Raising a glass to knowledge: one night, ten bars, 20 talks
13 July 2022
University of Auckland academics are hitting the bars on 2 August, delivering 20 lectures in ten of Tāmaki Makaurau's favourite watering holes in the annual Raising the Bar event.

Now in its fifth successful year, some of the Raising the Bar highlights will include:
- Geneticist Professor Andrew Shelling exploding myths on what genetics can truly predict, such as when you will lose your virginity, and explaining where huge advances are really being made in diseases such as cancer and heart disease.
- Dr Laura Domigan sinking her teeth into lab-grown meat, and sharing her own research engineering new protein for surgical use and cell-based meat production.
- Associate Professor Peter Saxton on Aotearoa New Zealand’s controversial policy that excludes gay men from donating blood if they’ve had sex in the last three months.
Mark Bentley, director of Alumni Relations and Development, says Raising the Bar provides a unique opportunity to be able to spend the night at the pub with an academic expert rather than "your regular know-it-all".
"The relaxed atmosphere of a bar is an ideal place for all members of our community, University students or graduates ,or not, to engage with academic thought and research."

Venue | Time | Academic | Subject |
---|---|---|---|
The Paw Bar & Eatery | 6.30pm | Professor Karen Waldie | Neurodiversity – it’s not in your head, it’s in your brain |
8pm | Ali Lowery | From the vineyard to the glass – what really goes into New Zealand wine? | |
Shadows | 6.30pm | Professor Andrew Shelling | Fact vs fiction: the truth about our genetic predispositions |
8pm | Dr Melani Anae | Educate to liberate! | |
Dice & Fork | 6.30pm | Dr Helen Murray | Athletes and dementia – could there be a link? |
8pm | Dr Angus Campbell | Data and the demise of the designer | |
The Birdcage | 6.30pm | Dr Anna Brooks |
The looming crisis of Long Covid |
8pm | Julie Stout | Auckland City, what a pity | |
Oakroom | 6.30pm | Associate Professor Jan Eldridge | We’re all made of stardust |
8pm | Associcate Professor Bodo Lang | I told you so! Word of mouth: what is it, does it work and how can I use it? | |
Revelry | 6.30pm | Dr Danny Osborne | Punks, politics and personality: Understanding the political psychology of voters |
8pm | Associate Professor Peter Saxton | Walking the tightrope: A blood donation policy that is safe, inclusive and more sustainable | |
Tuning Fork | 6.30pm | Professor Justin O'Sullivan | The untapped potential of DNA to personalise your healthcare and extend your life |
8pm | Dr Kiri Dell | A country’s journey to become a te reo Māori nation: what Māori and Pākehā need to consider | |
Mezze Bar | 6.30pm | Dr Alex Müntz | Screens, teens & the unforeseen |
8pm | Dr Laura Domigan |
Recipes for cultured meat | |
Le Zeppa | 6.30pm | Associate Professor Matheson Russell | Democracy, but not as we know it |
8pm | Professor Tava Olsen | Why are the shelves bare? A look at what’s going on with the world’s supply chains | |
Everybody's | 6.30pm | Dr Guy Sinclair | Everybody wants to rule the world. But who really does? |
8pm | Dr Ritesh Shah | Learning in a time of crisis: panacea or problem? |
Media enquiries
Lisa Finucane
M: 021 677 216
E: l.finucane@auckland.ac.nz