Inaugural Chester Ideas lecture series featuring talks on Taylor Swift, Team GB and Time Team expert

Chester Ideas follows the successful, inaugural Festival of Ideas held earlier this year and offers members of the public the chance to attend talks by experts on a wide range of fascinating subjects. 

Topics include how to optimise the performance of Team GB athletes at the Olympics, exploring the past by a Time Team expert, and even studying the changing accents of singing sensation Taylor Swift. 

The series of talks, to be held across the University’s campuses over the next few months, include inaugural lectures by newly appointed professors, as well as the return of a popular series of talks from the Culture and Society RKEI (Research and Knowledge Exchange Institute) Public Lecture series.  

‘Swifties’ are in for a treat on Thursday, November 28 in the talk ‘How swiftly does Swift’s accents shift?: The language of Taylor Swift’. Speakers (and Swiftie experts) Helen West and Esther Humphries will explore the speech – both spoken and song performance – of the multi-million-selling music star, past and present.  

Expert Professor Stewart Ainsworth returns to the University for his talk, ‘Mapping the past: from Ordnance Survey to Time Team’ on Tuesday, January 21, 2025. Affectionately known as the ‘lumps and bumps’ man for his trained eye on landscapes and topography, Stewart – who has appeared in more than 200 episodes of the long-running TV show - will reflect on his long and prestigious career as well as talk about the importance of archaeology and heritage. 

Delivering his inaugural professorial lecture on Wednesday, January 29, 2025 will be Arpan Guha, Professor of Medical Education. His talk - ‘Mind games in medicine: Thinking beyond the linear’ - will reflect on the complexities of decision making and the leadership challenges in clinical problem solving in healthcare. 

Professor Paul Worsfold will answer the question posed by his talk ‘How do you optimise performance of Team GB athletes at the Olympics?’ on Wednesday, February 12. Paul will delve into the meticulous planning and specialised services that go into creating a high-performance environment, and which helped secure Team GB second in the medals table at the Rio 2016 Games. 

All the events are free to attend, but some require booking in advance. 

Chester Ideas will also feature talks from the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Society Historical Society, the monthly opening of the Riverside Museum, an 80th anniversary celebration of VE Day and the Cheshire Prize for Literature awards evening, while the Chester Festival of Ideas returns for four days in July 2025. 

For more information on all events, visit www.chester.ac.uk/events, call Jenni Davies on 01244 511344 or email events@chester.ac.uk.