Public lecture series
Follow our cutting-edge research and learn more about topical issues through the University's public lecture series.
Watch or listen to lecture recordings
Catch up on our public lecture series with the following selection of recordings.
![Richard Levy inaugural lecture Three people wearing academic robes posing in front of a large polished wooden door.](https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/__data/assets/image/0003/2213328/varieties/ls_medium.jpg)
Shrinking ice and shifting shores—Connecting change in Antarctica to impact in Aotearoa
Professor Levy's inaugural lecture decodes Antarctic ice sheet changes affecting global sea levels, linking southern research to vital sea level science.
![Rebecca Priestley inaugural lecture Rebecca Priestley, dressed in academic robes, with Nic Smith and another academic at her inaugural lecture.](https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/__data/assets/image/0010/2205874/varieties/ls_medium.jpg)
End times—writing about climate change, nukes and existential angst
Professor Rebecca Priestley talks about the issues, like climate change, nukes, and existential angst, that keep her up at night.
![Lisa Orloff Clark inaugural lecture Three professionally dressed academics standing in front of a photo featuring a serene lake scene, with a man engrossed in reading a book by the lakeside.](https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/__data/assets/image/0020/2193032/varieties/ls_medium.jpg)
She has to...make her own mathematics
Discover the intriguing world of mathematics with Professor Lisa Orloff Clark as she delves into infinity, symmetry, and her journey as a mathematician.
![Nikki Hessell inaugural lecture Nikki Hessell, flanked by Nic Smith and Sarah Leggott. All three are wearing academic robes and standing in front of a large wooden door.](https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/__data/assets/image/0004/2173837/varieties/ls_medium.jpg)
Reading romantic poetry as one of Cook’s people
Professor Hessell discusses how the poetry of William Wordsworth can help us understand the intellectual worlds of early Pākehā settlers
![Rob McKay inaugural lecture Two professionally dressed academics with gowns standing in front of a piece of artwork.](https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/__data/assets/image/0011/2170757/varieties/ls_medium.jpg)
How to melt an ice sheet
Professor McKay explores Earth's history to understand how rising CO2 levels impact Antarctica's ice sheets, shedding light on future.
![Derek Kawiti inaugural lecture Three professionally dressed academics standing in front of a photo featuring a serene lake scene, with a man engrossed in reading a book by the lakeside.](https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/__data/assets/image/0006/2167377/varieties/ls_medium.jpg)
Te Ahi Tupua, an exploration of Māori pattern geometry through computation
In his inaugural lecture, Professor Derek Kawiti delves into the realm of Māori geometry, unveiling the power of Te Ahi Tupua sculpture.
![Te Wiki o te Reo screenshot The logo for Te Wiki o te Reo, on a black background](https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/__data/assets/image/0011/2174609/varieties/ls_medium.jpg)
Te Wiki o te Reo Māori webinars 2023
Celebrate Te Wiki o te Reo Māori 2023 by learning about te reo Māori from our very own Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington staff.
![Joanna Mossop inaugural lecture Three professionally dressed academics standing in front of a wooden staircase.](https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/__data/assets/image/0013/2153200/varieties/ls_medium.jpg)
Reimagining the law of the sea—evolution or revolution
Professor Joanna Mossop asks whether changes to regulate ocean activities more sustainably can be achieved through evolution of the law.
![Nicola Nelson inaugural lecture Three academics standing in a line](https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/__data/assets/image/0007/2152393/varieties/ls_medium.jpg)
Tuatara time—from sex determination to faecal matters
Professor Nicky Nelson presents research case studies into the biology of tuatara.
![Todd Bridgman Three academics standing in front of a wood-paneled wall.](https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/__data/assets/image/0009/2099547/varieties/ls_medium.jpg)
Myth-busting management ideas
Professor Todd Bridgman explains why he’s spent the past 15 years myth-busting management.
![Nancy Bertler inaugural lecture Professor Nancy Bertler, flanked by two other academics, at her inaugural lecture](https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/__data/assets/image/0011/2096354/varieties/ls_medium.jpg)
Antarctica’s response to a warming world—living in the age of consequences
Professor Nancy Bertler discusses how Antarctica’s ice sheets revealed critical insights into our future and why the response is a matter of urgency for us all.
![Paul Teesdale-Spittle inaugural lecture Professor Paul Teesdale-Spittle, flanked by two other staff members, at his inaugural lecture](https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/__data/assets/image/0006/2096250/varieties/ls_medium.jpg)
Bringing molecules to life
In his inaugural lecture, Professor Paul Teesdale-Spittle discusses how life depends on complex interactions.
![Maria Bargh inaugural lecture Maria Bargh, flanked by two other academics at her inaugural lecture](https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/__data/assets/image/0008/2091365/varieties/ls_medium.jpg)
Māori politics—tradition, activism, and shared authority
In her inaugural lecture, Professor Maria Bargh discusses tradition, activism, and shared authority in Māori politics.
![Nicholas Golledge inaugural lecture Nicholas Golledge, dressed in a suit, flanked by two other suited men on the evening of his inaugural lecture](https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/__data/assets/image/0012/2090010/varieties/ls_medium.jpg)
Earth, life, and climate—in search of nature's 'invisible hand'
Professor Nicholas Golledge discusses our world's processes of self-organisation.
![Nicholas Long Inaugural Head and shoulders portrait of Professor Ehsan Mesbahi, Professor Nicholas Long, and Professor Nic Smith dressed in academic robes.](https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/__data/assets/image/0009/2088729/varieties/ls_medium.jpg)
Superconductivity—enabling breakthroughs in medicine, energy, and aerospace
Professor Nicholas Long discusses how superconducting materials are being used to address some of the world’s most challenging problems.
![Karl Lofgren inaugural lecture Professor Karl Lofgren, flanked by two other staff members, at his inaugural lecture](https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/__data/assets/image/0010/2081287/varieties/ls_medium.jpg)
Public administration—innovations, policy, and people
Professor Karl Löfgren's research focuses on public administration. He shares his academic experiences based on three themes—innovations, policy, and people.
![Stephen Marshall Inaugural Nic Smith, Stephen Marshall and Wendy Larner standing together in academic dress](https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/__data/assets/image/0005/2078456/varieties/ls_medium.jpg)
A public university for the 21st century—Generational change and the common good
In his inaugural lecture, Professor Stephen Marshall reflects on the future of the university in New Zealand.
![Samantha Owens Inaugural Three people in academic garb pose in front of a polished wood panel wall.](https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/__data/assets/image/0010/2077399/varieties/ls_medium.jpg)
Out on the town—music on the streets of colonial New Zealand
In her inaugural lecture, Professor Samantha Owens explores the music-making around the turn of the 20th century.
More lecture recordings
For more recordings of lectures on topical issues, see our previous events and spotlight events series.