Host Andy Spinoza is joined by Professor Alejandro Frangi, Director of the Christabel Pankhurst Institute and the Bicentennial Turing Chair in Computational Medicine at The University of Manchester; Dr Louise Hunter, a Clinical Senior Lecturer in the Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology Gastroenterology; and Raluca-Elena Valcescu, Executive Officer for the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health at The University of Manchester Students’ Union.

The group discuss Manchester’s storied history of medical and health-related breakthroughs and how these led to the city remaining at the forefront of medical innovations for over two centuries, and consider the University’s role today in advancing medical knowledge, driving positive healthcare and tackling global health challenges.

They also look to what the future might bring – and what impact digital technologies, AI and advanced materials could have on positive healthcare outcomes.

This podcast episode was recorded on 27 June 2024.

Further information

Find out more on:

• The University’s Healthier Futures research platform
• Our Cancer research beacon
• One in Two: a Manchester cancer research podcast
• The Christabel Pankhurst Institute for health technology research and innovation
• The Christabel Pankhurst Institute’s podcast Health Tech Matters
• Manchester Institute of Biotechnology (MIB)
• Health Innovation Manchester
• Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health

Find out more on our Talk 200 webpage or discover more about our wider bicentenary celebrations.

Joining host Andy Spinoza are Professor Colette Fagan, the University’s Vice-President for Research and responsible for leading our research and doctoral training strategy; Aisha Akram, University of Manchester Students’ Union Wellbeing and Liberation Officer; and George Obolo, a final year MBChB Medicine student at Manchester and award-winning social entrepreneur, leader, builder and public speaker.

They discuss fairness, equality, equity and the role of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) action plans in higher education for students and staff, and more widely in society. They highlight how the University has advanced equality and fairness through the impact of its research – from the past, through to the present and into the future.

From Manchester’s role in the Industrial Revolution and its ties to the global cotton trade, through to key figures in the University’s radical history, such as Christabel Pankhurst, Alan Turing and Arthur Lewis, the group chart the University’s EDI journey, examine our institutional commitment to EDI, and discuss how our research produces evidence and solutions to advance equality and fairness across the globe, as well as in our local community.

Further information

Find out more on:

• The University’s global inequalities research beacon
• Our EDI strategy
• Our EDI accreditations
• Creating a more equal world – case studies
• Cotton Capital: Slavery and The University of Manchester
• Healthier Futures platform
• Global Development Institute
• Work and Equalities Institute
• Centre on the Dynamics of Ethnicity (CoDE)
• Manchester Urban Institute

Find out more on our Talk 200 webpage or discover more about our wider bicentenary celebrations.

In this panel discussion to accompany the second lecture of our Talk 200 series, Nazir Afzal is joined by Tom Hedges, sub-postmaster at Hogsthorpe Post Office near Skegness from 1994 until he was unjustly sacked in 2010, aged 57, after being wrongfully accused of false accounting; barrister and advocate Thalia Maragh; and Suzanne Gower, PhD researcher, lecturer in Law and former Managing Director of legal charity APPEAL.

The panel was chaired by Claire McGourlay, Professor of Legal Education at Manchester and a National and Principal Fellow of the HEA. Against the backdrop of recent injustices both in the UK and globally, including the ongoing Post Office scandal, they considered the disparities in access to justice and how we might chart a path towards fairer treatment within the legal sphere.

Further information

Find out more about:

• The University’s research in global inequalities
• The University of Manchester Justice Hub
• Manchester Innocence Project
• The Innocence Podcast series
• Prosecuting Rap research
• Racial Bias and the Bench report
• Policy@Manchester article on the Westminster Commission on Miscarriages of Justice report

Find out more on our Talk 200 webpage or discover more about our wider bicentenary celebrations.

This lecture was recorded on Friday, 7 June 2024 at the Martin Harris Centre as part of Universally Manchester Festival. It is the second live instalment of the Talk 200 lecture and podcast series.

Nazir Afzal, Chancellor of the University and former Chief Crown Prosecutor for north-west England, discusses inequalities in access to justice and a vision for fairer treatment across the legal service.

During his legal career, Afzal prosecuted some of the highest profile criminal cases in the UK. Here he talks about limits to equality and the many issues that exist within our current legal system. Cutting across ethnicity, gender, economic status, age and health, he explores what is being done – and what more should be done – to combat these challenges.

