Changemaker Conversations

Every Tuesday 5.15pm-6.30pm during term time @Griffin Bar

'That's how people change their world. One conversation at a time...'

Changemaker Conversations: informal roundtable seminars, speaker events, big questions, and the chance to meet and spend time with influential changemakers.

Authors, medics, journalists, artists, politicians, scientists, CEOs, academics, activists - every Tuesday, Changemakers welcomes inspiring guests into College to discuss big questions. Changemaker Conversation is your chance to meet experienced Changemakers, to build your network and engage in meaningful discussions.

All are welcome - no booking required.

Lent 2026

20 January – Dr Michelle Darlington and Robin Bunce: Give me a Sign

Join Changemakers for an evening devoted to the language of symbols. Symbols  inspire activism, highlight risk, they represent who we are and what we believe. Following a discussion of design and symbols inspired by Henry Dreyfuss’s Symbol Sourcebook, you will have a chance to design your own symbol which represents a place you love, or a cause you care about. Start term and the new year by seeing symbols in new ways. 

The evening begins at 17:15 in the Griffin Bar.

27 January – Robin Nicholson: Rethinking the Built Environment

Easter 2025

29 April 

An informal gathering, with the chance to consider some thought provoking conversation starters.

6 May – Manar Alsaif and Jonathan Woolf: Making

Join us for an evening about making, about creating and the value of the process of creation. During the evening we will discuss the breadth of what we can make as well as sharing tips on resources and maker spaces.

The evening will be led by Manar Alsaif and Jonathan Woolf. Manar is a serial hobbyist maker, someone who will attempt any hand-craft, and enjoys the process of design and figuring out how to make things with the fewest tools possible. Manar is a geologist and sustainability professional who works with knowledge exchange.

Based at the Bill Brown Creative Workshops, Churchill College, Jonathan Woolf creates custom projects ranging from client commissioned work to personal experiments. He produces laser-engraved maps, hackathons, products, and makerspace setups. Through his work, he aims to create, educate, and inspire. He also explores maker/hacker spaces across Europe. You can follow him on The Daily Make.

13 May – Una McCormack: Zine Making

You are invited for an evening of Zine Making with award winning writer Una McCormack. Zines are self-made, self-published magazines. Historically, they have been used to explore personal experiences, forms of life as well as thoughts on art, music, politics and the human condition.  This is an interactive workshop, which offers you the chance to create your own zine.

20 May - Joel Chalfen: Making with clay

Teaching associate in Drama at the Faculty of Education Joel Chalfen will explore creativity and problem-solving through making objects from clay. More information to follow. 

27 May

Play Kensington! Voted Game of the Year in 1979, Kensington takes a minute to learn, and a lifetime to master. It is almost certainly the best game based on a rhombitrihexagonal tiling matrix ever devised! You can learn more about Kensington here.

3 June

Play Edward de Bono's Category Game! Find out more here.

Lent 2025

21 January – Jovan Owusu-Nepaul: Labour’s Candidate for Clacton

Join us for an evening with Jovan Owusu-Nepaul, Labour candidate in the 2024 election. As candidate for Clapton, he took on Nigel Farage, one of the most significant figures in contemporary British politics. Homerton‘s Sam Eastoe will interview Jovan about the 2024 General Election, campaigning against Reform, and life in the contemporary Labour Party.

This event is organised together with Homerton College Politics Society.

The evening starts in the Griffin Bar at 5:15pm, before moving to the Fellow's Auditorium at 5:30pm.

28 January – Philip Graham: Homerton College Master Plan

You are invited for an evening thinking through the future of the College. Students will present their vision of an estate-wide plan for the College, plans based on in-depth consultations of staff, academics and students during Michaelmas Term. This Changemaker Conversation could help to test and inform future decisions for the College. 

Homerton College Master Plan will take place in the Great Hall from 5pm.

