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Public Lectures and Seminars from the Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford. The Oxford Martin School brings together the best minds from different fields to tackle the most pressing issues of the 21st century.

# Episode Title Description People Date
1 Better doctors, better patients, better decisions: Risk literacy in health Can every doctor understand health statistics? Gerd Gigerenzer will describe the efforts towards this goal, a few successes, but also the steadfast forces that undermine doctors’ ability to understand and act on evidence. Gerd Gigerenzer 18 Mar 2020
2 Powering the future: switching on the renewables Globally, renewable energy has a foot in the door. But significant challenges remain. Malcolm McCulloch 18 Feb 2020
3 Road to somewhere? Resilient infrastructure for sustainable development Professor Hall will share experiences of establishing long-term plans for sustainable infrastructure in many countries around the world. Jim Hall 17 Feb 2020
4 British politics after Brexit: reflections on the last three years and the next fifty Lord Sumption will discuss the impact on our constitution and political system of the referendum of 2016 and its aftermath. Lord Sumption 07 Feb 2020
5 A world without work: technology, automation and how we should respond Daniel Susskind discusses ideas from his new book 'A World Without Work' Daniel Susskind 03 Feb 2020
6 Clouds and climate Tapio Schneider discusses the influence of clouds on climate, and how advances in the modelling of clouds can help us predict our climate future more accurately. Tapio Schneider 06 Jan 2020
7 Creative Commons Nano comes to life: how nanotechnology is transforming medicine and the future of biology n this book talk, Professor Sonia Contera will talk about how Nanotechnology is transforming medicine and the future of biology. Sonia Contera 06 Dec 2019
8 Why we need a fourth revolution in healthcare William bird discusses how healthcare focused on communities and acitve lifestyles can lead to greater wellbeing. William Bird 06 Dec 2019
9 Creative Commons Psychologically informed micro-targeted political campaigns: the use and abuse of data Data-driven micro-targeted campaigns have become a key part of political strategy. As personal and societal data becomes more accessible, we need to understand how it can be used and whether it is relevant to regulate political candidates' access to data. Jens Koed Madsen 04 Dec 2019
10 Creative Commons The technology trap - capital, labour and power in the age of automation Carl Frey discusses his book 'The Technology Trap' Carl Benedikt Frey 04 Dec 2019
11 Creative Commons Migration: the movement of humankind from prehistory to the present Robin Cohen discusses migration throughout history and in the present day. Robin Cohen 02 Dec 2019
12 Ending energy poverty: reframing the poverty discourse The President of the Rockefeller Foundation discusses the need for new solutions for energy transformation and economic development. Rajiv J. Shah 27 Nov 2019
13 Creative Commons New economic and moral foundations for the Anthropocene Prof Beinhocker will argue that by changing the ideologies, narratives, and memes that govern our economic system, we can create the political space required to rapidly transform to a sustainable and just economic system. Eric Beinhocker 24 Jun 2019
14 Creative Commons From pollution to solution: will China save the planet? Barbara Finamore discusses whether China will take the lead in saving our planet from environmental catastrophe. Barbara Finamore, Radhika Khosla 24 Jun 2019
15 Creative Commons The future of the corporation, economy and society Professor Sir Paul Collier and Professor Colin Mayer CBE will share the latest thinking and research into the future of capitalism and the corporation to understand how business might be changed to make it work better for society. Colin Mayer, Paul Collier 19 Jun 2019
16 Creative Commons Protecting the high seas (Oxford Green Week talk) As part of Oxford Green Week, Prof Alex Rogers and Dr Gwilym Rowlands discuss the importance of protecting the high seas, and how marine protection areas can be enforced. Alex Rogers, Gwilym Rowlands 19 Jun 2019
17 Creative Commons Changing technology, changing economics Prof Diane Coyle discusses how digital technologies are changing economics. Diane Coyle 14 Jun 2019
18 Creative Commons Is the human species slowing down? Prof Danny Dorling discusses the idea that that humanity is slowing down in almost everything that we do, and what this means for our future. Danny Dorling 14 Jun 2019
19 Creative Commons Navigating knowledge: new tools for the journey Like the wind, knowledge can be difficult to see or grasp, but if well-harnessed, it can help us do extraordinary things. Penny Mealy 11 Jun 2019
