Wamkelekile, Welkom
Inaugural lectures
Inaugural lectures are a central part of university academic life. These events are held to commemorate the inaugural lecturer's appointment to full professorship. They provide a platform for the academic to present the body of research that they have been focusing on during their career, while also giving UCT the opportunity to showcase its academics and share its research with members of the wider university community and the general public in an accessible way.
2015 lectures
In 2015 the inaugural lecture format was placed under review by the UCT executive and the inaugural lecture series resumed once the proposal of a new format had been approved.
2014 lectures
The dates, times and venues of the lectures are subject to change nearer the date. The title of the lecture is also subject to finalisation by the lecturer and is often at late notice.
Prof Loretta Feris
8 October
A Sense of Place: New frontiers for the law?
- Read the write up
- Listen to the audio (51.4 mb)
Prof Hendrik Hofmeyr
2 October
Sound as symbol: Translating Yeats's Byzantium into a tone poem for voice and orchestra
- Read the write up
- Listen to the audio (33.7 mb)
Prof Alexander Paterson
October
Sitting on the fence as it gets cut from below: Co-managing conservation and land reform agendas in South Africa’s protected areas
- Read the write up
- Listen to the audio (53.6 mb)
Prof Andy Buffler
10 September
Science and observation: measuring for knowledge
Prof Harro von Blottnitz
27 August
Recycling, renewables and systems intelligence: Engineering responses to global challenges
- Read the write up
- Listen to the audio (57.6 mb)
- Watch video
Prof Jennifer Roeleveld
20 August
The coming tsunami of information exchange: crashing the shores or lapping the beaches?
- Read the write up
- Listen to the audio (69.8 mb)
Prof Jo-Anne Wilmshurst
30 July
Reversing the Brain Drain
- Read the write up
- Listen to the audio (40.5 mb)
Prof Carrol Clarkson
21 May
Drawing the Line
- Read the write up
- Listen to the audio (60.47 mb)
Prof Ralph Hamann
14 May
Engaged Scholarship on Business Sustainability: Oxymorons or Paradoxes?
Prof Lee Wallis
02 April
Shifting Focus: Addressing the Neglected Pandemic
- Read the write up
- Listen to the audio (44.9 mb)
At the end of every year, inaugural lectures are compiled and turned into booklet.
Read the 2014 Inaugural Lecture Series online.