4 February - Dr Michelle Darlington: Draw Yourself Smarter

Come to the Griffin Bar for an evening of mind expanding drawing. Michelle Darlington, cofounder of the thinking through drawing project, will take us through some interactive drawing activities which are designed to help us think more deeply, And to encourage creativity. Pencils provided!

11 February - Paula Rogers-Brown: Networking

Paula Rogers-Brown is an accomplished business strategist, a confident and creative leader, someone with a wealth of experience fostering business communities and networks. Join Paula for a discussion of networks, how to build them and why we need them.

18 February - Prof Tyler Kelly: LGBTQ+ in STEM

Tyler Kelly is Professor of Pure Mathematics at the University of Birmingham, researching algebraic geometry. They organised the LGBTQ+ STEMinar in 2020 and co-organised Spec Q-bar, the first international conference to celebrate research advances in algebra, geometry and number theory by queer and trans mathematicians. Prof Kelly also now serves on the REF 2029 People and Diversity Panel. They also hold Cambridge roots in Homerton. 

Join us for a discussion about the importance of celebrating research advances of LGBTQ+ researchers in Maths and creating a positive scientific community for queer and trans researchers.

25 February - Prof Sujit Sivasundaram: Fragments and Elements: The Human Creature and the Environmental History of the Indian Ocean.

You are invited to an event with Sujit Sivasundaram, Cambridge University's Professor of World History. His work encompasses the history of the Pacific and Indian oceans and their islands; the history of race; global histories of science, medicine, technology, the environment; urban history; and the history of the British Empire. Prof Sujit will be presenting a paper based on his new project: Fragments and Elements: The Human Creature and the Environmental History of the Indian Ocean. 

This event is organised together with Homerton College History Society.

The evening starts in the Griffin Bar at 5:15pm, before moving to the Fellow's Auditorium at 5:30pm.

4 March - Diego Lazzarich: Gratitude

Join us for a discussion of the history, politics and importance of gratitude with Prof Diego Lazzarich, historian of political thought at the University of Naples “L’Orientale” and visiting fellow at Homerton College.

This event is organised together with Homerton College History Society.

The evening starts in the Griffin Bar at 5:15pm, before moving to the Bamford Room at 5:30pm.

11 March - Dr Nathaniel Adam Tobias  Coleman: Abolition and the Hidden History of British Anti-Slavery
 

Come on 11 March for a discussion of abolition, the history of Britain's role in and responsibility for transatlantic slavery. Dr Coleman is a consultant and an activist intellectual historian of abolitionist ideas. They have worked on the Philosophy of Anti-Slavery; co-produced Britain’s first undergraduate degree in Black Studies at Birmingham City University; and they are building Cast in Stone, a database of contested and contestable colonial statues in Britain and France. Join us for a discussion of how transatlantic slavery ended, how the history of abolition is understood, and  how communities can commemorate freedom-fighting, resistance, and abolition by harnessing reparative histories.

The evening starts in the Griffin Bar at 5:15pm.

18  March - Choose from two excellent events:

1. Building a Biotech Career

Join Homerton Changemakers for an evening with biotech industry experts. We’ll be discussing how to build a biotech career with a diverse panel of key figures from pharmaceutical companies and start ups. Learn about the range of careers on offer in the sector and how to secure placements, plus enjoy networking with our industry guests.

Guests include:

• Rubina Ahmed - Director of Research Policy, Blood Cancer UK
• Jagtar Singh Nijjar - Senior Drug Development Clinician, Weatherden
• Charlotte Guzzo - Founder and COO, Sano Genetics
• Hayden Selvadurai - Head of Portfolio Management, RQ Biotechnology

The evening will take place between 5:00pm and 7:00pm in Paston Brown. 

