Events
Find upcoming events involving the Jeremy Coller Centre for Animal Sentience, along with recordings, write-ups and other materials from past events. To hear about future activities, follow us on LinkedIn and Bluesky or join our mailing list.
Upcoming
LSE public event, free and open to all.
23 November 2026, 6.30 - 8.00pm, LSE campus and online.
David DeGrazia will present ideas from his forthcoming book, Investigating Moral Status, exploring what it means to have moral status and how this concept applies to animals, brain organoids and artificial intelligence. The talk will examine the role of sentience in ethical theory and consider implications for issues including meat-eating, animal research and emerging technologies. A panel discussion will follow.
Find out more and register
Previous
This public event introduced the Coller Dolittle Prize and its 2026 winner, Dr Julie Elie, who discussed her work decoding the language of zebra finches. We also heard from the Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Dr Irene Pepperberg, about her extensive research on parrots. The event includes the presentation of both awards by Jeremy Coller, followed by an audience Q&A.
Cross-Cultural Dialogue on Animal Sentience
Organised by PrashantAdvait Foundation, this public event brought together Professor Jonathan Birch and Acharya Prashant, a philosopher and author from the Global South, for a cross-cultural dialogue on animal sentience. Held as part of London Climate Action Week, the discussion explored human-animal relations, animal sentience and the role of reflection, policy and law.
Common Ground on Animal Ethics - When Philosophy Meets Anthropology
This academic workshop built on the growing strengths in animal ethics research at LSE, including the Jeremy Coller Centre for Animal Sentience and the Anthropology Department’s work on ethics and human-animal relations. Supported by Professor Catherine Allerton, it brought together established philosophers and anthropologists alongside early career scholars, creating a platform for shared inquiry, debate, and future collaboration.
In this public lecture, Professor Nicolas Treich presented the main arguments of his book Animal Economics, which explores the complexity of human attitudes towards animals and demonstrates how economic theory can help incorporate animal welfare into decision-making. The lecture was followed by a panel discussion exploring the book's themes in greater depth.
How AI is helping - and harming - animals
This public event marked the launch of the Jeremy Coller Centre for Animal Sentience. Following introductory remarks from Roman Frigg, Larry Kramer, Jeremy Coller and Jonathan Birch, an expert panel discussed our Animals and AI research priority area. The discussion explored recent developments in artificial intelligence and their potential to both support and undermine animal welfare.
- Coller Dolittle Prize 2026: Professor Jonathan Birch, scientific judge.
- LSE Festival 2026 – Food Futures: Professor Jonathan Birch chaired; Dr Feiyang Wang contributed research on cultivated meat. Video and podcast available.
- LSE Festival 2026 – Poster exhibition: Dr Steven McCulloch, poster on Veterinary Power. Access the poster.
- "C-Tests" workshop of the Bamberg Mathematical Consciousness Science Initiative: Professor Jonathan Birch, talk on To Understand Consciousness, Study Insects. Watch the video.
- CARMA Conference 2026: Dr Feiyang Wang and Kristina Kiminiute, research poster. Read our write-up and access the poster.
- Caring Vets Conference 2026: Dr Steven McCulloch, keynote on veterinary codes of conduct and animal welfare.
- The 4th International Online Conference on Animals (IOCAN) 2026: Dr Steven McCulloch, keynote on veterinary institutions and farmed animal welfare.
- Coller Animal Law Forum (CALF) 2026: Professor Jonathan Birch, panel on influencing UK animal welfare policy.
- The Oxford Real Farming Conference (ORFC) 2026: Dr Natasha Boyland, panel on AI and farmed animal sentience. Watch the recording.
- The London Vet Show 2025: Professor Jonathan Birch, panel on AI on farms. Write-up from Vet Times.
- Saving Britain's Wildlife: Professor Jonathan Birch chaired this public lecture on the ethics of conservation. Video and podcast available.