Richard Ovenden, Bodley’s Librarian and Fellow of Balliol, and Diarmaid MacCulloch, Professor of the History of the Church and Fellow of St Cross.

How has mathematics emerged over recent decades as the engine behind 21st century science? Alain Goriely looks at this question and more.

Joe Cartwright provides a geological perspective into the exploration of shale gas reserves. Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/

What constitutes a cyber-attack and who conducts them? What are the risks to society? Sadie Creese will discuss these issues and explain research underway at Oxford to help in the detection and prevention of attacks.

Professor Lionel Tarassenko, an alumnus of the Department and its new Head as of September 2014, sets out his vision for the Department for the next five years. Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/

Paul Newman talks about the UK’s first self-driving car – being developed at the Department of Engineering Science. He’ll explain the project’s motivation, its underlying technology, and its impact on the transport sector and beyond. Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/

Globalisation has brought us vast benefits including growth in incomes, education, innovation and connectivity. Ian Goldin argues that it also has the potential to destabilise our societies.

Professor Whatmore, who focuses on the interface between cultural geography, political theory and science and technology studies, will draw upon her recent research to propose a new approach to living with flooding.

Drawing on European and Middle Eastern sources, historian Eugene Rogan provides an overview of the Great War in the Middle East from both sides of the trenches.

Tom Higham examines some of the projects the Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit has been involved with over the last few years; from dating the Neanderthal extinction, to identifying the bones of Richard III and Alfred the Great.