Queen’s is partnering with PwC for the ‘TEDxQueensUniversityBelfast’ event which will take place at Riddel Hall on Wednesday 6 December 2023.

The event will bring together community partners, staff, students and alumni of Queen’s to share inspiring new ideas on the theme of ‘Reimagine: Spark Your Imagination.’ Queen’s is part of the TEDx global community of over 3,000 TEDx events being hosted worldwide each year.

Dr Siobhan Cox from Queen’s School of Natural and Built Environment will present ‘Reimagining Construction’ - reflecting on how construction can be reimagined to provide not only social benefits, but also environmental advantages to help save our planet.

PhD student Jamie-Lukas Campbell will discuss ‘Making Space to Take Up Space’- documenting his journey from an overly anxious teen from the New York suburbs to now being able to ‘take up space’ and learning to advocate in spaces that traditionally exclude marginalised people.

Community partner Matt Leonard, a secondary school languages teacher, poses the question, ‘Are we bad at language learning? Let's rethink the problem’ – delving into the intricate relationship that English speakers often have with multilingualism.

A full list of speakers and talks is available at https://www.qub.ac.uk/public-engagement/TEDxQUB/Reimagine.

TEDxQueensUniversityBelfast is the highlight in the calendars of curious minds and change makers. The highly anticipated event promises to spark the imagination of attendees and create conversation in the Queen’s and local community.

Ryan Feeney, Vice-President of Strategic Engagement and External Affairs at Queen’s, said:

“We are delighted to host the University’s sixth TEDxQueensUniversityBelfast event this December with our corporate partner, PwC. “The TEDx concept of ‘ideas worth sharing’ very much aligns with the values of Queen's- giving experts a platform to share innovative ideas that inspire and encourage others.”

Professor Margaret Topping, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Global Engagement at Queen’s, added:

“TEDxQueensUniversityBelfast is an opportunity for bright minds to get together, share their expertise and ‘spark the imagination’ of those in the audience. Queen’s is a hub of knowledge and innovation, and this event showcases the exceptional ideas of our students, staff, alumni, and community partners.”

Kieragh Nelson, Operate partner at PwC, said:

“We are pleased to once again sponsor TEDx at Queen’s University Belfast. One of our core values is to ‘reimagine the possible’ and we are always working to empower innovation, so this year’s theme feels like a natural fit. We’re looking forward to hearing from all the speakers including Grainne Rodgers from our PwC Operate business in Belfast.

“Queen’s has been a valued partner of PwC’s over recent years, and we are excited to continue to work with the University on this and other initiatives such as our tech-powered Advanced Research and Engineering Centre in years to come.”

TED is an organisation that aims to bring together bright minds to give talks that are idea-focused, and on a wide range of subjects, to foster learning, inspiration, and wonder. TEDx is a programme of local, independently organised events, licensed by TED, that bring people together to share ideas in communities and provoke conversations that matter.

The free event is open to the public, but registration is required. Please book via Eventbrite.

Media

Media enquiries to comms.office@qub.ac.uk.