The first black leader of an Oxbridge college on the need for careers-based initiatives for students, the joys of parenthood and seeking out moments of calm
The two-time Ig Nobel Prize winner explains the potential applications of her research on wombats’ cubed poo and why animal waste is the ‘best study topic’
Anti-corruption economist discusses his humble upbringing in Burundi, his five months in solitary confinement, and how his work is shaping global policy
The artist and oral art historian discusses what objects can tell us about the past, the importance of fieldwork and the calming influence of a good clean
Machine learning pioneer on how he became obsessed with stars as a child, why many AI predictions are just hype, and whether he is tempted to join big tech full-time
The Bad Religion frontman and Cornell University lecturer on combining songwriting and academic research and how universities should respond to far-right extremism
The cultural studies scholar reflects on Tiananmen Square, the experience of Chinese students in Australia, and why online education can never replace a sage on the stage
The 2019 Booker Prize nominee and Brunel University London professor on how disapproval of her parents’ interracial marriage and their ‘mixed-race kids’ spurred her to write
The University of London’s new vice-chancellor reflects on her Canadian working class roots, leadership lessons from local government and her time in 10 Downing Street
The author of Merchants of Doubt on dealing with climate change deniers, pursuing your passions and the importance of a walk outside, preferably with a dog
The outgoing secretary general of the EUA explains what turned her into a European, what annoys her about universities and the importance of shutting the office door
The new president of Boise State University discusses what the Victorians can teach us and how her dream of ‘staying in college for ever’ has come true
The biocultural archaeologist talks about the lessons to be learned from Neolithic catastrophes and the ethical responsibilities of being ‘doctor to the dead’
The Pulitzer winner discusses the lack of national alarm over the lives of black communities in the US and how art can help Americans overcome barriers of race
From special education student and repeating a year in high school to tenured professor at Berkeley – the psychologist talks about how his life transformed
The Howard University Classics professor discusses his conservative upbringing, his move from science to the humanities and the need for better leadership
The award-winning administrator discusses the transformational power of higher education, pulling pints on Hollyoaks, and the challenges of public speaking
The Wolfson History Prize winner talks about her work on the failure to bring to justice the perpetrators of Nazi atrocities, and the connection between her family history and research
The newly appointed head of research at Scotland’s Rural College talks of her Irish upbringing and explains how better understanding of agriculture and animal sciences is key to reducing the impact of climate change
The Sheffield Hallam professor and human rights barrister talks about growing up in an immigrant family, his work for Nelson Mandela and helping to thwart the impact of a terror attack
The father of the Nobel Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai on being a student leader with a stammer, returning to Pakistan and his fears for his daughter at Oxford
The Roehampton historian discusses the pleasures of archival research, snobbery about television history, and the importance of illuminating the lives of early modern women
The Palestinian law professor talks about the overlap with his other job: as a stand-up comedian travelling the world talking about the Arab American experience
The Oxford professor and Costa Book of the Year award-winner on bringing a Holocaust survivor’s story into the present through ‘documentary novelisation’
Glasgow’s new vice-principal for external relations discusses what administrators can offer senior teams in higher education, overcoming impostor syndrome, and why you should never perm your hair
The Central European University’s new director of communications talks radical nuns, leaving Ireland aged 18 and why her role is the most exciting in her profession
The author and black history researcher speaks on the importance of passing historical knowledge on to the next generation, and reveals her competitive sporting nature
The Warwick Arts Centre director talks about how a school led by Britain’s first black headteacher and her new home in a diverse Coventry suburb have both inspired her
After spending a century in and around academia, Ukraine’s chief scientist reflects on his father’s ‘genius’, Chernobyl and how scientists helped to win the Second World War
The award-winning chemist attempts to explain his reasons for wanting to create a chemical brain, but suggests we won’t be moving to Mars any time soon
