, you can make a donation to IF Oxford when you book. All funds raised go towards next year’s Festival.

Oct
30
Wed
Becky Smethurst – Space: 10 Things You Should Know @ Blackwell's Bookshop
Oct 30 @ 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm

Blackwell’s are delighted to be joined by astrophysicist and YouTuber, Dr Becky Smethurst on her first book, Space: 10 Things You Should Know.

Synopsis

Written by Oxford astrophysicist Dr Becky Smethurst and composed of ten simple essays, this title guides you swiftly through the galaxies, explaining the mysteries of black holes, dark matter and what existed before the Big Bang, presenting the evidence as to whether we really are alone, illuminating what we still don’t know, and much more besides. If you have big questions about Space, this volume will provide you with the answers in an engaging and succinct way.

Becky Smethurst is a research fellow at Christ Church College, Oxford with a special interest in how galaxies and their central supermassive black holes evolve together. She is also a science communicator through her YouTube channel, Dr. Becky, which has over 45,500 followers.

This event is free, but please do register if you plan on attending. For more information please call our Customer Service Department on 01865 333 623 or email events.oxford@blackwell.co.uk

Nov
15
Fri
The Night Sky Show @ The Beacon
Nov 15 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
The Night Sky Show @ The Beacon

The Night Sky Show will take you on an epic journey from our celestial back yard and across the cosmos.

Comedy, astronomy and so much more. A show for anyone with a slight interest or more in the night sky. A night for those who want to laugh, learn and enjoy.

A fun, entertaining and memorable evening which will help you understand and enjoy the heavens above and universe beyond. Helpful for the next time you’re stargazing, or when you just look up and wonder.

We’ll skip the heavy going science and hard to follow explanations. The Universe and everything within will be presented in an entertaining and easily absorbed way.

AN AMAZING SHOW FOR EVERYONE

This won’t be a boring astronomy talk, it will be a spectacular astronomy talk anyone can enjoy!

Learn about the constellations, stars, planets and the deeper cosmos. The sheer scale of the universe and the mythology and stories of the night sky.

Presented by Adrian West – A passionate and experienced astronomer. Better known as VirtualAstro on Twitter and Facebook. He has one of the largest independent astronomy and space accounts on social media. He’s passionate about the night sky and inspiring people to look up by being interesting, down-to-earth and fun!

Adrian has written many astronomy and space related articles for various popular online science magazines. He has also written guides and articles for the BBC, Met office and National Trust to name a few.

If you look up and wonder, The Night Sky Show is for you.

SO LETS EXPLORE!

Nov
28
Thu
Battle of Ideas Satellite – The Rise of Toxic Politics – Can we be civil? @ Andrew Wiles Building
Nov 28 @ 6:00 pm – 7:15 pm
Battle of Ideas Satellite - The Rise of Toxic Politics - Can we be civil? @ Andrew Wiles Building

Are we witnessing a new, more toxic kind of politics around the world? If so, what is the alternative? Should we lament a supposedly lost civility, or is the emergence of more forthright and angry disagreements in fact a good thing? What is the line between passionate disagreement and toxic bile? Who gets to decide what are acceptable and unacceptable forms of discourse? Ultimately, how do we live together when we disagree profoundly on major issues?
Topic: Politics
Format: Debate and Q&A session

Dec
3
Tue
Dragonflies in Focus – Brian Walker @ St Margaret's Institute
Dec 3 @ 8:00 pm – 9:15 pm

The talk will provide an overview of dragonflies and their life cycles and habitats as well illustrating a number of species that occur in England including those that are currently colonising from the Continent and increasing in numbers.

Dec
4
Wed
Leadership for diversity and inclusion – lessons from the UK civil service @ Saïd Business School
Dec 4 @ 5:45 pm – 6:45 pm
Leadership for diversity and inclusion - lessons from the UK civil service @ Saïd Business School

Inaugural event in our new events series focusing on responsible leadership: Driving Diversity and Inclusion Seminar Series.

Progress on diversity in the UK civil service and why it matters. How the dial only really shifted on gender, and why the focus is now on inclusion and addressing bullying and harassment. What the good leaders are doing?

Dame Sue Owen will give a talk followed by a Q&A with the audience moderated by Sue Dopson, Rhodes Trust Professor of Organisational Behaviour, Fellow of Green Templeton College, Deputy Dean of Saïd Business School.

