Meet the UCL200 Core Team
10 September 2024
Meet some of the faces that are working hard to deliver an exciting and varied programme of activities and events in celebration of our 200th anniversary.
2026 is the year in which we mark 200 years since UCL’s establishment as the first University in London. The ambition of the Bicentenary year is to celebrate and reinforce UCL’s founding values, highlight the excellence and impact of UCL’s groundbreaking work, while also presenting an ambitious and inspiring portrait of our future.
Meet some of the faces that are working hard to deliver an exciting and varied programme of activities and events in celebration of our 200th anniversary.
Professor Dame Hazel Genn | Lucy Briggs | Tania Trosini | Asyma Raheel | Sarah Sterlini | Olivia Scher
Professor Dame Hazel Genn, Pro-Provost Bicentennial
What makes you most proud of UCL, past, present or future?
As a UCL academic for over 30 years I remain proud of the University’s founding principles and constantly in awe of the imagination, excellence and vitality of the institution’s staff and students. I personally find inspiring the tireless search for and application of ‘useful knowledge’ that provides social benefit and enriches the lives of those who work and study here. UCL is an enormous ‘ecosystem’ of talent and the interconnections between different disciplines and perspectives is an important part of its appeal and success. It will also be critical to UCL’s future impact.
If you could study any subject at UCL, what would it be and why?
So many to choose from! It’s almost impossible. But realistically, given my disciplinary background in law and social science and interests in the interconnections between law, health and behaviour, I would be interested in taking a deeper dive into some of the excellent population health, health management, and behavioural programmes UCL provides. For fun I would greatly enjoy trying to do philosophy again properly. As an undergraduate, many years ago, I am not sure I gave it my fullest attention and UCL offers some wonderful modules on the undergraduate programme.
Lucy Briggs, Programme Director Bicentennial
If you could study any subject at UCL, what would it be and why?
Since joining UCL, I have been in awe of the incredible space research taking place in the institution. I found the first full coloured images of the cosmos captured on an optical camera built by an international team led by UCL researchers captivating and am so excited that UCL has its own Astronomical Observatory in Surrey. Therefore, for me a course in UCL's Space and Climate Physics Department or the Physics and Astronomy Department would be amazing and a million miles away from the LLB law degree I studied for!
If you could have coffee with any alumnus from any era, who would it be and why?
I have spent the last year learning about the rich talents of UCL alumni and the diversity of their impact. I am particularly inspired by the many pioneering women that have been part of the UCL community. There are so many that spring to mind, but two notable mentions are Clare Hollingworth, who was the first correspondent to report the outbreak of WWII and Mavis Batey, a Bletchley Park code-breaker whose Enigma breakthrough was crucial to the success of D-Day. Having an opportunity to hear their stories, press them on the challenges they faced and gain a better understanding of their contribution to such a momentous period in our history would be fascinating.
Tania Trosini, Head of External Engagement and Operations, President and Provost
If you could have coffee with any alumnus from any era, who would it be and why?
Far too many remarkable to choose from! But as an Italian with a strong sense of justice and an appreciation for UCL's pioneering role in establishing the first academic departments in English, German, and Italian — taught by refugees from those countries — Sir Anthony Panizzi stands out. Appointed the first Chair of Italian in 1828 after escaping a death sentence in Italy, Panizzi's life and work are particularly fascinating. I would love to discuss with him: his experiences with the Carboneria; his journey to England as a refugee; his tenure teaching Italian at UCL; his insights into his vision for the British Museum's library catalogue and the Round Reading Room. His advocacy for free and equal access to learning, which many might now take for granted, was groundbreaking in the 1830s.
I want a poor student to have the same means of indulging his learned curiosity, of following his rational pursuits, of consulting the same authorities, of fathoming the most intricate inquiry, as the richest man in the kingdom, as far as books go. And I contend the government is bound to give him the most liberal and unlimited assistance in this respect.
If you could study any subject at UCL, what would it be and why?
If I could study any subject at UCL, I’d dive into the Design for Performance and Interaction program. Why? I’d reconnect with the performative world I use to work in, and it’d be like designing the ultimate playground where creativity meets technology! Crafting spaces that don't just host performances but interact with the audience in real-time, blending architecture with dynamic storytelling, creating environments that react to and enhance the performance, adding a new dimension to the magic of live shows. Plus, with UCL’s focus on innovation, I’d get to experiment with cutting-edge design techniques that turn ordinary stages into extraordinary experiences. It’s the perfect way to merge my love for design with my passion for interactive and immersive performance, all while pushing the boundaries of what’s possible on stage!
Asyma Raheel, Project Manager Bicentennial
What do you think has been the university's most significant contribution to society over the past 200 years?
Ultimately, I think UCL’s most significant contribution to society over the past 200 years has to be in providing access. Beginning with access to education regardless of one’s religious background, has led to providing access to opportunities, communities, innovations and breakthroughs, not just for Londoners but for the wider global community. UCL students themselves have rewritten what their access in spaces looks like, be this through political activism, within their respective fields of study or through independent pursual within creative spaces.
If you could study any subject at UCL, what would it be and why?
As everyone has already said there is such a wealth of subjects that can be studied at UCL. At my core I have always been interested in multidisciplinary areas and intersectional disciplines. So, I would take this opportunity to put aside my bachelor’s in History and English and focus on a research driven study across neuroscience and public health, looking at how our brains impact our health outcomes and what makes us ‘us’ at a community level.
Sarah Sterlini, Project Officer Bicentennial
If you could have coffee with any alumnus from any era, who would it be and why?
Not an alumnus in the traditional sense, but certainly an iconic figure in the history of UCL, it would have to be the original disruptive thinker, Jeremy Bentham.
Social reformer, philosopher, philanthropist, and pioneer of utilitarianism, Bentham's progressive ideas on inclusive access to education and the use of knowledge for the betterment of society, profoundly influenced UCL’s foundation and continue to shape its core values today.
Indeed, we certainly wouldn’t lack topics of conversation, and who wouldn’t want to share a flat white with someone eccentric enough to have their body preserved and put on public display as an “Auto-icon”?
If you could study any subject at UCL, what would it be and why?
There are so many great study options at UCL, but I would choose a future-facing subject like Robotics and Artificial Intelligence. I find the pace of innovation and advancement in this field both impressive and at times overwhelming. Given its inevitable role in all aspects of future society, it is probably a good idea for me to brush up my skills and improve my very limited understanding. Plus, it appeals to my inner geek!
Olivia Scher, Team Coordinator Bicentennial
If you could study any subject at UCL, what would it be and why?
I began my journey at UCL at the Sarah Parker Remond Centre for the Study of Racism and Racialisation, studying Race, Ethnicity and Postcolonial Studies. The experiences and insights I gained there will continually shape how I engage with the world. Being part of such a historic initiative at UCL was incredibly special – to study at a centre established in response to student-led demands for curriculum transformation and a reparative reckoning with the powerful, yet often unacknowledged, colonial and imperial histories of our university, city, and nation.
If you could have coffee with any alumnus from any era, who would it be and why?
There’s so many great alumni to choose from! Possibly Ricky Gervais – I'd like to ask him about The Office and Extras.