20 Creative Commons Unlocking digital competition Is competition in the digital economy desirable? Does it currently exist? Is it possible? Is there anything policy can do? Jason Furman 11 Jun 2019
21 Creative Commons From global to local - the relationship between global climate and regional warming Professor David Battisti, The Tamaki Endowed Chair of Atmospheric Sciences, will be talking about global climate sensitivity controlling regional warming uncertainty and its role in impacting on human health, particularly heat stress. David Battisti 04 Jun 2019
22 Creative Commons City region food systems: potential for impacting planetary boundaries and food security Dr Mike Hamm will explore the opportunity for regional food systems in-and-around cities for mutual benefit. Michael Hamm 30 May 2019
23 Creative Commons How complexity can resolve the crisis in economics Professor Doyne Farmer will discuss the constraints of current economic models and propose complexity economics as a solution. J Doyne Farmer 30 May 2019
24 Africa in transformation: economic development in the age of doubt with Prof Carlos Lopes Carlos Lopes will deliver an overview of the critical development issues facing the African continent today. Carlos Lopes 13 May 2019
25 What now? Next steps on climate change The Paris Agreement was a seminal moment in the world's struggle to fight climate change, but Christiana believes that the climate agreement was just a staging post in what remains a long, hard process. So what are the next steps? Christiana Figueres 19 Nov 2018
26 'The global refugee crisis and what to do about it' - Rt Hon David Miliband At a time of heightened political tension and policy confusion about the refugee crisis, this lecture explores why record numbers of people are fleeing their homes; what conditions they are living in; and what should be done to help them. David Miliband 27 Feb 2017
27 Creative Commons Climate change: what science and the IPCC report has to say Nick Eyre and Myles Allen give a talk for the Oxford Martin School on climate change and the IPCC report. Myles Allen, Nick Eyre 18 Aug 2015
28 Creative Commons Biodiversity and climate change: what happens when we turn up the heat on nature? Dr Nathalie Seddon, Director of the Biodiversity Institute, gives a talk for the Oxford Martin School. Nathalie Seddon 18 Aug 2015
29 Creative Commons The ‘perfect storm’ revisited: food, energy and water security in the context of climate change Sir John Beddington, Senior Adviser at the Oxford Martin School, gives a talk on climate change John Beddingham 18 Aug 2015
30 Creative Commons Climate change and our oceans Professor Gideon Henderson, Professor of Earth Sciences, and Professor David Marshall, Professor of Physical Oceanography, will explore the role of oceans in climate change. Gideon Henderson, David Marshall 18 Aug 2015
31 Creative Commons Hopes and fears: why people disagree about how to tackle climate In this seminar Dr Rob Bellamy, James Martin Fellow at the Institute for Science, Innovation and Society, will explore how and why people disagree about how to tackle climate change. What hope then is there for a global political agreement in Paris 2015? David Marshall 18 Aug 2015
32 Creative Commons Climate change: dealing with uncertainty In this talk Professor Tim Palmer CBE, Co-Director of the Programme on Modelling and Predicting Climate, gives a talk for the Oxford Martin School. Tim Palmer 18 Aug 2015
33 Creative Commons Rich and poor: a cause for social unrest? at the Oxford Literary Festival 2015 John Kampfner and Katrine Marçal discuss the growing gap between rich and poor and its implications for society, chaired by Professor Ian Goldin. John Kampfner, Ian Goldin, Katrine Marcal 18 Aug 2015
34 Creative Commons The future of Africa at the Oxford Literary Festival 2015 Three authors with recent books on Africa discuss the future of the continent and answer questions from the audience under the watchful eye of the director of the Oxford Martin School, Professor Ian Goldin. Martin Meredith, Jonny Steinberg, Tom Burgis 18 Aug 2015
35 Creative Commons The limits of human performance and artificial intelligence In this new Oxford talk, Garry Kasparov, Senior Visiting Fellow at the Oxford Martin School, turns his attention to the rapidly evolving relationship between humans and technology. Garry Kasparov 18 Aug 2015
36 Creative Commons Philae at the comet: a scientific adventure Professor Chris Lintott, Professor of Astrophysics, University of Oxford and presenter of the BBC’s Sky at Night will talk about the history and the science of the voyage. Chris Lintott, Ian Goldin 18 Aug 2015
37 Creative Commons The metabolism of a human-dominated planet Yadvinder Malhi, Director of the Oxford Centre ofr Tropical Forests, gives a talk for the Oxford Martin School. Yadvinder Malhi 18 Aug 2015
