DIRDI Kicked off the New Year with a Dinner in our “Spiritual Home” at Hatfield College, Durham on 16th January 2025.
Senior academics from Durham, and other Universities including Cambridge and Sunderland, joined us in the SCR Dining Room at Hatfield College. We were honoured to also welcome Mr Nigel Vaughan FDIRDI from QinetiQ as a guest of honour, who travelled from London to attend. This broad group with expertise in areas including Mathematics, Computer Science, Physics, Chemistry, Biosciences, Geostrategy, Business and Government represented so much of what DIRDI’s vision encompasses in emboldening interaction between talent in every field and at every career level.
Speeches from DIRDI Fellows provided the inspiration for interdisciplinary exchange throughout the evening, touching on topics such as the spectrum of scientific discovery between applied and fundamental research, how Einstein would not have profited from the IP which was produced as a result of his scientific discoveries, and the future of AI following the Prime Minister’s declaration of it as the “defining opportunity” of today’s world.
- DIRDI Advisory Board Member Professor Del Atkinson FDIRDI of Durham’s Physics Department
- Professor Joanna Berry FDIRDI of Durham University Business School
- Dr Gareth Conduit FDIRDI of Cambridge’s Computer Science Department and CTO of Intelligens
- Dr Keith Andrews FDIRDI of Durham’s Chemistry Department
For a flavour of the interdisciplinary discussion which our dinners facilitate and is inspired by our speakers, you can read the speeches from some of those who kindly addressed the room at the dinner below:
Dr Keith Andrews FDIRDI – The Past and Future of Enzymes
Dr Gareth Conduit FDIRDI – The AI Opportunity
Professor Joanna Berry FDIRDI – The Strength of Weak Ties