  2. International Transgender Day of Visibility

Join us for a special event celebrating Trans Day of Visibility. In these challenging times, let’s come together to champion trans joy and human rights. The evening will feature two inspiring speaker addresses from:

• Kit Hayem - Queer Trans Writer, Academic, Trainer & Heritage Practitioner and author of ‘Before We Were Trans: A New History of Gender’, one of History Today’s 2022 Books of the Year
• Roz Kaveney – Queer Writer, Critic, Poet featuring in The Guardian and The Independent. She is also a Trans’ Rights Activist, a founding member of Feminists Against Censorship and directly helped to shape the 2004 UK Gender Recognition Act

The speeches will then be followed by a panel discussion with trans trailblazer, Theo Parish who will join Roz and Kit in discussing relevant topics and fielding questions from the audience.

The event starts at 5pm in the Fellow's Auditorium. 

Michaelmas 2024

8 October - Welcome to Michaelmas 2024

Our first Changemakers Conversation of the term is a chance to join us in the Griffin Bar, meet new people, and enjoy some drinks. There's no guest, no agenda just an invitation to drop in. See you there.

15 October - Tom Wilson: Running against Rishi

Join us for an evening with Tom Wilson, a Homerton alum who ran against Rishi Sunak in the recent General Election. Tom will be reflecting on his experience as Labour Candidate for Richmond and Northallerton, running against the Prime Minister and sharing his experiences of the 2024 General Election. This is a joint event with Homerton Changemakers and the Homerton Politics Society.

22 October - Building a Diverse and Equitable Workplace

As part of Black History Month, Homerton is hosting a panel exploring diversity, equality and inclusion in the workplace. Continue the discussion in the Griffin Bar after the event. This event starts at the slightly later time of 5:30pm.

29 October - Jamie Driscoll: Meet the Mayor

Come on 29 October for a chance to meet Jamie Driscoll - an independent politician who served as Mayor of North of Tyne from 2019 to 2024. During his tenure, he secured significant investment in clean energy, housing and skills development, creating thousands of new jobs and spearhead initiatives to address the climate crisis. In 2023 Driscoll led negotiations to establish a Mayoralty for the North East Region. Come and hear from Jamie Driscoll, a pioneer and a radical. 

We will meet in the Bamford Room at 4:00pm for the session with Jamie Driscoll, and then move to the Griffin Bar around 5:00pm for drinks. Meet the Mayor is a collaboration with Homerton Politics Society.

5 November - Creativity

You are invited to an event with British-Irish scriptwriter and novelist Una McCormack, a session focusing on practical techniques for fostering creativity. Una McCormack is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling science fiction writer of more than twenty novels, plus many audio dramas and short stories. An associate fellow of Homerton College, Cambridge, Una’s academic interests include feminist science fiction, transformative works, and creative writing practice and methodology. She writes and broadcasts regularly on these and other topics. See you in the Griffin at 5:15pm.

12 November - Sue Keogh: On Brand

We hope you can join us for an opportunity to meet communications consultant and branding expert Sue Keogh. Sue has a wealth of experience in writing, editing, content creation and broadcasting. She is head of Sookio a communications consultancy which advises on content strategy, copywriting, event management and social media marketing.

19 November - Julian Huppert: Politics, Science, and Power

Meet Julian Huppert, former MP and Director of the Intellectual Forum for a discussion of everything at the intersection of science and politics. Expect a conversation on topics such as AI ethics, medical technology, social media and the environment.
 

26 November - Bastian Giegerich & Julia Muravska: Defence Industry

Come and meet Bastian Giegerich Director-General and Chief Executive of The International Institute for Strategic Studies, and Julia Muravska Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the Freeman Air and Space Institute. Together, they have worked for government, worked in academia and with NGOs. Consequently, they have considerable experience and expertise in the field of industry, policy, and innovation. 

3 December - Dr Liam Loftus: Food for Thought

Come and join us in the Griffin Bar for a conversation with Liam Loftus, a GP who also works on behalf of Cambridge City Food Bank as a health inequalities consultant. We will be discussing issues to do with food, poverty, health, and well-being.

