University of Cape Town / Newsroom & publications / Lectures & speeches

Inaugural lectures

Inaugural lectures are a central part of university academic life. These events are held to commemorate the inaugural lecturer's appointment to full professorship. The inaugural lecture provides a platform for the academic to present the body of research that they have been focusing on during their career. The lecture also provides UCT with the opportunity to showcase its academics and share its research with members of the wider university community and the general public in an accessible way.

2012 lectures

Here is the list of upcoming lectures for the year.

The dates, times and venues of the lectures are subject to change nearer the date. The title of the lecture is also subject to finalisation by the lecturer and is often at late notice.

	Prof Clive Gray - 31 October Moving targets. HIV & the immune system; in search of self-preservation Inaugural lecture Sound: Full speech (19.4 mb); Extract
	Prof David Britton - 17 October Nanoscience, Nanotechnology & Nanovation Inaugural lecture Sound: Full speech (21.4 mb); Extract
	Prof Kevin J Naidoo - 3 October The computational revolution & how it is reshaping the scientific method in chemistry & chemical biology Inaugural lecture Sound: Full speech (16.5 mb); Extract
	Prof Jean Paul van Belle - 19 September Penguins & Suits: Perspectives on Open Source Software from a Discipline in Flux Inaugural lecture Sound: Full speech (20.5 mb); Extract
	Prof Valerie Mizrahi - 22 August Knowing the enemy: understanding the survival & subversion strategies of mycobacterium tuberculosis Inaugural lecture Sound: Full speech (14.1 mb); Extract
	Prof Martin Wittenberg - 08 August Economics & transformation: measurement, models, maths & myths Inaugural lecture Sound: Full speech (15.6 mb); Extract
	Prof Jennifer Case - 01 August Every generation has its struggle: A critical realist perspective on student learning in contemporary SA Inaugural lecture Sound: Full speech (17.4 mb); Video
	Prof Anthony Figaji - 30 May Brain/Child. Interrupted Inaugural lecture Sound: Full speech (16.1 mb); Extract
	Prof Carolyn Williamson - 23 May HIV: Surviving under immense pressure Inaugural lecture Sound: Full speech (14.1 mb); Extract
	Prof Bernhard Weiss - 16 May Disagreement: Its Epistemic Significance Inaugural lecture Sound: Full speech (16.7 mb); Extract
	Prof Mark New - 11 April Squaring the circle? Climate change, development, sustainability Inaugural lecture Sound: Full speech (22.1 mb); Extract (20.4 mb)