Name: 'The Wealth of Nations: The Health of Society' - 60 Years of the Wolfson Foundation by Wolfson Foundation
Duration: 1 h 12 min 5 s
Description: Director of the British Museum, Neil MacGregor, speaks on the importance of museums and galleries to the health of society at the anniversary of the Wolfson Foundation

Director of the British Museum, Neil MacGregor, speaks on the importance of museums and galleries to the health of society at the anniversary of the Wolfson Foundation

'The Wealth of Nations: The Health of Society' - 60 Years of the Wolfson Foundation

In Episode 6 of EDI Chronicles at Brain Sciences, Beverley speaks with Professor Carolyn McGettigan, former LGBTQ+ Committee Chair at UCL Faculty of Brain Sciences about pronouns what they are why they matter and how they support gender inclusion in everyday work and learning. Carolyn shares their personal journey to using they them pronouns explains why not everyone feels able or ready to share pronouns publicly and offers practical ways to build inclusive habits without putting anyone on the spot. The conversation also explores the role of allyship in normalising pronoun use how to respond when mistakes happen and simple language shifts such as moving away from gendered greetings that can help create more welcoming classrooms meetings and professional spaces. If you want this slightly more formal or slightly more conversational let me know and I will adjust it.

Duration: 42.03
Language of episode: English
Presenter: Beverley Isibor
Guests: Professor Carolyn McGettigan
Producer: Teresa Baker

Transcription link: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/brain-sciences/about-faculty/equality-diversity-and-inclusion/edi-chronicles-brain-sciences-podcast

Episode 6: Using Pronouns in Higher Education: Comfort Not Obligation

What happens when biodiversity collapses? Can humanity survive its own impact? Professor Jon Bridle, Professor of Evolutionary Biology, and Professor Philip Schofield explore how human overconsumption is driving mass extinction. From cod evolving under the pressure of overfishing, to the changing ecosystems within our own bodies, Bridle makes the case for optimism, conscious consumption, and collective action to 'bend the curve' of biodiversity loss.

Duration: 34.48
Language of episode: English
Presenter: Professor Philip Schofield
Guests: Professor Jon Bridle
Commissioners: Professor David Docherty OBE & Dr Paul Ayris (Pro-Vice-Provost LCCOS: Library, Culture, Collections and Open Science, UCL) 
Director: Justin Hardy (IOE - Culture, Communication & Media, UCL) 
Producer: Stevie Doran

Transcription link: https://liveuclac-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/r/personal/ucylaem_ucl_ac_uk/Documents/UCL%20Press%20Play/s3/Biodiversity%20transcript.docx?d=we0f36b8d1b284ddcb41a16b9ff2c6c4e&csf=1&web=1&e=KHNevb

Season 3, Episode 4 - Biodiversity Loss, featuring Professor Jon Bridle

In this episode, Jade Hunter explores the Grand Challenge-funded project "Embodying the Social: ‘The Challenge of Urban Violence and Inequalities in the Era of the Exposome’ with the project’s co-leads: Professor Sahra Gibbon, Rosie Mathers, and Professor James Kirkbride. This interdisciplinary research initiative brings together experts from anthropology, epidemiology, and psychiatry to investigate how various exposures throughout life shape the mental health of young women living in urban settings.

Duration: 30 mins
Language of episode: English
Presenter: Jade Hunter
Guests: Sahra Gibbon; Rosie Mathers; James Kirkbride
Producer: Annabelle Buckland
Names of the podcast owner and those who have vetted this content to be ready for publishing:
Annabelle Buckland; Daisy Harvey; Jade Hunter; Siobhan Morris

Transcription link: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/grand-challenges/disruptive-voices-podcast/urban-exposomes-mapping-womens-mental-health-and-lived-experience-urban

Embodying the Social: ‘The Challenge of Urban Violence and Inequalities in the Era of the Exposome’

UCL President & Provost Dr Michael Spence took part in a thought-provoking panel at the QS Reimagine Education Conference 2025, exploring the importance of ‘Disagreeing Well’ and how universities around the world are reflecting on whether, and how, they should take positions on social issues.

Along with four more global university leaders – Professor Wendy Larner (Cardiff University), Professor Heri Hermansya (Universitas Indonesia), Luis Vassy (Sciences Po) and Professor Duncan Ivison (University of Manchester) – Dr Spence considered the role of disagreement in learning and the task that universities have of protecting free expression while fostering respectful dialogue.

Podcast cover/ photography credit: QS

Duration: 58.46
Transcription link: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2025/dec/exploring-art-disagreeing-well-qs-global-education-conference

Exploring the art of Disagreeing Well at the QS global education conference

Rising temperatures and ecosystem disruption are reshaping the global landscape of infectious disease. Computational biologist Dr Rory Gibb joins Professor Philip Schofield to discuss how climate change and social inequality are fuelling increases in mosquito-borne illnesses like dengue fever and West Nile virus. From cutting-edge vaccines to rethinking urban design, Dr Gibb explains why tackling infectious disease requires urgent action; especially for the world’s most vulnerable communities.