Easter 2024

30 April - Rupert Baines

Rupert Baines is a serial entrepreneur and has a wealth of experience leading technology companies. He is currently the CEO of QPT, a company that is developing the next generation of electric motors.

In his previous role as the CEO of UltraSoC (recently acquired by Siemens), he led a successful spinout venture which pioneered a revolutionary approach to semiconductor technology, and won multiple business awards in the process.

He participates in the startup mentoring program of Cambridge Judge Business School, and is also the Entrepreneur in Residence at the Cambridge Innovation Capital.

From 2020, Rupert has been actively involved with Changemakers, giving pro bono talks and workshops; mentoring Catalyst Fund winners; and donating the ‘Ivan Baines Prize’ to one of the Catalyst Fund winners; as well as funding the Changemakers in the Community Initiative.

7 May - Susie Hart MBE

Susie Hart is the Founder and Overseas Director of Artizan International.

She is a serial Social Entrepreneur; pioneer; artist and  designer; who is passionate about opportunities for differently-abled people, particularly in the developing world. She has founded 3 international charities in five countries, in the UK, Africa and Latin America.

She has been awarded an MBE and a Woman of the Year  award, and the entirely deaf-run restaurant that she founded in Tanzania won the Telegraph award for the "Best British-Run Restaurant Overseas in the World" two years running. 

14 May 

An informal gathering, with dinner afterwards for Changemakers Ambassadors.

21 May

An informal gathering, with the chance to consider some thought provoking conversation starters.

28 May

Play the L-Game! Devised in 1967 by Edward de Bono, the L-Game helps develop lateral thinking. You can learn more about the L-Game here. 

4 June

Play Kensington! Voted Game of the Year in 1979, Kensington takes a minute to learn, and a lifetime to master. It is almost certainly the best game based on a rhombitrihexagonal tiling matrix ever devised! You can learn more about Kensington here.

11 June

Play Edward de Bono's Category Game! Find out more here.

back to all events

Lent 2024

23 Jan - Michelle Darlington

Dr. Michelle Darlington serves as the Head of Knowledge Transfer at the Cambridge Centre for Social Innovation. In this role, she focuses on developing and disseminating best practices in social innovation. Her responsibilities encompass translating research for non-academic audiences, organizing academic and practitioner events, and creating blended learning materials. Additionally, Dr. Darlington is a co-founder of the Thinking Through Drawing project, an educational research network, professional development provider, and consultancy specializing in visual approaches to learning and research. She also contributes to teaching in the MSt in Social Innovation.

30 Jan - Theo Hacking

Before entering academia, Theo spent 15 years in industry and consulting, specializing in environmental management and sustainable development. Following his pHD joined Cambridge’s Engineering Department in 2008, as a Senior Research Associate, overseeing an industry-funded program on energy efficiency in the built environment. Later, I transitioned to the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, managing the development and delivery of business-focused, part-time graduate courses.

6 Feb -   David Belin

David is a professor of behavioural neuroscience and director of studies for PBS at Homerton College. His work explores issues related to compulsion and addiction, with a particular focus on the role lead by the brain in neuropsychiatric conditions such as drug addition and obsessive-compulsive disorder. 

13 Feb - Ben Brown 

Ben holds the role of CTO at Cambridge Mechatronics (CML) where he is responsible for steering the technical development of CML’s ground-breaking SMA actuator technology. Prior to CML, Ben started a company based on a novel pumping technology for micro fluidic applications. At The Technology Partnership in Cambridge, he developed a novel electrostatic printing technology and led a multi-million-dollar R&D programme for piezo inkjet technology. 

20 Feb - Alasdair Tait 

Alasdair has performed in many of the world’s major concert halls and is also much sought after as a chamber music coach. Prior to his current role as Chief Executive of Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT), he held senior teaching posts at GSMD, RNCM and the Reina Sofia in Madrid and continues as a regular professor at Britten Pears Arts, Banff Centre, Stanford University, and ProQuartet in Paris. He is frequently invited as jury member on international competitions such as Melbourne, London and Banff.

