Celebrating 20 years of the Institute of Advanced Study

bringing together Durham’s Chancellor, Dr Fiona Hill, Professor Susan Smith, President of the British Academy 

(as well as being one of the IAS’s founding Co-Directors!), and myself. We explored a question that has been central to the IAS throughout its history: how can bringing different disciplines, perspectives and experiences into conversation help us better understand the complex challenges facing society?

A fascinating conversation saw us explore the needs for different disciplines to work together in areas such as policy (for example, where a defence strategy can’t be ignorant of the impact on housing, social need, NHS need, schooling etc), as well as ranging across topics including whether broad interdisciplinary conversations were only valuable when they gave solutions to problems, or whether there is also great value from defining the question in a robust and meaningful way. 

The main part of the evening then concluded with five of our recent IAS projects showcasing their journey, their success, and the role the IAS played in helping their work develop to their current state. We were able to highlight work across the space sector, post-war reconstruction of Ukraine, the hidden black history of Durham, conversations between computer sciences and humanities around algorithms in every day life, and the wonderful complexity (and critical importance) of soil. These examples demonstrated the breadth of what IAS projects can achieve, from creating new knowledge and partnerships to developing major research initiatives and finding new ways of engaging communities with research.

Just as importantly, the evening was a celebration of the people who have made the IAS what it is. Over twenty years, nearly 300 international Fellows have come to Durham, while colleagues across the university have contributed ideas, projects, time and support. The reception after the discussion offered a chance to reconnect with that community, make new connections, and reflect on the conversations—planned and unexpected—that lie at the heart of an IAS. With around 170 people from across (and outside) the University coming to the event it was a chance to reflect on the wide-ranging impact the IAS has had over two decades. 

For me, the event achieved exactly what we hoped for: a genuine celebration of the IAS’s past without becoming overly nostalgic, coupled with an ambitious discussion about the future.

That future matters. Universities are increasingly busy places, but big and brave ideas still need time to develop, there still needs to be space for unexpected conversations and there needs to be the freedom to take intellectual risks. Successful interdisciplinarity is not simply about putting people from different disciplines in the same room. It requires trust, patience and generosity, alongside structures that allow researchers to listen, experiment and be ambitious together. I hope the IAS has been able to achieve all these things over its lifetime, and our project showcase demonstrated just what can happen as a result. 

Twenty years is a milestone worth celebrating. More importantly, it gives us renewed confidence in the value of the IAS model and excitement about what might be possible over the next twenty years.

Professor Alex Easton, Director, IAS