Sheldonian Series

The Sheldonian Series is a termly event convened by the Vice-Chancellor aimed to promote discussions about the big issues of the day, informed by our commitment to free and inclusive speech, diversity of thought and the vibrant exchange of ideas. This event is open to all students and staff, and will feature scholars and voices from a range of fields and viewpoints.

Sheldonian Series: Truth

The Sheldonian Series continues this term, focussing on the subject of ‘Truth’. Join the Vice-Chancellor at 5.30pm – 6.45pm on Tuesday 13 May to hear from panellists debating the limits and challenges to truth today, followed by audience Q&A.

Staff and Students register here Alumni register here

Confirmed speakers

Moderator: Richard Ovenden, OBE, Bodley’s Librarian and the Helen Hamlyn Director of the University Libraries, Head of Gardens, Libraries, & Museums (GLAM), University of Oxford
Panellist: Mitali Mukherjee, Director of the Reuters Institute, University of Oxford
Panellist: Professor Kimberley Johnson, Professor of Social and Cultural Analysis at New York University and Winant Visiting Professor of American Government, University of Oxford

Richard Ovenden is Head of Gardens, Libraries, & Museums (GLAM), a post he holds together with being Bodley’s Librarian (the senior executive officer of the Bodleian Libraries), and is responsible for their strategic oversight.

Richard joined the University of Oxford in 2003 from Edinburgh University, where he was Director of Collections, and has served as Keeper of Special Collections and Deputy Librarian before being appointed Bodley’s Librarian in 2014, and then Head of Gardens, Libraries, & Museums in 2022. He was awarded the OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2019. He is an active researcher, his recent book Burning the Books: A History of Knowledge under Attack was shortlisted for the Wolfson History Prize in 2021. He holds a Professorial Fellowship at Balliol College.

Mitali Mukherjee is the Director of the Reuters Institute and the Director of the Journalist Programmes at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, University of Oxford. She is a political economy journalist with more than two decades of experience in TV, print and digital journalism. Over the course of her journalistic career, Mitali has worked with The Wire, Mint, CNBC TV 18 and India's public broadcaster Doordarshan. She was a Chevening fellow for the South Asia Journalism Fellowship 2020, a Raisina Asian Forum for Global Governance Young Fellow 2019 and a 2017 fellow of the Australia India Youth Dialogue.

Past events