27 Feb - Priscilla Day-Walsh 

Priscilla  is a Next Generation Fellow at the Centre for Trophoblast Research working in the Departments of Obstetrics & Gynaecology. Dr Day-Walsh’s key research interests are in understanding how the human gut microbiome can be utilised as a novel tool for predicting, preventing and treating pregnancy complications and their associated morbidities and mortalities. In particular Dr Day-Walsh’s research aims to provide a mechanistic understanding of how the maternal gut microbiota affect maternal-placental-fetal physiology and the impact this has on pregnancy outcomes and health across the life-span.

5 March - Susie Hart

Susie is the Director of Craft Aid International. She previously founded and Directed Neema Crafts Centre in Tanzania, a large social enterprise which provides training and employment opportunities for people with disabilities, and also strives to change negative attitudes towards differently-able people locally, nationally and internationally. The centre has a large number of craft workshops, a physiotherapy unit for disabled children, a guest house staffed by people with disabilities and a restaurant entirely staffed by deaf people, which won the Telegraph award for the "Best British-run Restaurant Overseas in the World" in 2010.

12 March - Philip Graham 

Philip is a postdoctoral ‘UKRI Design Innovation Scholar’ at the University of Cambridge, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). He is also an architect at Cullinan Studio, London and a visiting lecturer in sustainable housing design at Tampere University, Finland. 

Michaelmas 2023

14 Nov -  Kevin Powell

Kevin was CTO at Mondelez International, ranked 108 in the Fortune 500 list of largest United States corporations by total revenue at the point Kevin left. Mondelez has an annual revenue of about $26.5 billion and operates in approximately 160 countries. Among other things, as CTO Kevin was responsible for the global production of Oreo! In the last couple of years he has de-corporatised and is now working with environmental groups and mentors social entrepreneurs. I will be buying Oreos to accompany our conversation.

7 Nov - Andrew Dickinson

Andrew is from Farsight Consulting - a consultancy working to bring digital transformation to the public sector. Farsight works with the Ministry of Justice, Department of Education, the NHS, the Home Office, the Department for International Development and other government departments. Andrew works primarily with the Department of Health.

31 Oct - Frances Rayner

Frances is Communications Lead for the Wellbeing Economy Alliance Scotland, an organisation dedicated to reprogramme the economy to put people and planet first. She has a great deal of experience in campaigning roles for social and environmental causes. Frances is Chair of the Stop Climate Chaos Scotland.

24 Oct - Esther Loukin postponed

Esther is a disability rights activist and co-founder of the disabled-led organisation Reasonable Access. She challenges and works with organisations to hold them to account on disability access.

17 Oct - Olu Orugboh

Olu is the CEO and Founder of Synergy Solutions, a specialist management consultancy practice, which helps companies face the challenges of an ever changing world. Olu is a mother to two wonderful children and is passionate about growing the impact of digital technology in underrepresented communities. She is also the Deputy Chair of Cambridge Wireless Board

10 Oct - Prof Maggi Dawn

Maggi is a songwriter, a theologian, and a Priest. She is based at Durham University and specialises in theology and the arts.

Easter 2023

20 June

Changemakers Summer Party - on the Griffin terrace! All students invited!

13 June

With Changemakers Student Ambassadors

6 June Dr Edge Watchorn, Deputy Director of the Westminster Abbey Institute

Edge is Deputy Director of the Westminster Abbey Institute, which works with the public service institutions around Parliament Square to revitalise moral and spiritual values in public life. She is also a Non-Executive Director and a Justice of the Peace. For 13 years she was an executive and strategist at the House of Commons, UK Parliament, leading on participation, education and people development. She has also been Chair of Trustees for the Young Citizens Charity. She has demonstrable interests in citizenship, active participation in public life and social change.

