Real Research series

The 'Real Research' series is the brainchild of the College's Fellow for Research, Dr Severine Toussaert. By making the trial-and-error aspects of research more transparent and putting failure centre stage, Dr Toussaert aims to equip students and academics with practical strategies for troubleshooting and building resilience.

The series consists of two strands: lectures on 'Failing Well', given by external researchers and academics that explore the research process itself; and 'Behind the Scenes' seminars, in which senior members of the College are invited to discuss their research strategies and processes.

Past events

Previous lectures on 'Failing Well' have been given by Professor Manu Kapur, Director of the Singapore-ETH Center and Professor for Learning Sciences and Higher Education at ETH Zürich and by Dr Catherine Hasted, Deputy Director of the Skoll Centre at Saïd Business School.

The College's President, Professor Lady Sue Black, gave the inaugural 'Behind the Scenes' seminar in November 2025, sharing some of the real-world challenges of working on criminal dismemberment cases and explaining how case-specific details shape forensic investigations.

Future events

The next 'Behind the Scenes' seminar will be given by Professor James Maynard, Supernumerary Fellow in Mathematics at St John's. In this session, Professor Maynard will offer insight into his world-leading research in the field of number theory, for which he was awarded the Fields Medal. Learn more about the event here.