Inaugural lectures provide an opportunity for academics to share their achievements in research, innovation, engagement and teaching activities before an audience of members of the University community and the general public.

Speaker: Professor Paul Howard-Jones - Professor of Neuroscience and Education

How did learning evolve and what does its prehistory mean for how we learn today? In this lecture, we will travel through 3.5 billion years of history in less than an hour. We will stop off along the way to visit some distant (and not so distant) relatives. We will discover if, and how they learn – and what this has to do with our own everyday learning processes.

You will hear about whole populations of learners that live in your stomach, why jellyfish are not the best students, and why we may have more in common with marmosets than chimpanzees.

Drawing together insights from biology and the fossil record, evolutionary science can now tell us the fascinating story of how we came to learn. Can this uniquely long-term view shed light on the value and practices of today’s education?

Please note: If you require additional support- wheelchair access or sign language interpretation, please get in touch. After the lecture, refreshments and nibbles will be available.