Since 1973-1974, the Hilldale Lecture Series has showcased distinguished thinkers whose contributions to contemporary culture and science have received international recognition and acclaim. One lecture is funded annually in each division.
Please click on the tabs below to view the Hilldale Lectures scheduled in the four divisions.
Achille Mbembe
Professor for History and Politics
Wits Institute for Social and Economy Research at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa
Time and location TBD
Jeanine Cavender-Bares
Distinguished McKnight University Professor in the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior
University of Minnesota, and
Director of the NSF Biology Integration Institute ASCEND (Advancing Spectral biology in Changing ENvironments to understand Diversity)
Plant Diversity, spectral biology and giving back to a planet in crisis
Wednesday, October 5, 5:00 PM
145 Birge Hall
Reception to follow lecture (6 PM)
Molly Przeworski (postponed from 2020-2021 to 2022-2023)
American population geneticist and Professor of Biological Sciences and Systems Biology at Columbia University
Why Do Germline Mutation Rates Depend on Sex and Age?
October 14, 3:30-4:30 PM
Reception to follow lecture (5-6 PM)
School of Education Building
Wisconsin Idea Room
1000 Bascom Mall
Germline mutation is the source of all heritable differences and therefore of fundamental
importance. In mammals, it has long been appreciated that mutation rates are higher in fathers,
particularly older fathers. The textbook view is that these patterns reflect replication errors that
accrue during spermatogenesis. I will present multiple lines of evidence that call this view into
question. I will argue instead that current data are best explained by a much larger role of DNA
damage in the genesis of germline mutations than previously appreciated, and draw implications for
why mutation rates depend on sex and age and how they evolve over time.
Laure Saint-Raymond (postponed from 2020-2021)
Professor at the Ecole Normale Superieure de Lyon, and
Fellow of the Institut Universitaire de France
Time and location TBD
Olivia Mitchell, PhD
International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans Professor
Professor of Insurance & Risk Mgmt. and Business Economics & Public Policy
New Developments in Retirement Risk Management
September 28, 2022, 4:30 PM
Reception to follow lecture
Discovery Building-De Luca Forum
330 N Orchard Street, Madison, WI
As the world confronts unprecedented global aging, academics and policymakers are growing increasingly aware of the need for better risk management tools to manage the demographic transition. It is thus critical to identify innovative insurance and financial market products that can enrich the range of options for households, employers, and governments facing the challenges of an aging population. After outlining thoughts on how rising longevity is shaping financial markets, we discuss opportunities for better responses that can enhance efforts to better manage retirement risk.
Raj Chetty (postponed from 2020-2021 to 2022-2023)
William A. Ackman Professor of Economics, Harvard University
Time and location TBD