What's wrong with my body clock and can super conductors save the planet?
Meeting Minds session recordings - September 2025
We were thrilled to welcome almost 1,000 alumni back to Oxford in September for Meeting Minds, a weekend packed with discovery, connection and celebration. Sessions took place on topics that are shaping the world we live in today – from the science of the body clock and the potential of superconductors to save the planet, to the tech making sport safe for all.
You can catch up on many of the sessions below and share your thoughts after watching – we would love to hear from you.
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In Conversation with the Chancellor
Rt Hon the Lord Hague of Richmond, Chancellor, University of Oxford
Dr Sir Michael Jacobs, Warden, Keble College
An opportunity to hear from our newly appointed Chancellor, Lord Hague, in conversation with Dr Sir Michael Jacobs, Warden of Keble College.
Conducting Scholarship: Music across the world
Dame Jane Glover, Conductor
Professor Jonathan Cross, Professor of Musicology
Renowned conductor and scholar Jane Glover has seen music take her across the world. Join her in conversation with Jonathan Cross as they reflect on the joys, inspirations, and challenges of her richly varied life in music.
Cooling Earth: Our climate in a clean future
Professor Philip Stier, Professor of Atmospheric Physics; Director, Intelligent Earth Centre for Doctoral Training in AI for the Environment
What will Earth’s future look like in a cleaner and warmer world and how will this affect climate extremes? Professor Stier will explain how air pollution cools the Earth, currently shielding us from even higher temperatures from greenhouse gas warming, and how climate research across Oxford is developing next generation climate models as well as training a new generation of climate data scientists to tackle climate change with AI.
Driving Sustainable Value: Impact at the heart of strategy
Cyrus Suntook, Associate Fellow, Said Business School
This interactive seminar laid out the foundations of how leaders can drive sustainable value creation and impact through company strategy and operating model. Participants explored what it meant to embed sustainable value into broader company strategy, the impact of AI on sustainability, common pitfalls and strategic challenges, and how to embed this through their organisational wiring.
Gut Instinct Why microbial diversity matters
Professor Kevin Foster, Chair of Microbiology
Join Professor Kevin Foster for a fascinating look at the gut microbiome — the trillions of microbes inside us that shape our health. Discover how microbial competition affects wellbeing and how understanding these hidden battles could help prevent disease and promote a healthier gut.
Introducing Oxford EARTH Towards equitable access to sustainable resources
Professor Jon Blundy, Oxford EARTH Research Director and Royal Society Research Professor
Professor Mike Kendall, Oxford EARTH Programme Director and Head of Department of Earth Sciences
Oxford EARTH is a new research programme bringing together leading researchers from nine departments across the University. This collaborative, multidisciplinary approach places Oxford at the vanguard of global leadership in natural resources research, providing innovative, sustainable and equitable solutions to the pressing resource needs of the energy transition.
Life Time: New science of the body clock
Professor Russell Foster, Professor of Circadian Neuroscience
Rt Hon the Lord Hague of Richmond, Chancellor, University of Oxford
Our internal 24-hour circadian clock guides when we sleep, eat, think and function at our best. Join Professor Russell Foster to discover the remarkable advances in circadian biology and why it's essential to our health, performance and wellbeing.
This session featured an introduction by the Chancellor, Lord Hague.
More Sport, Less Injury: The new tech making sport safer for all
Professor Constantin Coussios, Director, Podium Institute for Sports Medicine and Technology
Professor Clive Siviour, Engineering Science Head of Department, Professor of Materials Engineering
Concussion, musculoskeletal injury and sudden cardiac arrest are key safety concerns for millions of amateur and professional athletes worldwide. Major advances in wearables, computer vision, saliva and blood biomarkers, smart personal protective equipment and artificial intelligence offer unprecedented opportunity for the improved prevention, detection and management of sport injury.
Preserving American Prosperity: An era of anxious capitalism
Daniel Rowe, Director of Academic Programmes, Rothermere American Institute, and History Faculty Associate Member
In the 1970s and 1980s, America’s prosperity was rocked by a series of crises. This talk explores US economic policymaking since 1973, and the role of the state in creating and shaping markets, restricting trade, and preventing corporate and municipal failures in an era of deindustrialisation, computermania, and economic nationalism.
Quantum Technologies: Origins and opportunities
Professor Andrew Daley, Professor of Quantum Physics
One hundred years ago quantum mechanics revolutionised our understanding of the universe, and sparked a technological revolution leading to modern electronics and a host of other technologies. Now, quantum computers, sensors and other devices promise the opportunity of a second quantum revolution, enabled by strange properties of the systems themselves.
Speeding up Solutions: A new method to tackle environmental crises
Dr John Lynch, Research Fellow, Agile Initiative
Professor Ilina Singh, Professor of Neuroscience & Society
Preventing catastrophic environmental breakdown demands more than just world-class science or smart policy—it requires the two to work in sync. But too often, they move on different timelines, in different worlds.Join us for a dynamic session to discover how interdisciplinary teams are reshaping the way science informs decision-making, and how Oxford is tackling urgent environmental challenges with fresh ideas, rapid experimentation, and actionable insight.
Superconductors: Can they help save the planet?
Professor Susie Speller, Professor of Materials Science
Learn about the amazing properties of superconductors and how they could be harnessed in a whole host of new “Net Zero” technologies, from low loss electricity transmission cables to the really high strength magnets needed to replicate the nuclear fusion process that powers the stars in power plants on Earth.
UK Biobank scale, depth, duration… but, most importantly, accessibility
Professor Rory Collins FRS, UK Biobank Principal Investigator
This year’s Osler Lecture is on the theme of the UK Biobank. Imagine a research resource with half a million participants, decades of health data, cutting-edge genomic sequencing and vast metabolomic and proteomic datasets. That’s UK Biobank: one of the world’s most powerful tools for unlocking the biology of disease. In this dynamic session, discover how UK Biobank’s unique scale, depth, duration, and accessibility are revolutionising research.
You Are What You Eat Building a planet friendly plate
Professor Susan Jebb, Professor of Diet and Population Health
Professor Mette Morsing, Director of the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, Professor of Business Sustainability
Discover how shifting towards healthier, more sustainable diets isn't just good for us, but essential for the planet. Leading experts will host a lively conversation on how smart research, bold policies, and practical interventions can transform our food systems.