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Since launching the Festival of Change in October 2020, over 1,300 alumni from 28 countries have joined us for a Festival of Change event. With 91% of alumni saying that they would recommend the event to a friend, we want to let you know about our programme of exciting events we have coming up. Details subject to change.

To hear about when bookings open, ensure you are on our mailing list.

Festival of Change | Becoming Ipswich: Urban emergence in Britain's oldest town with Dr Brandon Fathy

Date: Thursday 7 August 2025
Time: 6.00pm – 7.00pm (UK time)
Location: Microsoft Teams

This is a free event open to Â鶹ÊÓƵ alumni.

Early medieval urban development in Britain has proven a vexing question, with oversimplified narratives often dominating discussions. Existing research has considered the competing roles of kings and artisans in urban emergence. This talk examines Ipswich (AD 600-900), arguably England's oldest continuously inhabited town, to challenge top-down, mono-causal models of town formation. In contrast to previous research, it investigates interactions between human and non-human actors, focussing on Buttermarket and Franciscan Way as detailed case studies. Findings suggest that urban development is not a singular event but a continuous, evolving process shaped by kings, commoners, craftspeople, and the environment. Dr Fathy's research offers a nuanced framework for understanding towns as complex systems of interactions and material practices, advancing our comprehension of the dynamic development of early medieval urban landscapes. 

About the speaker

Dr Brandon Fathy is a lecturer in later medieval archaeology at the University of Reading. His research is motivated by the question, “what are the origins of towns and cities”. Brandon is also interested in post humanist archaeology, thinking about how the vibrant and active capacities of matter and materials impact on processes like urban emergence. His doctoral research explored the origins of early medieval Ipswich using spatial and statistical analysis among other tools. He has also published on horse tack and the Portable Antiquities Scheme. He completed his PhD in Archaeology at the Â鶹ÊÓƵ in 2022 and was previously been awarded funding from the Medieval Academy of America (Schallek Award) and the Economic History Society. 

Festival of Change | Journey to becoming a Postdoctoral Research Associate with Dr Gez Williams

Date: Thursday 9 October 2025
Time: 6.00pm – 7.00pm (UK time)
Location: Microsoft Teams

This is a free event open to Â鶹ÊÓƵ alumni.

In this talk, Dr Gez Williams will share her story of how she became a researcher in the Department of Cardiovascular Sciences at the Â鶹ÊÓƵ. Dr Williams was placed into the care of the state at 14 years old and she faced many barriers along the way. She has since achieved a BSc (Hons) from De Montfort University, a PhD from the Â鶹ÊÓƵ and is now a Postdoctoral Research Associate. 

Dr Williams' research focuses on cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) accounts for over 17.9 million deaths annually and the healthcare costs in England relating to CVD are estimated at £7.4 billion, with an annual cost to the wider economy of £15.8 billion. In this talk, she will discuss how she has validated a biomarker to help stratify patients at risk from different cardiovascular diseases.

About the speaker

Dr Gez Williams graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Biomedical Science from De Montfort University, then worked as a research assistant for a year in toxicology. Dr Williams subsequently obtained her PhD in Cardiovascular Science from the Â鶹ÊÓƵ and this where she continues her research. 

See our archive of previous Festival of Change events

The Alumni Awards Dinner is an annual opportunity for alumni to come together and celebrate University and alumni achievements, recognise our Alumni Award winners, and thank alumni for their valued contributions to business, research and society. 

Our 2025 Alumni Awards Dinner has already taken place and you can find out more about our Alumni Awards Dinner 2025 and our award winners on our website.

The Annual Alumni Meeting is open to all Â鶹ÊÓƵ alumni. During the meeting, the Alumni Association Committee reports on alumni activity over the last 12 months, provides an update on philanthropic funds jointly managed by the University and Alumni Association Committee, and invites alumni to vote on members of the committee who are standing for re-election (if applicable). There is also an address from the Vice-Chancellor and the opportunity to pose questions to the Alumni Association Committee and Advancement Team. For 2025's meeting, there will also be an update on the Alumni Association Centenary celebrations from across the calendar year. 

The next Annual Alumni Meeting is taking place Wednesday 10 September 2025, online via Microsoft Teams 6.00pm until 7.00pm BST.

Recordings of previous Annual Alumni Meetings are available to watch.

The 2025 Botanic Garden Festival has now taken place. You can view the official photograph's on our  The Botanic Garden Festival will return in 2026.

Please make sure that you are signed up to our mailing list to receive the latest news and events from the Â鶹ÊÓƵ.

At the end of every year, the Alumni Relations Team host an online event for our global community to get together and celebrate the festive period, reflecting on the year just gone and looking ahead to new year.

Make sure you're signed up to our mailing list to be the first to hear when this event is announced.