When applying to top universities and competitive courses, candidates need to stand out from the crowd. Background reading and inspirational and challenging learning from experts and peers is key, as is hearing from academics already at the cutting edge of university research.
Queen’s holds a series of academic lectures each year delivered by expert speakers in particular academic disciplines. The lectures are organised to be relevant for our current cohort of Year 12 university applicants but are equally suitable to Year 11 students wanting to find out more about a subject they are considering.
We welcome students from other schools to benefit from this informative programme. Simply REGISTER HERE for the lectures you wish to attend.
The programme involves leading academics discussing the latest research in a wide range of subject fields in a format that gives a real taste of the university learning experience.
We have a number of academic lectures lined up for 2025 from speakers working in leading Higher Education institutions. Confirmed dates and lectures are below and the programme begins with a fascinating insight into human personality and how it copes under conditions of stress with Dr Kieran Lyon from the University of Nottingham. He will be sharing his expert psychological research with sixth formers and Year 11 as part of the programme.
All lectures run from 4-5pm at our Senior School site on City Walls Road.
2025 Lectures
- Tuesday 7 January 2025 – ‘Five Types of People: How your personality affects how you cope with stress’ Dr Kieran Lyon (Lecturer in Psychology, University of Nottingham)
- Tuesday 14 January – ‘Empathy’ Professor Thomas Schramme (Department of Philosophy, University of Liverpool)
- Tuesday 21 January – ‘Biodiversity and the Biodiversity Crisis’ Dr Ellie Harrison (Lecturer in Ecology, University of Keele)
- Tuesday 4 February - 'The Meanings of Greek Myths in Roman Art' Professor Zahra Newby (Department of Classics and Ancient History, University of Warwick)
- Tuesday 11 February - ‘It’s all in the Balance’ – John Turner (Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering, University of Nottingham)
Previous lectures have included
- World famous expert Professor Baron Robert Winston presenting his perspective on 'Evolution'
- 'Biomedical Sciences and the BCUHB' Professor Stephen Hughes, Maelor Academic Unit of Medical and Surgical Sciences)
- 'Prison Rehabilitation & Recidivism', Paul French, University of Chester
- 'Cognitive Neuroscience/Anxiety ad its causes', Francesca Nannetti and Courteney Fisher, University of Nottingham
- ‘A career in Vertebrate Environmental Physiology’ Dr Jenny Sneddon, Liverpool John Moores University
- ‘Biomedical Science and the Integration of Healthcare: a key cog in the amazing human machine’ Dr Chris Moore, University of the West of England
- 'Arthur's Stone and Dorstone Hill: A Neolithic Landscape in Herefordshire’ Professor Julian Thomas, University of Manchester
- 'Multilingualism in Early Medieval Britain' Dr Lindy Brady, Edge Hill University
- ‘Materials Science and Engineering’ Dr Julian Dean, University of Sheffield
- Ysabel Gerrard, University of Sheffield - The Modern Day “Mean Girls”: Experiencing Anonymous Apps in Schools.
- Rachel Owen - AstraZeneca Pharmaceutical Technology and Development Group - ‘Clinical Trials: From Molecule to Medicine’
- Dr Chloe Vitry and Professor Bogdan Costea, Lancaster University Mangagement School: ‘Organisation, Work and Technology’
- Dr Helen Mason, (Online Lecture), University of Newcastle, Faculty of Biomedical, Nutritional and Sports Sciences:"Biomedical Sciences from the perspective of nutrition and health".
- Dr Amrish Patel, (Online Lecture), University of East Anglia, School of Economics: ‘Behavioural Economics and Government Policy’
- Dr Qiong Li, Nu Instruments, Wrexham: 'Mass Spectrometry'
- Dr Joe Roberts, University of Keele: ‘Exploiting Chemical Ecology to Feed the World’
- Rebecca Davnall, University of Liverpool: ‘Your Mountain is Waiting: being a woman in philosophy, technology and the future'
- Kirsty Marshall (Assistant Director of Health, School of Health and Society, University of Salford): 'How Healthy is the Health Service? The current state of health and social care in Greater Manchester'
- Dr Anuradha Ranasinghe (Lecturer in Robotics, Liverpool Hope University): ‘Robotics in the 21st Century’
- Dr. Kim Plomp (Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Archaeology, Classics, and Egyptology, University of Liverpool): ‘The Archaeology of Disease.’
- Deirdre McKay (Reader in Social Geography and Environmental Politics, University of Keele): ‘The Human Geography of waste plastics.’
- Melissa Bowerman (Lecturer in Bioscience at the School of Medicine, University of Keele): ‘Successes and limitations of gene therapy for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy’.
- Dr Marco Pellicia (Lecturer in Economics, University of Bangor) Economics and the science of decisions.
- Dr Sarah Ivory (Lecturer in Climate Change and Business Strategy, University of Edinburgh Business School) 'The role of business in society: sustainability and purpose'
- Dr Lucy James (Department of Psychology, Univeristy of Keele) 'The Psychology of Children's Humour Styles'
- Dr Art Gower (Lecturer in Dynamics, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Sheffield) ‘Sensing the World with Sound
- Dr Joe Roberts (Lecturer in Entomology and Integrated Pest Management, Harper Adams University) Exploiting Chemical Ecology to Feed the World’
- Rebecca Baritt (Edge Hill University) 'Epidemics and Pandemics - from Cholera to Covid-19.'
- Dr Claire Nance (Senior Lecturer in Phonetics and Phonology, Lancaster University)'Ultrasound in Phonetic Research’
- Kiran Momi - London Interdisciplinary School - ‘A New Radical Undergraduate Degree’
- Alex Williams – University of Cambridge - ‘Public health and working as a nutritionist’
- Michael Durrant – University College of North Wales - Not Dead Things: The Material Lives and Afterlives of Early Modern Printed Books'
- Dr Helen Milward - Teaching Fellow in Marketing & PG Programme Director in Management for Keele Business School - 'Marketing Analysis & Decisions: Products, Services, Segmentation & Targeting'.