30 May Dr Alison Wood, Changemakers Academic Director 

16 May 'London Recruits' - A private screening of Gordon Main's new film

We were delighted to host this event that included a panel discussion with the director Gordon Main; producer Colin Charles (AfroFuturist Arts); 'Recruit' Steve Marsling; and two special guests, Ronnie Kasrils and Amina Frense.

Ronnie was Minister for Intelligence Services in South Africa between 2004-8. He joined the ANC in the 1960’s and was a central member until 2007. He has since been critical of the ANC under Zuma’s leadership. Ronnie has dedicated his life to anti-apartheid struggles. He features in the film as the main recruiter of the ‘London Recruits'. Amina was a journalist covering South Africa's liberation struggle and was Associate Producer of the film 'Mandela Son of Africa'. 

2 May Dr Una McCormack, Feminist Science Fiction writer

Una is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling science fiction writer who continues to mentor writers, particularly those working towards completion of their first novel.

Lent 2023

31 January  Prof Kamal Munir  Pro-Vice-Chancellor (University Community & Engagement) and Professor of Strategy and Policy at the University of Cambridge.

Kamal  has published several articles on issues ranging from organisational inequality to institutional change in leading organisational and management journals. He has also published in economics, history and policy journals. 

7 February  Pedro Gil  Architect, Founder + Director of Studio Gil Ltd

Pedro was appointed by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, on the Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm, a group of fifteen community and arts leaders tasked with influencing positive change in London’s public realm that truly reflects the city’s diverse constituency.

14 February Dr Sofia Singler  Junior Research Fellow in Architecture

Sofia's research interests lie in the history and theory of modern architecture, with particular focus on ecclesiastical architecture, Nordic modernism and Alvar Aalto.

21 February  Prof Alan Blackwell Professor of Interdisciplinary Design at Department of Computer Science and Technology, University of Cambridge

Alan is also Director of the Crucible network for research in interdisciplinary design and Co-Director of Research for the University of Cambridge Global Challenges Initiative. Crucible is a research network within and around the University of Cambridge. Its purpose is to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration of technologists with researchers in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

28 February Rosie Dawson BBC correspondent

As a journalist and documentary maker, with more than 25 years experience with the BBC, most of Rosie's time was spent with the Religion and Ethics department, where she won many industry awards for her work.

7 March Dr Samara Linton, award-winning writer and multidisciplinary content producer.

Samara's work includes The Colour of Madness: Mental Health in Race and Technicolour (2022) and Diane Abbott: The Authorised Biography (2020). She previously worked as a medical doctor and has written for platforms including gal-dem, Metro, and the Royal College of Psychiatrists. She is a University of Cambridge and University College London graduate.

Michaelmas 2022

18 October Professor Charlotte Sleigh Author, Academic, Historian of Science

'Charlotte Sleigh was one of those kids who could never make up their mind between science and the arts at school. Born in London and educated at Cambridge, she is now an honorary professor at UCL and writes mostly about science from the point of view of history, literature and the arts. Besides doing research and writing, she is also a freelance editor, teacher and speaker.'

25 October Dr Susi Hunt, NHS medic and founder of the pioneering Doctors-for-Doctors

Susi established frontline clinician support at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Her work supports, promotes and defends the wellbeing of NHS clinicians, both medics and non-medics. It's pioneering, human-centric, psychologically astute, and essential. 

8 November Deborah Curtis, artist & Gavin Turk, artist 

Deborah is an artist, creative, activist and maker of imaginative educational experiences. She's recently founded The Great Imagining, a place for collaborative, public learning adventures on analogue & digital hybrid platforms, inspired & initiated by young people.

Gavin is an international artist known for his pioneering, bold forms- his Adrianne Unwrapped is installed outside Cambridge Train Station. You can find more on his work on instagram; and see his current exhibition at the Heong Gallery, an exhibition to coincide with the permanent installation of Adrianne Unwrapped in Cambridge.

Curated by Dr Robin Bunce & Dr Alison Wood