38 Creative Commons Living in a quantum world Vlatko Vedral, Co-=Direct oof the Oxford Martin Programme on Bio-Inspired Quantum Technologies, gives a talk for theOxford Martin School. Vlatko Vedral 18 Aug 2015
39 Creative Commons Quantum life Professor Seth Lloyd, Principal Investigator in the Research Laboratory of Electronics (RLE) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) gives a talk for the Oxford Martin School. Seth Lloyd 18 Aug 2015
40 Creative Commons The fight for women's rights: learning from success Baroness Helena Kennedy QC gives a talk for the Oxford Martin School on women's rights. Helena Kennedy 24 Feb 2015
41 Creative Commons Capital failure - restoring trust in the financial system Professor David Vines gives a talk onthe financial system. David Vines 17 Feb 2015
42 Creative Commons Oxford and the next-generation of mobile health David Clifton, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, gives a talk for Oxford Martin School. David Clifton 17 Feb 2015
43 Creative Commons The butterfly defect: how globalization creates systemic risks, and what to do about it Professor Ian Goldin gives a talk on globalization and systemic risk. Ian Goldin 17 Feb 2015
44 Creative Commons Is the Planet Full? Charles Godfray, Ian Goldin, Sarah Harper, Toby Ord and Yadvinder Malhi discuss whether the planet is full. Charles Godfray, Ian Goldin, Sarah Harper, Toby Ord 17 Feb 2015
45 Creative Commons Well fed? The health and environmental implications of our food choices Mike Rayner, Susan Jebb and Tara Garnett give a talk about food and feeding the population. Mike Rayner, Susan Jebb, Tara Garnett 17 Feb 2015
46 Creative Commons World population and human capital in the 21st century Andrew Dilnot, David Coleman, Francesco Billari, Sarah Harper and Wolfgang Lutz give a talk about world population. Andrew Dilnot, David Coleman, Francesco Billari, Sarah Harper 17 Feb 2015
47 Creative Commons Eradicating Hepatitis C and HIV: progress and challenges for the next ten years Dr John Frater, Principal Investigator, Institute for Emerging Infections and Dr Ellie Barnes, Principal Investigator, Institute for Emerging Infections. Ellie Barnes, John Frater 17 Feb 2015
48 Creative Commons New strategies for disease prevention and management from infancy to old age Professor Terry Dwyer, Executive Director, The George Institute for Global Health and Dr Kazem Rahimi, Deputy Director, The George Institute for Global Health. Kazem Rahimi, Terry Dwyer 17 Feb 2015
49 Creative Commons Why do we need to reconstruct drug discovery? Dr Javier Lezaun and Professor Chas Bountra give a talk about drug discovery. Chas Bountra, Javier Lezaun 17 Feb 2015
50 Creative Commons Strategies for vaccines for the 21st century Professor Susan Lea, Professor Christoph Tang, Professor Jeffrey Almond and Dr Ian Feavers discuss strategies for vaccines for the 21st century. Susan Lea, Christoph Tang, Jeffrey Almond, Ian Feavers 17 Feb 2015
51 Creative Commons Superintelligence: paths, dangers, strategies Professor Bostrom on his book, Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies. Nick Bostrom 17 Feb 2015
52 Creative Commons Science and the future: Death - nothing more certain? - Oxford Literary Festival From Neolithic burials to Mozart's Requiem and the novels of Martin Amis, humans have fashioned cultural responses to the inevitability of each individual's demise. Donna Dickenson, Adam Rutherford, Anders Sandberg, Georgina Ferry 18 Jun 2013
53 Creative Commons Innovation or stagnation - Oxford Union Debate The Innovation Enigma - Is the current growth crisis a result of decades of technological stagnation in a risk-averse society? Ian Goldin, Peter Thiel, Seung-yoon Lee, Mark Shuttleworth 22 May 2013
54 Creative Commons The Transformation of Humankind With Dr James Martin, Founder, Oxford Martin School. Andrew Hamilton, Ian Goldin, James Marrow 22 May 2013
55 Creative Commons The Future of Energy and Transport With Elon Musk, CEO and Product Architect of Tesla Motors and the CEO/CTO of Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX). Elon Musk 22 May 2013
56 Creative Commons Ethics and infectious disease - navigating the moral maze of pandemic control With Professor Paul Klenerman Principal Investigator, Institute for Emerging Infections. Paul Klenerman, Bennertt Foddy 22 May 2013
57 Creative Commons Ethics and plant science - improving food yields in a changing environment With Professor Liam Dolan and Professor Jane Langdale, Co-Directors, Plants for the 21st Century Institute. Liam Dolan, Jane Langdale, Julian Savulescu 22 May 2013
