The University of Washington’s Public Lectures series once again offers an exceptional lineup of speakers and topics. We extend our heartfelt thanks to the Arts & Sciences faculty and staff for contributing their thoughtful nominations and to UW Public Lectures for selecting so many of them. This inspiring lecture series sparks meaningful conversations and highlights the breadth and depth of disciplines and topics studied across the University. Explore the lectures below and join us in celebrating the collaboration and curiosity that make these programs possible.
The AI Con with UW Linguistics Professor Emily M. Bender and Alex Hanna
Tuesday, October 21, 2025 @ 6:30 p.m.
Town Hall Seattle, Livestream (Hybrid)
Sponsoring Departments: Communication Leadership Program, Department of Communication, The Graduate School
The Art of Refuge, Resistance and Regeneration with Peter Sellars
Friday, October 24, 2025 @ 6:30 p.m.
Town Hall Seattle
Sponsoring Departments: Meany Center for the Performing Arts; College of Arts and Sciences; The Graduate School
Becoming a Birder with Ed Yong
Tuesday, November 4, 2025 @ 6:30 p.m.
Town Hall Seattle, Livestream (Hybrid)
Sponsoring Departments: Department of Psychology; Department of Biology; The Burke Museum; Department of Communication; College of Arts and Sciences; The Graduate School
Primary: Alma Thomas, Sisterhood and the Revolutionary Quality of Light with Alexis Pauline Gumbs
Wednesday, March 4, 2026 @ 6:30 p.m.
Town Hall Seattle, Livestream (Hybrid)
Sponsoring Departments: Department of Anthropology; School of Nursing; School of Public Health; Center for Anti-Racism and Community Health; The Graduate School
Palestine to Iraq with Adam Hanieh
Friday, March 6, 2026 @ 12:00 p.m.
Livestream
Sponsoring Departments: Department of History; Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies; Department of Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies; Department of American Ethnic Studies; The Graduate School
Unlocking Secrets: Interrogating the Epigenome to Reveal Pregnancy Risks in Moms with High Blood Pressure with Bertha Hidalgo
Tuesday, April 7, 2026 @ 6:30 p.m.
Town Hall Seattle, Livestream (Hybrid)
Sponsoring Departments: Department of Communication; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences; School of Medicine; School of Public Health
Five Ways to Watch the World Cup with Ron Krabill
Tuesday, May 19, 2026 @ 6:30 p.m.
Town Hall Seattle, Livestream (Hybrid)
Professor of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences, UW Bothell;
Director, Global Sport Lab, Jackson School of International Studies, UW Seattle
What Does Law Mean in Crisis? How Crip Feminist Technoscience Will Save Us with Ly Xīnzhèn M. Zhǎngsūn Brown
Thursday, May 21, 2026 @ 6:30 p.m.
Town Hall Seattle
Sponsoring Departments: Paul Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering; School of Law; Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology; School of Social Work; Disability Studies Program; Center for Research and Education on Accessible Technology and Experiences; The Graduate School
Is A River Alive? Exploring the lives, deaths and rights of rivers with Robert Macfarlane
Wednesday, May 27, 2026 @ 6:30 p.m.
Town Hall Seattle, Livestream (Hybrid)
Sponsoring Departments: Department of English; Department of History; Department of Comparative History of Ideas; Department of German Studies; The Walter Chapin Simpson Center for the Humanities; The Graduate School
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Coast Salish Traditions are "Woven in Wool" at the Burke
A Burke Museum exhibit, co-curated by Coast Salish weavers and Burke curators, highlights the importance of weaving to Coast Salish communities.
Can Machines Learn Morality?
UW researchers at the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences and in the Allen School are exploring the potential for training AI to value altruism.
Capturing the Sounds of Campus
With "University of Washington Soundscape," ethnomusicology and international studies major Leo Freedman has created an audio experience of the UW campus.