The codemakers

Codes govern our lives, whether it be through the codes of behaviour we learn to adopt, or the arithmetical codes that enable computers and other electronic gadgets we use to perform effectively.

This year’s Darwin Lecture series takes the theme of Codes, be they computational, mathematical, biological, linguistic or even musical. The theme was chosen by the 2025 series curators, Professor Alan Blackwell and Dr Stefanie Ullmann. Alan, who is Professor of Interdisciplinary Design at the University’s Computer Laboratory, first thought of it while working on a book about AI.

“There’s no direct connection between my book and the series, but in the course of writing it, I had noticed how much issues with AI and computing were now shaping society, even though ethical codes, legal codes and codes of conduct are understood to be so much more important. We like the lecture series to appeal to as broad an audience as possible, so I was also thinking it would be good to tap into the fascination people tend to have with the mystery of secret codes.”

Stefanie is a linguist who works at the Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy. The centre analyses the power relationships between emerging digital technologies and society. It’s a theme that’s addressed by some of the talks in the series.

Stefanie says people tend to think of codes in terms of computer technology but they can apply to a range of diverse subjects

“This year we’re going to have a musical performance as part of one of the lectures. Maya Youssef, who came to the UK from Syria after the outbreak of civil war there, will play the qanun, a stringed instrument which is played a lot in Middle Eastern and Arab countries. We thought this would be an interesting twist on the theme. Our IT manager had seen Maya perform as part of the Cambridge Festival and suggested she would make an interesting speaker.”

“We’re also really pleased to have Sandi Toksvig come to talk about her Mappa Mundi research project which has been looking at the lack of representation of women’s stories and experiences online. She’s found that the vast majority of entries to Wikipedia, for example, are written by men so many of the references there are seen through a male lens.”

Other speakers in the series include Darwin College Fellow and former Cambridge Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Professor Anne Ferguson-Smith, who will talk about genetic codes. The charismatic mathematician, Dr Tom Crawford, who has some equations tattooed on his body, will discuss mathematical modelling and how it can be used to predict the spread of disease, for example.

Stefanie is also looking forward to hearing from Professor Paul Baker, from the University of Lancaster who has written about Polari, a subversive language that was adopted by gay men in the 1950s as a way of identifying themselves to one another.

“I’m a linguist, he’s a linguist, and a lot of his work informed me during research into my PhD. He’s done much work looking at vulnerable communities and how they’re represented both politically and in the media.”

The series ends with one of the burning topics of our time – AI and the impact it could have on society. Professor Shannon Vallor is the Baillie Gifford chair in the Ethics of Data and Artificial Intelligence at the University of Edinburgh. Her lecture will examine how humanity’s moral values can be protected in the new technological age.

As with all the Darwin Lecture series a lot of thought has gone into balancing science with arts and humanities subjects, as well as offering a wide range of topics and speakers. The lectures are free and open to the public. Seats are available on a first come, first served basis.

Alan says it’s always a good opportunity for town and gown to come together to learn and to share knowledge:

“What do we hope audiences take away? Inspiration, enjoyment, and a new curiosity for further exploration based on what they hear. Whether they come to just one lecture on a topic that has always fascinated them, use this as a chance to get a taste of areas they have never considered studying, or treat it as a winter feast of intellectual smorgasbord, all are welcome!”

The Darwin Lectures take place each Friday at 5.30 pm from 24th Jan through to 14th March.

 Published 24th January 2025

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