58 Creative Commons Resource stewardship - can we develop a new common sense morality? With Professor Myles Allen, Co-Director, Oxford Martin Programme on Resource Stewardship. You can show people all the evidence in the world about climate change, but if the policy debate is framed in an intractable way, it won't make any difference. Myles Allen, Ian Goldin 22 May 2013
59 Creative Commons Killing with computers - the ethics of autonomous and remote controlled weapon Remote controlled and autonomous robotic weapons are bringing new levels of complexity to modern warfare. It's when such robots are designed as lethal weapons that the threshold for moral justification gets higher. Alex Leveringhaus, Dapo Akande, Bennett Foddy 22 May 2013
60 Creative Commons Reviving the Spirit of Innovation With Kary Kasparov, world chess champion, writer and political activist. The world we live in now is very different from the one that was imagined 50 years ago. Gary Kasparov, Ian Goldin 22 May 2013
61 Creative Commons Pandemics - Can we eliminate major worldwide epidemics? Larry Brilliant, President of the Skoll Global Threats Fund, gives a talk for the Oxford Martin School. Larry Brilliant 06 Nov 2012
62 Creative Commons Doing capitalism in the innovation economy William H. Janeway CBE, Senior Advisor and Managing Director at Warburg Pincus, gives a talk for the Oxford Martin School. William H Janeway 06 Nov 2012
63 Hybrid reality: the emerging human-technology co-evolution Parag Khanna and Ayesha Khanna; Directors of The Hybrid Reality Institute, gives a talk for the Oxford Martin School public lecture series. With Professor Ian Goldin; Director, Oxford Martin Institute. Parag Khanna, Ayesha Khanna, Ian Goldin 19 May 2012
64 Creative Commons Catastrophic dehumanization Professor Thomas Homer-Dixon gives a talk on Dehumanization for the Oxford Martin School Public Lectures series. Introduced by Professor Ian Goldin. Thomas Homer-Dixon 19 May 2012
65 Can Globalization work for the Poor? Panel discussion on whether Globalisation can benefit the poor with Alex Gennie, Ian Goldin, Rushanara Ali MP, James Drummond and Nick Gowing. Alex Gennie, Ian Goldin, Rushanara Ali, James Drummond 21 Mar 2012
66 Creative Commons The War and Peace of the Nuclear Age Dr James Martin, Founder of the Oxford Martin School and founder of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies. James Martin 21 Mar 2012
67 Global governance, local governments Distinguished Public Lecture. Globalization has created a more interconnected, interdependent and complex world than ever witnessed before. Pascal Lamy, Ian Goldin, Lord Patten of Barnes 09 Mar 2012
68 The price of civilization Sachs argues that for the U.S. to regain sound fiscal health the country must also reform its politics. Jeff Sachs 16 Dec 2011
69 A Global Community Search for Evidence of Extraterrestrial Technologies Dr Jill Tarter, Director, Center for SETI Research, SETI Institute gives a talk for the Oxford Martin School Seminar Series. Jill Tarter 24 Aug 2011
70 Creative Commons Rethinking Geoengineering and the Meaning of the Climate Crisis Professor Clive Hamilton delivers a critique of the consequentialist approach to the ethics of geoengineering, the approach that deploys assessment of costs and benefits in a risk framework to justify climatic intervention. Clive Hamilton 02 Aug 2011
71 Creative Commons Who speaks for climate? Mass media serve vital roles in communication processes between science, policy and the public, and often stitch together perceptions, intentions, considerations, and actions regarding climate change. Maxwell T. Boykoff 28 Jul 2011
72 Creative Commons A new capitalism for a big society Bishop and Green led a discussion based on their recent book, "The Road From Ruin: A New Capitalism for a Big Society". Matthew Bishop, Michael Green 03 Feb 2011
73 Creative Commons Assessing the economic rise of China and India The recent economic rise of China and India has attracted a great deal of attention--and justifiably so. Pranab Bardhan 03 Feb 2011
74 Dealing with The New Normal: Resilience in systems that must cope with uncertainty Part of the School's intergrative seminar series. Delivered by Professor Patricia Hirl Longstaff, James Martin Senior Visiting Fellow, Professor, Syracuse University, Research Associate, Harvard Program on Information Resources Policy. Patricia Hirl Longstaff 03 Feb 2011
75 Creative Commons Integrating Technology, Science, Law, Economics, and Politics: Development of Practical Policy for Carbon Capture and Storage Dr Kenneth Richards, James Martin Senior Visiting Fellow on how carbon capture and storage (CCS) provides a potentially promising approach to mitigating carbon dioxide emissions. Kenneth Richards 24 Nov 2010
76 Creative Commons Working with the crowd : 21st century citizen science Galaxy Zoo PI and James Martin Fellow Chris Lintott will review the technologies available to researchers seeking to rescue themselves from drowning in data by recruiting the help of tens or even hundreds of thousands of volunteers. Chris Lintott 27 Oct 2010
