This week sees the return of Lumiere, the dazzling light art event hosted in Durham bi-annually. This year’s event includes three installations drawing on some of our ground-breaking research.

Durham University has partnered with universities in Twente (Netherlands), Barcelona (Spain) and Trieste (Italy) to form the EarthSafe Doctoral Network, which launched last month. This €2.7 million project will develop cutting-edge technology to support the transition to green energy. EarthSafe is funded by the European Commission via the Marie Sklodowska-Curie programme and UK Research and Innovation.

Professor of Astrophysics and esteemed former Durham colleague, Professor Richard Ellis CBE FRS has donated a generous prize for aspiring astronomers to assist them with their early-career ambitions.

For the first time in many years, our annual Convocation event was held in Durham on the 23 October. It proved to be a great night, combining our brilliant, multi-disciplinary research with an update on our University Strategy and an opportunity to catch up with old friends – and make new ones!

Alumnus Sam Cooper (pictured second from right) represents Durham as a finalist in HRH Prince William’s prestigious Earthshot Prize this year.

Following the success of our inaugural Durham Global Week, we are calling our vibrant community to nominate candidates for next year’s Durham Global Awards, celebrating diversity and cross-cultural impact.

We’re home to a new £10m supercomputer that will help scientists around the world investigate the mysteries of the Universe.

This 13 October is the UN’s International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction. Professor Robin Coningham and Dr Christopher Davis from our Department of Archaeology explain why sustainable access to water is so important and how Durham is helping.

A new joint research initiative focusing on energy systems integration has been awarded £5m by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to help boost UK economic growth and address regional needs.

MUSICON, Durham University’s professional concert series, is bringing high calibre music and eminent international performers to Durham for its 55th season.

Rosa Furneaux has been awarded the 2024 Sir Harry Evans Global Fellowship in Investigative Journalism, a landmark partnership among Reuters, Durham University and Tina Brown CBE, award-winning journalist and widow of acclaimed newspaper editor Sir Harry Evans.

Over the last few weeks, our Vice-Chancellor and Warden, Professor Karen O’Brien, has travelled to Hong Kong and Australia to catch up with two of our thriving alumni communities and one of our strategic research partners.