Leeds Voices

Jul 05 2024 30 ep. 25 mins 9

Leeds Voices Podcast artwork

Leeds Voices is a brand new weekly podcast brought to you by the University of Leeds. Join us as we interview some of the illustrious alumni who studied at the University of Leeds, as well as discussions with the institution's world-class researchers. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @leedsalumni or email us at [email protected]

Copy RSS

Subscribe on Podcast Addict

Sir Keir Starmer: Leeds's first Prime Minister

Jul 05 2024 24 mins

On 5 July 2024 Sir Keir Starmer (Law 1985, Hon LLD 2012) - one of the University's most prominent alumnus - became the Prime Minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Sir Keir is the first Leeds graduate to become UK Prime Minister, and one of only a few University-educated PMs to not study his bachelors at Oxford or Cambridge. His journey to Downing Street started

Northern Ballet's Romeo & Juliet: Preserving the passion

Feb 29 2024 35 mins

Northern Ballet’s Romeo & Juliet has survived fire, flood and the changing fashions of more than three decades. Ahead of the 2024 revival of this classic production, we discover the turbulent tale behind it.Director of the University’s Cultural Institute Wieke Eringa hears from Daniel de Andrade and Pippa Moore MBE, who danced the title roles and are now passing their knowl

Episode 14: Setting the standard for vegan ice cream with Dirk Mischendahl

Oct 26 2023 20 mins

Founder and director of Northern Bloc Dirk Mischendahl (Psychology 1995) is doing ice cream differently. He started out by making ice cream through the night and selling it from a van during the day. Now, Dirk and co-founder Josh Lee supply hundreds of theatres, arts venues and tourist attractions across the UK.Northern Bloc can be found in the Co-op, Ocado, Morrisons, Waitrose, an

Episode 13: Honorary graduates Anita Rani and Ondrej Krivanek

Jul 28 2023 19 mins

In this episode we’re joined by broadcaster Anita Rani (Broadcasting 2000) and physicist Ondrej Krivanek (Physics 1971), as they return to the University to receive honorary doctorates.Ondrej is a leading developer of electron-optical instruments. He talks about how the Russian invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 led to him enrolling in physics at Leeds, and looks back on three ye

Episode 12: Naga Munchetty

Jul 20 2023 22 mins

Naga Munchetty is one of the most recognisable faces in the UK. Since 2014 she's been a regular presenter on BBC Breakfast, she's a presenter on 5 Live, but did you know the spark to embarking on her career as a journalist involved a trumpet and the Leeds Student? After being a musician in her teens, she had to give back her trumpet to the Inner London Education Authority before em

Episode 11: Cystic Fibrosis Trust's Dr Keith Brownlee

Jul 12 2023 21 mins

This week we speak to Dr Keith Brownlee, Director of Medical Affairs at the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. Since graduating with a medical degree from Leeds in 1984, Dr Brownlee gained over 30 years’ experience caring for children and families with Cystic Fibrosis. In the podcast he speaks about the disease, the development of life-changing treatments, the work of the Cystic Fibrosis Tru

Episode 10: The World Health Organization's Dr Ian Smith

Jul 07 2023 22 mins

This week marks the 75th anniversary of the NHS, and another health organisation that’s celebrating 75 years in 2023 is the World Health Organization. The international body’s renowned for its work in eradicating smallpox, polio, and most recently its efforts during the Covid pandemic. Leeds has a long history of its alumni working for the organisation, including Dr Ian Sm

Episode 9: Pride Scholarships at Leeds

Jun 28 2023 15 mins

This week we're coming to the end of Pride Month. The month of June is a time when we celebrate and commemorate the LGBT community. We celebrate how far we’ve come from the time of the Stonewall riots of 1969, but we also reflect on the issues that continue to face LGBT people globally. And that’s something that we want to address at the University of Leeds. To mark the en

Episode 8: Professor Sir Steve Jackson

Jun 22 2023 14 mins

This week the University is celebrating its staff and alumni who have been named in the King’s Birthday Honours, and Biomedical scientist and Leeds alum Professor Steve Jackson is among them. He received a knighthood as part of the King's Birthday Honours List. Steve is both a researcher and entrepreneur, and heads up the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, and is a prof

Episode 7: Fix Your Fatigue with nutritionist Karina Antram

Jun 15 2023 20 mins

After struggling with a debilitating combination of fatigue and burnout during her career as an HR leader, Karina decided to take matters into her own hands. She retrained as a nutritionist, and now runs her own clinic, providing support to people with fatigue, stress and burnout.This year, she released her bestselling book, Fix Your Fatigue. Karina recently starred on Channel 4’