77 Creative Commons Climate Shocks: Turning Crisis into Opportunity Thomas F. Homer-Dixon, CIGI Chair of Global Systems, Balsillie School of International Affairs; full Professor, Faculty of Arts and Faculty of Environment, University of Waterloo on Climate Shocks: Turning Crisis into Opportunity. Thomas Homer-Dixon 15 Oct 2010
78 Creative Commons Climate change and marine ecosystems: have dangerous changes already begun? Special seminar from the James Martin 21st Century School: Climate change and marine ecosystems: have dangerous changes already begun? Ove Hoegh-Guldberg 07 Sep 2010
79 Creative Commons The Plundered Planet Paul Collier, Oxford Professor and author of The Bottom Billion, launched a discussion based on his latest publication, The Plundered Planet. Paul Collier, Charles Badenoch, Jamie Drummond, Gideon Rachman 17 Jun 2010
80 Creative Commons A Panel Discussion with George Soros Lessons from Financial Crises: Paradigm Failure and the Future of Financial Regulation. Paul Beaudry, Ian Goldin, Roger Goodman, Anatole Kaletsky 17 Dec 2009
81 Creative Commons Geoengineering the climate Geoengineering the climate: Science, Governance and Uncertainty: The Royal Society Study - John Shepherd (NOCS). John Shepherd 19 Nov 2009
82 Creative Commons The End of Business as Usual Distinguished Public Lecture: The end of business as usual by Dr Mohamed El-Erian, Co-CIO of PIMCO. Mohamed El-Erian 18 Nov 2009
83 Creative Commons Dealing with doctrines: time to outlaw nuclear weapon use? Achieving an end-state of "zero" has emerged as an important policy goal for a number of 21st Century challenges. The most prominent example is the "Global Zero" campaign to eliminate nuclear weapons. Rebecca Johnson 11 Nov 2009
84 Creative Commons Repairing Economic Governance Professor Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University and internationally renowned economic advisor, talks about the need to take a systematic long view in repairing international economic governance structures. Jeffrey Sachs 23 Oct 2009
85 Blueprint for a Safer Planet Professor Lord Nicholas Stern, a world renowned economist and leading authority on climate change, came to the 21st Century School on Thursday 7 May to give a lecture about his "Blueprint for a Safer Planet". Nicholas Stern 08 May 2009
86 Ian Goldin at University of Cape Town Speaking at the Vice-Chancellor's Open Lecture, Dr Ian Goldin asked: Are the world's leading thinkers anticipating the risks and opportunities of the 21st century, or will humanity be overtaken by its own medical, technological and scientific successes? Ian Goldin 18 Mar 2009
87 21st Century Challenges: Humanity at the Crossroads? Dr Ian Goldin provides an overview of the work of the James Martin 21st Century School and looks at the challenges facing humanity in the 21st Century. Ian Goldin 15 Oct 2008
88 What is Science for? What is science for, what good does it do and should it do good? John Sulston, John Harris, Richard Dawkins 10 Jun 2008
89 Stiglitz on Credit Crunch - Global Financial Debacle: Meeting the Challenges of Global Governance in the 21st Century The global financial crisis reflects a failure of global economic governance. The failure of America's regulatory system has not only ramifications for the American economy, but for the global economy. Joseph Stiglitz 10 Jun 2008
90 Target Earth: The Grand Scale Problems of the 21st Century At the start of the 21st century, humankind finds itself on a non-sustainable course - a course that, unless it is changed, will lead to catastrophes of awesome consequences. James Martin 10 Jun 2008
91 Freedom from Oil Based on his book, Freedom from Oil, Sandalow gives a public lecture which draws on both his government experience and energy expertise to explore options, shape solutions and create national policy to address the United States' oil addiction. David Sandalow 14 Apr 2008
92 The Bottom Billion Based on his book of the same name, in this lecture Paul Collier will point out how global poverty is actually falling quite rapidly for about eighty percent of the world. Paul Collier 14 Apr 2008
93 Craig Venter on Genomics: From humans to the environment In the second of the Distinguished Public Lecture Series run by the James Martin 21st Century School, Dr Craig Venter will discuss his work at the J Craig Venter Institute and its implications for the future of our culture, society and science. J Craig Venter 14 Apr 2008
94 Economics of Climate Change Professor Sir Nicholas Stern, HM Treasury: The economics of climate change Introduced by: Dr John Hood, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford. Chaired by: Dr Ian Goldin, Director of the James Martin 21st Century School. Nicholas Stern 14 Apr 2008