Shaping a Better World: Debate and Discussion
Academic debate and discussion
Amidst this period of global change, vibrant academic debate and discussion continues at Queen’s. Keep up to date with the latest talks, lectures and debates taking place at Queen's.
The McCosh Lecture 2025: Professor Irene Tracey, ‘The Neuroscience of Belief’
Professor Irene Tracey is the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford and Professor of Anaesthetic Neuroscience. For the past 25 years, Professor Tracey has been a world leader in furthering our understanding of pain perception, relief, and processing using advanced neuroimaging techniques and novel paradigm designs.
In the McCosh Lecture for 2025, Professor Tracey will explore the connections between neuroscience and religious belief to help us better understand the relationship between religion and the human.
Content warning. This lecture contains images of physical injury and medical procedures. Viewer discretion is advised.
Annual Royal Ulster Constabulary GC Foundation Lecture 2025
This year's Annual Royal Ulster Constabulary GC Foundation Lecture saw Declan Lawn call upon his experience as an investigative reporter, screen-writer ('Blue Lights') and director to deliver insights on "policing at home and abroad". Supported by the Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice.
The Sir Bernard Crossland Lecture 2025 with Sir Warren East
The annual Sir Bernard Crossland Annual Lecture, 'Climate Change and the Engineer', with Guest Speaker, Sir Warren East, President of The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), took place at 5.30pm on Tuesday 18 February in The Great Hall, Queen's University Belfast as part of the NI Science Festival.
Queen’s Annual Politics Lecture 2024
The Queen’s Annual Politics Lecture was delivered by Professor Toni Haastrup on 5 December 2024.
Prof Toni Haastrup is Chair in Global Politics at the University of Manchester since September 2023. She holds a PhD in Politics from the University of Edinburgh. An award-winning teacher and researcher, she is a 2022 recipient of the Emma Goldman Award from the FLAX Foundation for contributions to feminist research and knowledge in Europe, and the Emma Goldman Fellowship of the Vienna Institute for Human Sciences. She is also a recipient of the ISRF Mid-Career Fellowship 2023-2024.
Global Innovation Summit 2024
Queen's University Belfast (QUB) and the Centre for Competitiveness (CforC) hosted the Global Federation of Competitiveness Councils (GFCC) 2024 Annual Meeting and Global Innovation Summit from 11-15 November 2024, under the theme of Global Sustainability and Economic Inclusion.
This landmark event with key international political and corporate leaders examined how, in an era of complex global challenges, innovation can act as the key driver of competitiveness, promoting global sustainability and economic inclusion on a worldwide scale.
Negotiating with the Devil: Inside the World of Armed Conflict Mediation
On 16 October 2024, Pierre Hazan shared insights from his recent book Negotiating with the Devil: Inside the World of Armed Conflict Mediation (Hurst, 2024) to provide insider reflections on the political and ethical ‘red lines’ that shape talks with armed interlocutors, be they states or insurgents.
This book draws on Pierre Hazan’s many years in the little-known world of back-channel mediation, helping sworn adversaries to prevent, manage or resolve conflict. The lecture explored in particular the acute practical and ethical dilemmas that affected his work in Bosnia, Ukraine, the Sahel and the Central African Republic.
John Bell Day Lecture 2024
The 2024 John Bell Day Lecture was entitled ‘From Bell non-locality to Quantum Communications & back to Network non-locality' and was delivered by guest speaker Professor Nicolas Gisin, University of Geneva.
Holkeri Lecture 2024
This year’s Annual Harri Holkeri Lecture was given by Mr Pekka Haavisto MP, former Minister of Foreign Affairs in Finland, on Thursday, 6 June 2024.
He addressed the topic of “The New European Security: Lessons learned from Finland's road to NATO”.
Following the address a Q&A was hosted by Professor Richard English, Director of the Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice at Queen's University Belfast.
Policing and Politics in Divided Societies
This ‘In-Conversation’ event (hosted by Queen's on 15 April 2024) features Dr Barbara J. Stephenson, Vice Provost for Global Affairs, UNC-Chapel Hill, and former U.S. Consul in Belfast (2001-2004) and Sir Hugh Orde, former Chief Constable of the PSNI (2002-2009). Together they bring extensive experience to the theme of ‘Policing and Politics in Divided Societies’.
State-Building in Kosovo: Challenges and Opportunities
The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Mr Albin Kurti, delivered a talk and discussion on State-Building in Kosovo and its Challenges and Opportunities in the Great Hall on Wednesday, 28 February 2024. This was followed by a Q+A session hosted by Professor Joanne Hughes of the Centre for Shared Education in Queen's.
The 22nd Annual Sir Bernard Crossland Lecture
The Chief Executives' Club at Queen's together with Engineers Ireland, in association with the IET, were delighted to host the 22nd Annual Sir Bernard Crossland Lecture on Wednesday 21 February 2024, entitled ‘Igniting Northern Ireland’s Engineering Renaissance’ given by Dr Jayne Brady, Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service.