Duration: 30.08
Language of episode: English
Presenter: Professor Philip Schofield
Guests: Dr Rory Gibb
Producer: Commissioners: Professor David Docherty OBE & Dr Paul Ayris (Pro-Vice-Provost LCCOS: Library, Culture, Collections and Open Science, UCL) Director: Justin Hardy (IOE - Culture, Communication & Media, UCL) Producer: Stevie Doran

Season 3, Episode 5 - Ecosystems and Disease, featuring Dr Rory Gibb

More than just picnic pests, wasps are vital to our ecosystems, but are deeply misunderstood. Joining Professor Philip Schofield in this episode is Professor Seirian Sumner, Professor of Behavioural Ecology and avid defender of wasps. Professor Sumner dissects the evolutionary role of wasps as ancestors of bees and ants, their potential in cancer research, and their overlooked ecological value: making a case for embracing wasps as allies in biodiversity and science.

Duration: 37.57
Presenter: Professor Philip Schofield
Guests: Professor Seirian Sumner
Producer: Commissioners: Professor David Docherty OBE & Dr Paul Ayris (Pro-Vice-Provost LCCOS: Library, Culture, Collections and Open Science, UCL) 

Transcription link: https://liveuclac-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/g/personal/ucylaem_ucl_ac_uk/IQD2FLBatJ2cT5f5HKLpdSxcATHzYhQpwtH6CVBh083nBpg?e=dox4ge

Season 3, Episode 6 - Why We Should Love Wasps, featuring Professor Seirian Sumner

Universities must be at the heart of climate action, and not just through research and tech. In this episode, Professor Tristan McCowan, Professor of International Education, highlights the power of community partnerships, indigenous knowledge and grassroots initiatives to drive local change. Professor McCowan argues that from resisting climate denial to modelling sustainable communities, universities have both the responsibility and the potential to help shape a just climate future.

Duration: 28.58
Presenter: Professor Philip Schofield
Guests: Professor Tristan McCowan
Producer: Commissioners: Professor David Docherty OBE & Dr Paul Ayris (Pro-Vice-Provost LCCOS: Library, Culture, Collections and Open Science, UCL) Director: Justin Hardy (IOE - Culture, Communication & Media, UCL) Producer: Stevie Doran

Transcript: https://liveuclac-my.sharepoint.com/:w:/r/personal/ucylaem_ucl_ac_uk/Documents/UCL%20Press%20Play/s3/Universities%20and%20Climate%20Action%20transcript.docx?d=wd5a2ba41cf6e459b936028ac22f6ab5c&csf=1&web=1&e=Sj62Ko

Season 3, Episode 7, Universities and Climate Action, featuring Professor Tristan McCowan

In this episode, Jade Hunter explores a pioneering Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) project focused on early detection and support for university students. Joined by Dr Georgina Krebs, Dr Thomas Kador and Dr Thomas Osborn, the conversation highlights a Grand Challenges-funded project developing scalable digital tools to identify BDD symptoms and deliver accessible interventions. Co-designed with students, the project aims to prevent escalation of this often-overlooked condition and offers a model for tackling wider mental health challenges among young adults.

Duration: 25.57
Presenter: Jade Hunter
Guests: Dr Georgina Krebs, Dr Thomas Kador, Dr Thomas Osborn
Producer: Annabelle Buckland

Transcription link: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/grand-challenges/disruptive-voices-podcast/co-designing-solutions-empowering-students-fight-against-body-dysmorphic

Co-Designing Solutions: Empowering Students in the Fight Against Body Dysmorphic Disorder

Why aren’t the nation’s builders stepping up to deliver the Government’s target of 1.5 million new homes? With the Government promising 1.5 million new homes before the 2029 election, attention turns to why builders aren’t delivering at the scale required and what policy shifts or partnerships might finally unlock affordable housing where it’s needed most. Neal Hudson and Dr Chris Foye join Professor Mike Raco to discuss how a mix of planning reform, targeted subsidy and guarantees, and land models focused on genuinely affordable homes might be the only way to unlock this problem.


Duration: 33.10
Language of episode: English
TAGS: #Housing #planning #builtenvironment #BartlettReview #construction
Presenter:Professor Mike Raco
Guests: Dr Chris Foye; Neal Hudson
Producer: Adam Batstone; Chizoba Onyiuke

Transcript: https://bartlett-review.ucl.ac.uk/podcast-how-to-get-britain-building/index.html

The Bartlett Review: How to get Britain building

In this episode, host Jade Hunter is joined by UCL Professor of Anthropology, Jo Cook, to explore AnthropoloJOY, an ambitious project examining how joy is experienced, expressed and understood across different cultures. AnthropoloJOY is the first long-term qualitative research project of its kind, investigating what joy means in the UK and beyond. Professor Cook shares how the absence of joy during the COVID-19 pandemic prompted the project’s creation, and why it’s time to rethink the way we talk about human emotions. The episode explores the project’s innovative research methods, including: participant observation, micro-phenomenological interviews, and photovoice. Together, these approaches aim to deepen our understanding of joy’s role in strengthening resilience, connection and wellbeing. Featured in this episode: Presenter: Jade Hunter; Guest: Professor Joanna Cook; Producer: Decibelle Creative

Duration: 25.41
Presenter: Jade Hunter
Guests: Professor Joanna Cook
Producer: Decibelle Creative
Names of the podcast owner and those who have vetted this content to be ready for publishing:
Jade Hunter; Professor Joanna Cook; Annabelle Buckland, Daisy Harvey

Transcription link: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/grand-challenges/impact/disruptive-voices-podcast/anthropolojoy-professor-joanna-cook-first-long-term-cross-cultural

'The Wealth of Nations: The Health of Society' - 60 Years of the Wolfson Foundation

Wolfson Foundation

Related tracks