About the series

UCL’s Museums and Collections encompass artefacts, specimens, artist works and more telling the history of living species in global contexts spanning thousands of years. The Collections are used for teaching, public engagement and research, all of which contribute to our understanding of the world around us.

The Research in Focus talk series provides a platform for researchers to share their investigative enquiries through public engagement. We are proud to showcase how knowledge production is supported across varied collections.

The Museums and Collections are:

• Grant Museum of Zoology
• Petrie Museum of Egyptian and Sudanese Archaeology
• UCL Art Museum
• Science Collection in the Object Based Learning Lab
• Pathology Museum at the Royal Free Hospital

The Collections allow for interdisciplinary approaches as well as singular focus, reflected in the talks in this series. Criticality and recognition of local knowledge sources are encouraged, especially when working with contested histories and knowledge production through epistemological violence.

2024-25 Talks

Term 1

• Wow, that's tiny! Exploring the miniaturisation of material culture in children's burials from Predynastic Egypt (3800-2900 BC) - 25 October 2024 (Petrie Museum)
• Objects and Emotions in Medical Museums for National Pathology Week - 6 November 2024 (Object Based Learning Lab)
• Copper alloy metalwork in the Petrie Museum - 15 November 2024 (Petrie Museum)
• Beneath the surface: Unveiling Egyptian clay figurines through technological and compositional analysis - 13 December 2024 (Petrie Museum)

Term 2

Dates coming soon.

Interested in presenting?

We are currently looking for Expressions of Interest (EOIs) to present talks across UCL Museum spaces.

We welcome EOIs from Masters students, doctoral candidates and postdoctoral researchers at affiliated higher education institutions. If you are an independent researcher, please email us with a short paragraph (max 100 words) on how your research responds to, investigates or intersects with UCL's Museums and Collections.

Submit an EOI via Microsoft Forms

The last date to submit an EOI for this academic year is 2 March 2025.

For further information, please email museums@ucl.ac.uk.