Free University lecture series returns with range of experts lined up

The University’s 2025-26 Chester Ideas line-up has been confirmed, with a host of speakers due to give talks on a range of topics between October 2025 and June 2026, with the Cheshire Prize for Literature Awards Evening and the Festival of Ideas concluding the season in July.

Speakers lined up for the fourth annual programme include Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England, Professor Dame Jenny Harries; Head of Liverpool's International Slavery Museum Michelle Charters OBE; and BBC Radio 4 Thought for the Day regular contributor, Professor Mona Siddiqui.

As part of the Health and Wellbeing RKEI (Research and Knowledge Exchange Institute) public lecture series, Dame Jenny will give a talk on October 22 titled Alternative Medical Careers, a high-level journey through some of the lesser known medical specialties and career pathway opportunities.

On October 30, as part of the Culture and Society RKEI public lecture series, in the International Slavery Museum – The Journey, the Progress and the Plans talk, Michelle will speak about how the importance of the museum for Liverpool, the wider region and for the public understanding of the brutal transatlantic slave trade.

Mona, Professor of Islamic and Interreligious Studies at the University of Edinburgh, will be speaking about her work into religion and interfaith dialogue in the February 12 talk, Rethinking Faith, Values and Limits of Pluralism.

Additionally, the Sustainability and Environment RKEI Public Lecture on January 14 sees Professor Chris Jackson will give a talk titled Use of the Earth’s Subsurface for the Safe and Sustainable Extraction and Storage of Energy: Examples from NW England.

One of the highlights from this year’s programme is the professional inaugural lectures by newly appointed professors across University departments. Rob Noonan, Professor of Public Health, will speak on People over Profit: Changing the Goal for a Healthier, Fairer Future on December 3, while Silvester Czanner, Professor of Computer Science, will give a talk titled Digital Anatomy with Precision: Transforming Medical Training and Unlocking Healthcare Knowledge on February 9. Kate Knight, Professor of Practice Education and Simulated Learning, will speak on ‘Because They Matter’: Lessons in Leadership from the Youngest Teachers on April 30, and David McGravie, Professor of Arts and Culture, will give a talk on Atypical Leadership: Embracing the ‘Boolean Cognitive’ Approach on June 17.

For this year’s Haygarth Public Lecture on November 26, NHS Cheshire and Merseyside’s Director of Population Health Ian Ashworth and Cheshire West and Chester Council’s Director of Public Health Helen Bromley will speak on All Together Fairer; a Collaboration for Tackling Inequalities. The lecture will explain the All Together Fairer programme and what it means for local residents.

Other talks in the packed programme include Plastic Reconstructive Surgery – a Life Less Ordinary on October 29 by Professor Rowan Pritchard Jones, Workers with ‘Necks As White As Snow’: Macclesfield Baths and Washhouses in the 19th Century on March 4 by Dr Sarah Griffiths, and Russia, Ukraine and the Revenge of History? on April 16 by Professor Mark Galeotti.

Concluding the season will be the Cheshire Prize for Literature, which will welcome author Ele Fountain for its awards evening on July 2, while the third Festival of Ideas – running from July 2-5 – will once again see a series of public events held across the city.

Finally, the University’s Riverside Museum at the Wheeler building will be open once a month, featuring permanent collection of curiosities from the world of medicine, nursing, midwifery and social work, in addition to an original letter written by Florence Nightingale.

Professor Tim Grady, Culture and Society RKEI Director, said: “We had such a wonderful response to last year’s series, great audiences, thoughtful discussion and brilliant questions. This year’s series promises the same and more, so do join us on campus to hear these first-rate speakers.”

All talks take place at the University’s Chester campuses and are free, except for Seed Talks on October 28 and February 19, titled The Gut-Brain Connection: Nourish Your Mind, Body and Microbiome and The Science of Psychedelics, by Dr Emily Prpa and Dr Maria Balaet respectively, which are charged. Booking is required for all events except for the monthly Riverside Museum open days.

For a complete list and full information on all the Chester Ideas events, please visit: www.chester.ac.uk/events.