In the Campaign for Social Science Annual Sage Lecture 2025, the Honourable Julia Gillard AC, 27th Prime Minister of Australia, will share insights from the world of politics and her role chairing the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at the King's Business School. She will focus on how social science can still have global impact in an era of political polarisation and widespread misinformation, public scepticism, political interference, and funding reductions. Despite these formidable hurdles, robust social science must win through because it remains indispensable for understanding and shaping a more equitable world.

Also speaking will be Yuan Yang, the Labour MP for Earley and Woodley and Stian Westlake FAcSS, Executive Chair of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

The event will be chaired by Professor Bobby Duffy, Director of the Policy Institute at King's College London and Chair of the Campaign for Social Science.

Following the lecture there will be a networking reception providing an opportunity to further discuss the key themes over refreshments.

Speakers

Julia Gillard AC was the 27th Prime Minister of Australia. She currently serves as the inaugural Chair of the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership, which through research, practice and advocacy, is addressing women’s under-representation in leadership. In 2021 she was appointed as the Chair of Wellcome, a global charitable foundation which supports science to solve urgent health challenges. She recently completed her appointment leading the Royal Commission into Early Childhood Education and Care in South Australia. Her second book ‘Women and Leadership: Real Lives, Real Lessons’ is co-authored by Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and was released in 2020. Her third book, 'Not Now, Not Ever – 10 years on from the misogyny speech', was released in October 2022.

Yuan Yang MP is an economist, journalist and author. She was elected MP for Earley and Woodley in July, 2024. Before that Yuan was the Financial Times' Europe-China correspondent, and previously spent six years in Beijing, where she was the FT's deputy bureau chief. Before becoming a journalist, Yuan co-founded Rethinking Economics, a charity headquartered in Manchester, UK that campaigns to make economics teaching more relevant to the real world.

Stian Westlake FAcSS is Executive Chair of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). He joined ESRC in June 2023. Previously Stian served as Chief Executive of the Royal Statistical Society, Executive Director of Policy and Research at Nesta, as adviser to three UK science ministers and as a management consultant with McKinsey & Company. Stian’s research interests include the economics and politics of innovation, research and technology.

Bobby Duffy FAcSS is Professor of Public Policy and Director of the Policy Institute at King's College London. He has worked across most public policy areas in his career of 30 years in policy research and evaluation, including being seconded to the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit. Bobby also chairs both the Campaign for Social Science and the CLOSER Advisory Board.