The University Lecture was established in 1950 to honor members of the Boston University faculty engaged in outstanding research and creative pursuits. University Lecturers represent a vast array of disciplines and research topics, yet they share a common commitment to excellence in scholarly inquiry and discovery. Presented each fall, the annual lecture provides an opportunity to highlight the work of a distinguished scholar and engage both the University community and the broader public in the vibrant intellectual life of Boston University.
Each spring, all members of the faculty are invited to make nominations for the subsequent year’s lecturer to the University Lecture Committee. The selection process for the lecture is designed to seek the input of a broad cross section of the University community.
* Boston University strives to be accessible, inclusive, and diverse in our facilities, programming, and academic offerings. Your experience in this event is important to us. ASL interpreters and Live Captioning Services will be provided.
2025-26
Providence, Persistence, and Resilience: The Road to CTE
Presented by Ann McKee
2024-25
Why Not Better and Cheaper? Healthcare and Innovation
Presented by James Rebitzer
2023-24
Unifying Concepts: Critical Race Theory, Academic Freedom of Speech, and Democracy
Presented by Jasmine Gonzalez Rose
2022-23
Making Space for Wonder: In Person and Up Close
Presented by Josephine Halvorson
2021-22
Beneath and Beyond Human: Race and Technology Between Singularities
Presented by Louis Chude-Sokei
2020-21
From Cough to COVID: How Respiratory Infections Produce Problems and Our Bodies Fight Back
Presented by Joseph P. Mizgerd
2019-20
The Quest for Ethical Solutions for the Global Refugee Crisis
Presented by Muhammad Zaman
2018-19
2017-18
2016-17
Walden Warming: Climate Change Comes to Thoreau’s Woods
Presented by Richard Primack
2015-16
Sacred Waters: Historical Ecology, Power, and the Soul of the Blue Nile
Presented by James McCann