The inaugural research seminar invited three speakers to consider how the concept and experience of 'risk' influenced their current research. Professor Jonathan Michie assessed the role of uncertainty in the current global economy and explored how that influences our economic behaviour today, while Nigel Mehdi considered the 'natural' hazards that shape everyday urban living. Finally, Adam Josephs engaged us with his experiences of risk as a management consultant, and how that has led to him explore the language of risk in new technologies.Jonathan Michie: Risk, uncertainty and the economyNigel Mehdi: Risk management and natural hazards in the built environmentAdam Josephs: Risky conversations: studying how technology product development teams talk about risk