Event Schedule:
17:15 – Registration opens
17:45 – Event starts
18:45 – Drinks reception
19:45 – Close

Dec
6
Fri
What makes the Ashmolean the perfect place for interdisciplinary work? What even is interdisciplinary work? @ Thatcher Business Education Centre,
Dec 6 @ 2:30 pm – 3:30 pm
What makes the Ashmolean the perfect place for interdisciplinary work? What even is interdisciplinary work? @ Thatcher Business Education Centre,

Dr Jim Harris, Engaging with the Humanities at Oxford Saïd

A Good Mix: Krasis and the Ashmolean as an Interdisciplinary Forum.

What even is interdisciplinary work?

In this talk, art historian, broadcaster and Teaching Curator Dr Jim Harris will consider what makes the museum such a fertile context for interdisciplinary work, why early-career scholars from across the university are flocking to take up career development opportunities at the Ashmolean – and what possibilities the Ashmolean might present to students and researchers at the Saïd Business School.

Schedule
14:00 – Registration opens (with afternoon tea)
14:30 – Event starts
15:30 – Event close

Jan
13
Mon
On the Trail of the Leopard @ OU Museum of Natural History
Jan 13 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
On the Trail of the Leopard @ OU Museum of Natural History

Tara Pirie recalls her three years living in a tent, while tracking and gathering data on these elusive, but beautiful big cats. She is now one of the world’s leading experts on Leopard ecology and conservation.

Jan
21
Tue
“A world without work: technology, automation and how we should respond” with Daniel Susskind @ Oxford Martin School
Jan 21 @ 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm

New technologies have always provoked panic about workers being replaced by machines.

In the past, such fears have been misplaced, and many economists maintain that they remain so today. Yet in A World Without Work, Daniel Susskind shows why this time really is different. Advances in artificial intelligence mean that all kinds of jobs are increasingly at risk.

Susskind will argue that machines no longer need to reason like us in order to outperform us. Increasingly, tasks that used to be beyond the capability of computers – from diagnosing illnesses to drafting legal contracts – are now within their reach. The threat of technological unemployment is real.

So how can we all thrive in a world with less work? Susskind will remind us that technological progress could bring about unprecedented prosperity, solving one of mankind’s oldest problems: making sure that everyone has enough to live on. The challenge will be to distribute this prosperity fairly, constrain the burgeoning power of Big Tech, and provide meaning in a world where work is no longer the centre of our lives.

This talk will be followed by a drinks reception, book sale and signing, all welcome.

Jan
22
Wed
Threads of change @ Saïd Business School
Jan 22 @ 5:45 pm – 6:45 pm
Threads of change @ Saïd Business School

Alice Kettle will discuss her works at the opening night of her exhibition at the Business School with Brandon Taylor, after which there will be a tour.

Our new exhibition showcases Alice Kettle’s unique practice; textile works which employ a combination of stitch techniques, bringing together the use of antique machines from early last century with hand stitch and contemporary digital technology.

Feb
3
Mon
A vision for Oxford city centre @ Rewley House
Feb 3 @ 8:00 pm – 9:15 pm

Organised by Oxford Civic Society @oxcivicsoc. The Society’s Louise Thomas and Ian Green discuss the history of the city centre, emerging trends and their implications and present a vision which seizes opportunities and mitigates threats.. https://www.oxcivicsoc.org.uk/programme/

Feb
4
Tue
Flexibility and rigour in the “unconscious tradition of compromise” – the first five years of the National Plant (and habitat) Monitoring Scheme – Dr Oli Pescott @ St Margaret's Institute
Feb 4 @ 8:00 pm – 9:15 pm
Flexibility and rigour in the "unconscious tradition of compromise" - the first five years of the National Plant (and habitat) Monitoring Scheme - Dr Oli Pescott @ St Margaret's Institute

Warburg Memorial Lecture – Joint with BBOWT
Volunteer-based botanical monitoring has been a mainstay of British and Irish botany for decades, but only recently has a recording scheme for plant communities been established. Dr Pescott outlines the history of this new National Plant Monitoring Scheme, with a particular focus on the challenges and rewards that have been associated with establishing this novel approach in the UK.