
Sidhartha Maitra Memorial Lectures
The Sidhartha Maitra Memorial Lectures showcase an impressive diversity of thought and scholarship, featuring Nobel laureates, distinguished writers, and global thought leaders who discuss critical topics spanning humanities, economics, arts, and environmental issues. These lectures have become a pivotal platform for fostering intellectual exploration and discourse, enriching the academic and wider community alike with innovative ideas and cultural insights. Through this series, UC Santa Cruz continues its commitment to promoting understanding and dialogue on pressing global challenges and the role of academia in addressing them.
Past lectures
2022 – “Can the World Really be our Home?” by Nobel Laureate Professor Amartya Sen.
2020 – “Unmuting the Brutes: Human and Non-human After the Collapse of Civilization” by Amitav Ghosh, an award-winning writer.
2019 – A conversation with Janet Yellen, distinguished fellow of Brookings Institution and former chair of the Federal Reserve. Presented in partnership with the UC Santa Cruz Foundation Medal.
2018 – “Diplomacy & the Feminist Voice” by Nirupama Menon Rao, Ambassador, Foreign Secretary, Scholar, and Poet on Diplomacy & the Feminist Voice.
2016 – “Wicked Problems: The Humanities in the Time of STEM” by William “Bro” Adams, chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
2014 – “The Wayfinders: Why Ancient Wisdom Matters in a Modern World“ by Wade Davis, author, explorer, filmmaker, and professor.
2013 – “Peter Sellars on Creativity, Innovation and the Arts” by Peter Sellars, acclaimed director and visionary artist.
2012 – “Modern Genesis and the Limits of Cosmic Knowledge” by Sandra Faber, UCSC Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics and Interim Director of the UC Observatories.
2011 – “The Art of Medicine in the Era of ‘Homo Technologicus’” by Abraham Verghese, Senior Associate Chair and Professor for the Theory and Practice of Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine and author of the NY Times bestseller, Cutting for Stone.
2010 – “The Dharma of Capitalism”, by Gurcharan Das, former CEO, Proctor & Gamble, India, columnist, and author of several books including the highly acclaimed India Unbound.
2009 – “Mystic India in the Age of Global Warming” by Edward Luce, Washington Bureau Chief for the Financial Times and author of In Spite of the Gods: The Strange Rise of Modern India.
2008 – “Soaring, Nuclear Weapons, and World Peace” by Martin Hellman, Professor Emeritus, Stanford University.
2007 – “Globalism, Terrorism, and the Human Imagination” by author Shashi Tharoor, global affairs expert, and award-winning author.
2006 – “The Tyranny of Identity” by Amartya Sen, Nobel Prize Laureate, Lamont Professor of Economics and Philosophy, Harvard University, with a screening of The Home and the World.
2005 – The Poetic Reality of Satyajit Ray” by Indian art historian Dr. Partha Mitter and film actress Ms. Sharmila Tagore, with a screening of Panther Panchali.
2004 – “From Music Room To Talk Room” by UCLA Professor Emeritus Nazir Jairazbhoy with a vocal performance by Purnima Chaudhuri and a screening of The Music Room.
2003 – “Islam and California: A Cultural Romance” by Pico Iyer with a screening of Devi.
2002 – “Twenty Years of Reality Shows” by Wlad Godzich, Dean of Humanities at UCSC, with a screening of Charulata (The Lonely Wife).
2001 – Inaugural Sidhartha Maitra Memorial Lecture: “Friendship and Poetry” by author Vikram Seth.

Foundation Forum Lectures
The Foundation Forum Lectures offer invaluable insights into a vast range of topics including architecture, astronomy, environmental science, and healthcare. These lectures provide a platform for Nobel laureates, industry leaders, and academics to share their groundbreaking work and thoughts on contemporary issues and future challenges. Through engaging discussions and panels, the series fosters a rich environment for learning, innovation, and the exchange of ideas among scholars, students, and the wider community.
Past lectures
Oct. 18, 2013 – “In Conversation with Frank Gehry” Architect Frank Gehry in conversation with Paul Goldberger, contributing editor for Vanity Fair.
Oct. 12, 2012 – “A Cosmic Perspective on the 21st Century” Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal of the United Kingdom
Oct. 21, 2011 – “At the Dawn of Personalized Medicine: Transforming the Diagnosis and Treatment of Cancer”. A panel discussion with:
- J. Michael Bishop, M.D. UC Santa Cruz Foundation Medal recipient, Chancellor Emeritus of University of California, San Francisco and Co-winner of Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
- Art Levinson, Ph.D., UC Santa Cruz Foundation Medal recipient and Chairman of the Board and former CEO of Genentech
- David Haussler, Ph.D., Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Director of the Center for Biomolecular Science and Engineering at UCSC and Distinguished Professor of Biomolecular Engineering
Oct. 22, 2010 – “Report from the Gulf” a brown bag lunch with Jean-Michel Cousteau, explorer, environmentalist, and educator, with Richard Harris, National Public Radio science correspondent.
Oct. 23, 2009 – “Creativity: What I Don’t Know and What I Know” Ed Catmull, President of Pixar and Disney Animation Studieos
June 8, 2007 – “Global Warming and California’s Future”
- Steve Westly, former CA State Controller – The Past, Present and Future of Green
- Lisa Sloan, Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences- Regional Climate Change in CA
- Chancellor George Blumenthal & student activist Tommaso Boggia –The Greening of UCSC
June 8, 2006 – “Origins”
- George Blumenthal, Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics – A Century of Paradigm Shifts in our Thinking about the Universe.
- Bruce Bridgeman, Professor of Psychology and Psychobiology – Origins of Humanity and Origins of Consciousness.
- Gary Lease, Professor of History of Consciousness – “Does God Have a Future?”
June 2, 2005 – “American Thinking About Violence in the Middle East” Alan Richards, Professor of Economics and Environmental Studies, UCSC
Nov. 5, 2004 – “Innovation Leadership in the Global Economy” Lee Ting, Advisory Director at W. R. Hambrecht
June 3, 2004 – “Space Exploration: The Moon and Mars–A Vision of the Future” G. Scott Hubbard, Director of NASA Ames Research Center
June 2, 2003 – “Life: A Work in Progress” FouFrans Lanting, Renowned Nature Photographer
Nov. 21, 2002 – “Preventing Deadly Conflict” David Hamburg, President Emeritus of the Carnegie Corporation of New York