Watch previous Blackett Lectures


Blackett 2022: UK response to the COVID-19 pandemic

Professor Christina Pagel

Prof Pagel discusses how the fundamental nature of COVID-19 transmission and illness led to a vicious circle of repeating waves of infection, disproportionately affecting those in more deprived communities.

Blackett Lecture 2022 : Prof Christina Pagel

Blackett 2021: A Systems View of National Security

Professor Anthony Finkelstein
​Professor Finkelstein outlined the challenges of national security in the context of rapid change in science, technology and the global order, exploring how this change has disrupted societies and, along the way, the operational model in security and intelligence.

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Blackett 2020: Superforecasters and Moon shots

Chris Skidmore MP 

Chris Skidmore MP spoke about what OR really means in the 21st Century, including but not limited to how OR is used to shape public behaviour and predictions for what the future of OR looks like.

Blackett 2020: Chris Skidmore MP

Blackett 2019: From high performance teams to a high performance economy; lessons from winning Olympic gold for building a better world

Professor Philip Bond

Professor Philip Bond discussed if a society is to deliver high standards of living it first needs to deliver high levels of innovation, productivity and performance.

View Prof Philip Bond's 2019 Lecture

Blackett 2018: OR in the age of AI

Sir Alan Wilson FRS FAcSS FBA

Sir Alan discusses OR in a new age in four parts: the starting point; the impact of AI; OR in the age of AI; and the future.

View Sir Alan's 2018 Blackett Lecture

Blackett 2017: Towards a Science of the Web

Sir Nigel Shadbolt FREng FRS

Sir Nigel’s fascinating presentation expanded on the “growing recognition that the ecosystem that is the Web needs to be treated as an important and coherent area of study—this is web science.”

Watch Sir Nigel's full presentation

Blackett 2016: Machines that learn: big data or explanatory models?

Professor Andrew Blake

Professor Blake discussed the common conflict faced by modellers whether to use an empirical classifier or some form of generative model.

See Professor Blake's talk in full

Blackett 2015: In defence of big data

Kenneth Cukier

On the face of it, this seems a bit of a strange title for a talk to The OR Society but Kenneth Cukier, Data Editor of The Economist who presented this year’s Blackett Memorial Lecture, soon made it clear that it was actually a very appropriate title.

Watch Kenneth Cukier's Lecture

Blackett 2014: Opportunities and challenges for the NHS

Professor Sir Bruce Keogh

Blackett 2013: Communicating risk and deeper uncertainty

David Spiegelhalter FRS OBE

Blackett 2012: 2050 pathways

Professor David MacKay FRS

Blackett 2010: Financial, Ecological & Disease-Transmitting Networks & Dynamics

Robert M May, (Lord May of Oxford OM, AC, FRS) Zoology Department, University of Oxford