Please note that the list below only shows forthcoming events, which may not include regular events that have not yet been entered for the forthcoming term. Please see the past events page for a list of all seminar series that the department has on offer.

 

Past events in this series


Thu, 15 Oct 2026
14:00
Lecture Room 1

Is the End in Sight for Theoretical Physics? - Graham Farmelo

Graham Farmelo
Further Information

Graham Farmelo's authorised biography of Stephen Hawking will be published in late September. The title of this talk is the same as the one that Hawking chose for his Lucasian Inaugural Lecture in April 1980. Graham will look at the genesis of his presentation, the splash it made and how views on the subject changed in later decades. With the benefit of these reflections, he will hazard a present-day answer to Hawking’s provocative question.

Graham Farmelo is a biographer and science writer. He has written an acclaimed biography of Paul Dirac as well as his biography of Stephen Hawking.

Please email @email to register to attend in person.

The lecture will be broadcast on the Oxford Mathematics YouTube Channel on Thursday 5 November at 5-6 pm and any time after (no need to register for the online version).

The Oxford Mathematics Public Lectures are generously supported by XTX Markets.

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Wed, 28 Oct 2026
17:00
Lecture Theatre 1

On the Origins of Riemann’s Hypothesis - David E Rowe

David E Rowe
(University of Mainz)
Further Information

Much has been written about the Riemann hypothesis, which many consider to be the most important unsolved problem in mathematics today. It concerns the zeros of the Riemann zeta function, which Riemann introduced in his famous 8-page paper from 1859. This talk aims to explain the motivation behind his paper, which only incidentally mentioned the Riemann hypothesis. This story has many sequels. 

David E. Rowe is Professor Emeritus for History of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz.

Please email @email to register to attend in person.

The lecture will be broadcast on the Oxford Mathematics YouTube Channel on Wednesday 18 November at 5-6 pm and any time after (no need to register for the online version).

The Oxford Mathematics Public Lectures are generously supported by XTX Markets.

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Wed, 11 Nov 2026
17:00
Lecture Room 1

Does Mathematics Have Anything to do With Biology? - Philip Maini

Philip Maini
(Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford)
Further Information

No two subjects in the sciences are presented as being more different than mathematics and biology, so this is a very fair question to ask, especially as here, "mathematics" does not include statistics, while "biology" includes physiology, medicine etc. This talk will illustrate how mathematics has had a profound impact in biology.

Examples will include Alan Turing's groundbreaking work on biological pattern formation (which Philip has actually applied to football shirt patterns), Alan Hodgkin and Andrew Huxley's Nobel Prize winning explanation for neuronal signalling, and potentially new therapies for certain cancers.

Philip Maini is Professor of Mathematical Biology and Director of the Wolfson Centre for Mathematical Biology in Oxford.

Please email @email to register to attend in person.

The lecture will be broadcast on the Oxford Mathematics YouTube Channel on Wednesday 02 December at 5-6 pm and any time after (no need to register for the online version).

The Oxford Mathematics Public Lectures are generously supported by XTX Markets.

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