Skip to content

Welcome to the University of Washington’s Public Lectures

By bringing top minds from around the world to the University to teach and speak to the public, the UW Graduate School’s Office of Public Lectures takes big ideas and discoveries into the community and brings the community into scholarly life.

Our lecture series is possible through four very generous private endowments: The Walker-Ames Fund, The Jessie and John Danz Fund, the Mary Ann and John D. Mangels Fund, and the Earl and Edna Stice Memorial Fund.

A Note from Graduate School Dean Williamson-Lott

Dean Joy Williamson-Lott
Joy Williamson-Lott, Dean of the Graduate School

At the University of Washington, we pride ourselves on the production of knowledge as academics, researchers and scholars. It is our mission to share our work and discoveries with the broader community.

Public lecture programming includes speakers who are world-renowned UW faculty as well as speakers from every corner of the earth. Every speaker we invite is committed to sharing their love of research and discovery on a variety of thought-provoking topics that force us to open our minds to new ideas and challenge old assumptions. Sure, some of these speakers are unconventional, occasionally controversial. But we promise you — they are always eye-opening.

Funding for many of the University of Washington’s public lectures is made possible through the generous donations of individuals who wanted to leave a meaningful and enduring gift to our community — the gift of bringing together speakers and audiences so that we can learn, grow and sometimes laugh together as we explore some of the most interesting and relevant topics of our time.

Creating these sorts of opportunities for our community is core to our mission as a public university — the University for Washington.