PodcastsEducationGresham College Lectures

Gresham College Lectures

Gresham College
Gresham College Lectures
Latest episode

2997 episodes

  • Gresham College Lectures

    The Ground We Stand On - Helen Czerski

    15/05/2026 | 53 mins.
    This lecture was recorded by Helen Czerski on the 19th of February 2026 at Barnard's Inn Hall, London

    Helen Czerski is a physicist and oceanographer with a passion for science, sport, books, creativity, hot chocolate and investigating the interesting things in life. 

    She is a Professor at the Department of Mechanical Engineering at University College London and her research focus is the physics of breaking waves and bubbles at the ocean surface. These bubbles change underwater sound and light, help transfer gases from ocean to atmosphere (helping the ocean breathe) and also eject ocean material into the air. She has spent months working on research ships in the Antarctic, the Pacific, the North Atlantic and the Arctic, and is an experienced field scientist. 

    The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/ground

    Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/

    Website:  https://gresham.ac.uk
    Twitter:  https://twitter.com/greshamcollege
    Facebook: https://facebook.com/greshamcollege
    Instagram: https://instagram.com/greshamcollege

    Support the show
  • Gresham College Lectures

    Tales from Television: Bringing the Natural World into Your Home - George McGavin

    12/05/2026 | 58 mins.
    New camera technology can help make stunning footage for natural history programmes but the key to success is down to a lot of hard work, planning and a bit of luck. In this lecture we take a ‘behind the scenes’ look at some of the highs and lows of making television natural history documentaries.

    This lecture was recorded by George McGavin on the 3rd of October 2017

    Professor McGavin is a British entomologist, explorer and author. He is an Honorary Research Associate at Oxford University Museum of Natural History and the Department of Zoology. He is also a Fellow of the Linnean Society and the Royal Geographical Society. 

    Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham College's mission, please consider making a donation: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/donate-today
     
    Website:  https://gresham.ac.uk
    X: https://x.com/GreshamCollege
    Facebook: https://facebook.com/greshamcollege
    Instagram: https://instagram.com/greshamcollege
    Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/greshamcollege.bsky.social 
    TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@greshamcollege
    Support Us: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/get-involved/support-us/make-donation/donate-today
    Support the show
  • Gresham College Lectures

    Science behind Love and Grief - Podcast with Robin May

    09/05/2026 | 41 mins.
    This episode of the Gresham College Podcast features an interview with Robin May, hosted by Jeoffrey Sarpong. Professor Robin May is a Professor of Infectious Disease at the University of Birmingham, and (interim) Chief Scientist at the UK Health Security Agency.

    We cover what's actually happening in your brain when you lose someone, why grief is hardwired from childhood, whether animals grieve, and what ancient burial sites tell us about human emotion 78,000 years ago. Then we shift to love — the physical symptoms of infatuation, why your amygdala shuts down around a new partner, why the honeymoon phase lasts 12–18 months, and why heartbreak can literally feel like withdrawal.
    Plus: audience questions on anxiety and love, chatbot grief, abusive relationships, and whether oxytocin is really a "love drug."

    Watch Robin's Gresham College lectures here: 
    https://youtu.be/5Yrf8IBn9gk
    https://youtu.be/5uQWglAwlps

    Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/

    Website:  https://gresham.ac.uk
    Twitter:  https://twitter.com/greshamcollege
    Facebook: https://facebook.com/greshamcollege
    Instagram: https://instagram.com/greshamcollege

    Support the show
  • Gresham College Lectures

    Why Do We Love? - Robin May

    08/05/2026 | 49 mins.
    This lecture was recorded by Robin May on the 22nd of April 2026 at Barnard's Inn Hall, London

    Professor of Infectious Disease at the University of Birmingham, and (interim) Chief Scientist at the UK Health Security Agency, Robin May was appointed Gresham Professor of Physic in May 2022. Between July 2020 and September 2025 he served as Chief Scientific Adviser at the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

    Professor May’s early training was in Plant Sciences at the University of Oxford, followed by a PhD on mammalian cell biology at University College London and the University of Birmingham. After postdoctoral research on gene silencing at the Hubrecht Laboratory, The Netherlands, he returned to the UK in 2005 to establish a research program on human infectious diseases. He was Director of the Institute of Microbiology and Infection at the University of Birmingham from 2017-2020. 

    The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/music-mind

    Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/

    Website:  https://gresham.ac.uk
    Twitter:  https://twitter.com/greshamcollege
    Facebook: https://facebook.com/greshamcollege
    Instagram: https://instagram.com/greshamcollege

    Support the show
  • Gresham College Lectures

    Taming AI - Matt Jones

    05/05/2026 | 53 mins.
    Watch the Q&A session: https://youtu.be/gj4d75_Clgg

    In this lecture, we look at proposals to limit AI powers and impacts, so bad outcomes are outweighed by social benefits from the technology. I’ll explain design processes (such as Human-Centred AI and Responsible AI) and technological approaches for AI system qualities like trustworthiness, explainability and “human in the loop”.  We will explore how we, as individuals, can use AI based systems in discerning ways; and look at what governments can do to help their citizens thrive in an AI-future.

    This lecture was recorded by Professor Matt Jones on the 21st of April 2026 at Barnard’s Inna Hall, London

    Matt Jones is a computer scientist at Swansea University - and a Fellow of the British Computer Society - who works alongside colleagues from many other disciplines and directly with everyday folk across the world to explore the future of digital technologies. Over the last 30-plus years, this human-centred approach has led to novel approaches for, amongst other things,  mobile phone-based information searching and browsing, pedestrian navigation, voice assistants and deformable displays. 

    Much of his work has been driven by intense and sustained engagements with “low resource” communities from informal settlements in India, South Africa, and Kenya. Through their generous and gracious participation, these extra-ordinary users with the fresh and diverse perspectives have stimulated insights into the future of digital technologies for everyone, globally. In all this work, Matt works as part of a long-standing collaborative team with Jen Pearson, Simon Robinson and Thomas Reitmaier (from Swansea) and colleagues in India (including Dani Raju) and South Africa (including Minah Radebe).

    His work has been supported by the UK’s science funders (EPSRC and UKRI). Currently, this funding includes a Fellowship to explore the future of interactive AI and leadership roles in responsible AI and inclusive digital technologies. This funding has led to a series of impactful publications, talks and influences on people, policies, and practices.

    Matt has collaborated with private, public and third sector organisations, including Microsoft, the NHS, Google, IIT-B, the BBC and IBM. He is a member of the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office’s Research Advisory Group and Welsh Government’s AI reviews.

    The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/ai-taming

    Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/

    Website:  https://gresham.ac.uk
    Twitter:  https://twitter.com/greshamcollege
    Facebook: https://facebook.com/greshamcollege
    Instagram: https://instagram.com/greshamcollege
    Support the show
More Education podcasts
About Gresham College Lectures
Gresham College has been providing free public lectures since 1597, making us London's oldest higher education institution. This podcast offers our recorded lectures that are free to access from the Gresham College website, or our YouTube channel.
Podcast website

Listen to Gresham College Lectures, The Mel Robbins Podcast and many other podcasts from around the world with the radio.net app

Get the free radio.net app

  • Stations and podcasts to bookmark
  • Stream via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth
  • Supports Carplay & Android Auto
  • Many other app features
Gresham College Lectures: Podcasts in Family