16/07/2026
An informal monthly evening of ideas, drinks, and conversation with Cambridge PhD researchers at University Arms.
What happens when academic research leaves the lecture hall and enters the bar?
Ideas in Bloom is a free, informal evening series hosted in the Library at University Arms, Cambridge. Once a month, a PhD researcher or recent graduate shares the thinking behind their thesis, not through slides and jargon, but through story, insight, and conversation.
Each event includes:
• A 20–30 minute accessible talk • An open Q&A and audience discussion • Informal mingling over drinks afterwards
Whether you are a Cambridge local, a visitor, a hotel guest, or simply curious, this is a space designed for listening, asking questions, and discovering something new.
No prior expertise required, only curiosity.
In this talk:
Volcanoes and Human Evolution in East Africa
Natalie Deng, PhD Researcher at Department of Geography, University of Cambridge
The East African Rift Valley is one of Earth’s most remarkable features — a vast region where tectonic forces are pulling the continent apart, creating a rugged landscape of deep valleys, lakes and volcanoes. It is also the ‘cradle of humanity’, preserving an exceptional record of hominin fossils and stone tools. But how do scientists know when our ancestors lived? How can discoveries from different locations be placed on the same timeline? And what can volcanoes tell us about human evolution? This talk explores the surprising role of volcanic products (tephra) in answering these questions and explains the principals behind some of the scientific techniques. By combining clues preserved in rocks, lakes and fossils, we will discover how geology, archaeology and chemistry work together to help us understand our ancestral past.