17 Cambridge academics to speak at Guardian Hay Festival

Last year, the 'Cambridge 800 series' of lectures, which celebrated the University’s 800th anniversary and the University’s Science Festival and Festival of Ideas, drew more than 4,000 people at the Festival, which is reputed to be the world’s leading gathering for debate and discussion.

Cambridge academics, including Dame Gillian Beer and Professor Simon Blackburn, took part and the series was described as “a highlight of the Festival” by Claire Armistead, Literary Editor of The Guardian.

This year, 17 Cambridge academics will speak at the Festival, which runs from 27 May to 6 June. Further details about the line-up can be found at: https://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/whatson/hayfestival/

Peter Florence, Director of the Guardian Hay Festival, said: “The 2009 series was such a success we've doubled the scale. It's fascinating to see big thinking set outside the familiar academic context and mashing with the worlds of literature, entertainment, politics, music and comedy. It's a combustible and thrilling mix. Was Tripos ever this much fun?”

Nicola Buckley, Festivals and Outreach Manager at the University of Cambridge, said: “We're delighted that the Hay Festival has requested a second series of Cambridge speakers for this year's Festival. The audience response to Cambridge academics last year was excellent. Many of the lecturers have also given public talks at the Cambridge Science Festival and Cambridge Festival of Ideas, and we welcome working with Hay to bring these public lectures to an even wider audience.”

The Cambridge line-up is:

27th May at 10am
Dr Chris Hope, Fellow of Clare Hall; Reader in Policy Modelling, Judge Business School
“Climate change issues and what the priorities should be”
Lead Author and Review Editor for the Third Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and also an Advisor to HM Treasury and to Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

29th May at 11.30am
Ben Barry, PhD student, Judge Business School
“The impact of body diversity in the modelling world, on the high street, in the classroom and on the couch”
The founder of the Ben Barry Agency, a modelling agency and consultancy known for its use of diverse models, who is researching perceptions of beauty around the world and their impact on female health.

30th May at 11.30am
Professor Roger Pedersen, Laboratory for Regenerative Medicine; Cambridge Stem Cell Initiative.
“What do stem cells tell us about ourselves?”

30th May at 17.30pm
Professor Janet Todd, President of Lucy Cavendish College.
“The uncensored Jane Austen: her juvenilia and unpublished works”
Professor Janet Todd is an internationally renowned scholar of early women writers and the author of many critical works on subjects ranging from working-class poets, hymn writers and Restoration tricksters to Rousseau, the Marquis de Sade and gothic cinema.

31st May at11.30am
Professor David Reynolds, Fellow of Christ’s College; Professor of International History.
“America and the Challenges of ‘Popular’ History”
The author of the BBC Radio 4 series and book ‘America, Empire of Liberty’ discusses how to present academic history to a general audience. Professor Reynolds is also speaking at a panel debate on Obama’s presidency with Simon Schama, Niall Ferguson and Gary Younge at 9.30pm on 30th May.

31st May at 17.30pm
Professor Jackie Scott, Fellow of Queens’ College; Professor of Sociology.
“Understanding and tackling gender equality in work and within the family at home”

1st June at 11.30am
Professor Christopher Andrew, Fellow of Corpus Christi College; Professor of Modern and Contemporary History.
“MI5 - Secret Intelligence and the Cambridge connection”
The talk is based on his best-selling book ‘The Defence of the Realm: The Authorized History of MI5’

1st June at 4pm
Professor Paul Murdin, Institute of Astronomy.
“Secrets of the Universe: How we discovered the cosmos”
How technological innovation and pure serendipity have expanded our knowledge”

1st June at 5.30pm
John Cornwell, Fellow of Jesus College; Affiliated Research Scholar, Department of History and Philosophy of Science; Visiting Fellow, Centre for Advanced Religious and Theological Studies, Faculty of Divinity.
“Newman's unquiet grave.”
The life and writings of the distinguished cardinal and poet.

2nd June at 11.30am
Professor Paul Cartledge, A G Leventis Professor of Greek Culture, Faculty of Classics; Fellow of Clare College.
“Democracy”
The author of ‘Ancient Greece: A History in 11 Cities’ discusses the Greek contribution to democracy.

2nd June at 1pm
Dr Richard Miles, Fellow of Trinity College; Lecturer in Ancient and Early Medieval History.
“Carthage must be destroyed.”
The rise and fall of an ancient civilisation.

3rd June at 11.30am
Dr Terri Apter, Senior Tutor of Newnham College; Social Psychologist. “Sisters”
The author of ‘The Sister Knot’ discusses why we fight, why we’re jealous and why we love each other no matter what.

3rd June at 17.15pm
Professor Diane Reay, Professor of Education.
“Education and class”
Is social class still the hereditary curse of the English educational system?

4th June at 11.30am
Professor Simon Baron Cohen, Professor of Developmental Psychopathology; Director of the Autism Research Centre; Fellow of Trinity College.
“Autism: the evolution of empathy”

4th June at 1pm
Professor Ian Glynn, Fellow of Trinity College; Emeritus Professor of Physiology.
“Elegance in Science”
Elegance is a fundamental aspect of the beauty and imagination involved in scientific activity.

5th June at 11.30am
Dr Priyamvada Gopal, Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of English; Teaching Fellow and Dean of Churchill College
“How (Not) to Write the History of Empire.”
How do writers engage with the controversial afterlife of the British empire?

6th June at 1pm
Dr Jude Browne, Frankopan Director of the University of Cambridge Centre for Gender Studies will talk about the 'Principle of Equal Treatment '- using gender in the context of employment as an example, Browne will discuss what the principle means, who should be treated equally and why?

A microsite on Cambridge events at the Hay Festival will be launched on the University’s Community Affairs website linked above right.

All the talks will be recorded and will be available in due course.