Jenkin lecture and Alumni Weekend 2026

Over three days, you’ll have the chance to hear from the researchers tackling the world’s biggest challenges, revisit places both familiar and new, and connect with fellow members of the Oxford community.

Ten years of the Oxford Robotics Institute

Professor Nick Hawes

19 September 2026 15:00-16:00

Lecture Lecture Theatre 2, Life and Mind Building

2026 sees the tenth anniversary of the founding of the Oxford Robotics Institute. Hear from the researchers behind the work about the Institute's journey from its roots pioneering autonomous vehicles to its current position as a world leader in a breadth of robotics activity, from the design of biologically-inspired robotic limbs to the application of AI to understand a robot's world and the actions it takes within it. The journey takes in everything from automating a car for the Shell Eco Marathon, through deploying autonomous quadrupeds in active nuclear sites, to using autonomous underwater vehicles to survey Loch Ness in Scotland.