While in lockdown are you looking for something more than your next Netflix boxset binge or Spotify top 100 of whatever playlist?

Then why not join some of the nation’s foremost scientists, thinkers, historians and social commentators for some informal lectures from the comfort of your own home . . . starting with Professor Brian Cox.

The nation’s favourite physicist is launching The University of Manchester’s Lockdown Lectures at 12 noon on Monday, 18 May. You will be able to watch the episode online as well as through our social media platforms.

Professor Cox will be followed every Monday and Wednesday by a host of University of Manchester researchers, scientists and academics. These include internationally renowned historians and broadcasters David Olusoga and Michael Wood; identifier of graphene and Nobel Prize winner.

Professor Sir Kostya Novoselov; and multi-award-winning journalist turned Professor of Sociology, Gary Younge. Professor Danielle George and our President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell will also deliver lectures.

The Lockdown Lectures tell the stories of what inspired some of our most high-profile researchers to pursue their career or research specialism. The series is just part of the University’s wider campaign highlighting the impact of our research, teaching and social responsibility activities in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The videos have been created to entertain, educate, and inspire everyone at home during the lockdown and, potentially create a new generation of academics and scientists.

Our current schedule for the Lockdown Lectures is as follows:

• 18 May – Professor Brian Cox, Professor of Particle Physics in the School of Physics and Astronomy
• 20 May – Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Manchester and Professor of Physiology
• 22 May – Professor Sir Cary Cooper CBE, 50th Anniversary Professor of Organisational Psychology and Health at Alliance Manchester Business School
• 27 May – Nobel Prize-winning physicist Professor Sir Kostya Novoselov
• 1 June – Danielle George MBE, Professor of Radio Frequency Engineering
• 3 June – Award-winning author, broadcaster and columnist Gary Younge – Professor of Sociology in the School of Social Sciences
• 8 June – Perdita Barran, Professor of Mass Spectrometry and Director of the Michael Barber Centre for Collaborative Mass Spectrometry
• 10 June – Historian, broadcaster and film-maker David Olusoga OBE – Professor of Public History
• 15 June – Dan Davis, Professor of Immunology and Director of Research in the Manchester Collaborative Centre for Inflammation Research
• 17 June – Historian and broadcaster Michael Wood – Professor in Public History

President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, said: “Knowledge, wisdom and humanity are three core principles that drive everything we do at the University, and we wanted to continue that sense of social responsibility online during the current lockdown. These Lockdown Lectures are a great and fun way of doing just that. They also give a small snapshot of the exciting research that some of our staff do at the University. I sincerely hope people enjoy watching them as much as we did making them. I’m sure this handful of inspirational researchers will excite the next generation of academics, who could one day be part our University community.”