Further information

Find out more about:

• The University’s research in global inequalities
• The University of Manchester Justice Hub
• Manchester Innocence Project
• The Innocence Podcast series
• Prosecuting Rap research
• Racial Bias and the Bench report
• Policy@Manchester article on the Westminster Commission on Miscarriages of Justice report

Find out more on our Talk 200 webpage or discover more about our wider bicentenary celebrations.

Professor Richard Jones, Professor of Materials Physics and Innovation Policy and Vice-President for Regional Innovation and Civic Engagement, and Professor Aline Miller, Professor of Biomolecular Engineering and Associate Dean for Business Engagement and Innovation in the Faculty of Science and Engineering, join host Andy Spinoza to talk innovation, economy and commercialisation at the University and across Manchester – and discuss how we’re converting ideas into impact.

The group dive into the University’s remarkable history of path-breaking research delivering truly radical solutions – from world-changing nuclear breakthroughs at the beginning of the last century to kickstarting the computer revolution and artificial intelligence research around its middle, to the isolation of graphene at the start of the 21st century.

They consider how at Manchester today we bring together expertise across economics, politics, sociology, education, innovation and beyond to address the myriad of challenges that exist on a local, national and international scale; and how through our work in areas such as digital and AI, advanced materials and biotechnology – and the positive benefits delivered for the environment and health – our commitment to innovation and delivering real-world impact continues.

Further information

Discover more about the University’s innovative work and partnerships:

• Christabel Pankhurst Institute
• Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre
• Henry Royce Institute
• Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Catalyst (IBIC)
• Innovation District (ID) Manchester
• Manchester Innovation Factory
• Masood Entrepreneurship Centre
• The Productivity Institute
• Turing Innovation Catalyst Manchester

Find out more on our Talk 200 webpage or discover more about our wider bicentenary celebrations.

Host Andy Spinoza is joined by Professor Alice Larkin, Professor of Climate Science and Energy Policy from the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research in The University of Manchester’s School of Engineering; Dr Aneeqa Khan of the University’s Dalton Nuclear Institute, and Research Fellow in Nuclear Fusion in the School of Engineering; and Aidan Rhode, a Manchester third-year BSc Geography with Professional Placement Year student, currently on placement at the US Department of Energy Headquarters in Washington DC. He joins on a screen attached to a robot provided by the Autonomy and Verification Group from Manchester’s Centre for Robotics and AI.

The group discuss the past, present and future of energy challenges and the crucial, ongoing interdisciplinary work at Manchester to provide the solutions needed to deliver rapid carbon emission reductions and mitigate the impacts of climate change.

At Manchester, our commitment to addressing global energy challenges is unwavering. As one of the world’s leading research institutions, we’re at the forefront of providing innovative solutions to mitigate climate change while transforming our energy systems – to enable a just and prosperous future for all.

Our research and engagement work extends across the whole energy system, from technological innovation through to societal interventions that tackle inequalities, health and environmental sustainability.

This podcast episode was recorded on 11 March 2024.

Further information

Find out more about the work of:

• Tyndall Manchester
• Dalton Nuclear Institute
• Centre for Robotics and AI

Watch Professor Alice Larkin’s 2015 TED Talk: ‘Climate change is happening. Here’s how we adapt’.

Watch Dr Aneeqa Khan discuss the science behind the ITER project on Sky News.

Find out more on our Talk 200 webpage or discover more about our wider bicentenary celebrations.

Find out what to expect from the Talk 200 podcast from series host Andy Spinoza.

In this panel discussion to accompany the first lecture of our Talk 200 series, Professor Sir Chris Whitty is joined by Professor of Nursing Dame Nicky Cullum, Jade Pilkington, Director of Population Health at NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership, and Chair Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, our President and Vice-Chancellor.

If you haven’t seen Professor Whitty’s lecture yet, head to manchester.ac.uk/talk200 to watch the full talk, with accompanying slides, as he discusses the main drivers of inequalities and disparities in health, how these have changed over time, and why addressing them remains a major public health priority.

Discover how The University of Manchester is addressing health inequalities – creating fairer healthcare systems and healthier lifestyles.

Find out more on our Talk 200 webpage or discover more about our wider bicentenary celebrations.