Alumni
Events
You have access to a range of exclusive events arranged by the University of Leicester and your fellow alumni. Events are open to all alumni: groups and individuals, those who graduated many years ago or recently; you are all welcome at any one of our events.
As an alum you are invited to attend our events all year round. We aim to make any alumni visiting campus feel comfortable and are aware that the site may look different to the last time you visited. Our interactive map (flash) of the University of Leicester enables you to see each building on campus. Detailed information about the accessibility of each building can be found on the Disabled Go website.
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Upcoming alumni events
Festival of Change
Since launching the Festival of Change in October 2020, over 1,300 alumni from 28 countries have joined us for a Festival of Change event. With 91% of alumni saying that they would recommend the event to a friend, we want to let you know about our programme of exciting events we have coming up. Details subject to change.
To hear about when bookings open, ensure you are on our mailing list.
Festival of Change | Journey to becoming a Postdoctoral Research Associate with Dr Gez Williams
Date: Thursday 9 October 2025
Time: 6.00pm – 7.00pm (UK time)
Location: Microsoft Teams
This is a free event open to University of Leicester alumni.
In this talk, Dr Gez Williams will share her story of how she became a researcher in the Department of Cardiovascular Sciences at the University of Leicester. Dr Williams was placed into the care of the state at 14 years old and she faced many barriers along the way. She has since achieved a BSc (Hons) from De Montfort University, a PhD from the University of Leicester and is now a Postdoctoral Research Associate.
Dr Williams' research focuses on cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) accounts for over 17.9 million deaths annually and the healthcare costs in England relating to CVD are estimated at £7.4 billion, with an annual cost to the wider economy of £15.8 billion. In this talk, she will discuss how she has validated a biomarker to help stratify patients at risk from different cardiovascular diseases.
About the speaker
Dr Gez Williams graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Biomedical Science from De Montfort University, then worked as a research assistant for a year in toxicology. Dr Williams subsequently obtained her PhD in Cardiovascular Science from the University of Leicester and this where she continues her research.
Leicester Medical School 50th Anniversary
From Thursday 6 November - Monday 10 November, we'll be hosting a range of events and activities to mark the occasion. We hope that you can join us on campus and reunite with your class.
Please make sure to book your activities. Access is not be guaranteed for certain events without a pre-booked ticket.
If you would like to book a large group (more than 4 people) onto any of the below events, please email alumni.events@le.ac.uk at your earliest convivence as these events are in high demand.
Tours of the George Davies Centre
Thursday 6 November and Saturday 8 November | George Davies Centre, Lancaster Rd, Leicester LE1 7HB
The George Davies Centre opened in 2016 with a £42 million investment by the University to bring together world-leading medical research and education under one roof. It is officially the largest non-residential Passivhaus building in the UK.
For those who have not had the opportunity to visit this magnificent building, touring this building is a great addition to a reunion programme for those visiting over the celebratory period.
Please express your interest by emailing alumni.events@le.ac.uk and a member of the Leicester Medical School will reach out to you to confirm your booking.
Celebrations at De Montfort Hall
Friday 7 November, 1.15pm - 4.30pm | De Montfort Hall, Granville Rd, Leicester LE1 7RU
On Friday afternoon, the Leicester Medical School will be taking over Dr Montfort Hall for a programme of events to highlight the incredible achievements of the School, its staff, students and alumni over the past 50 years. Refreshments will be available to purchase at the venue.
Make sure to book your tickets in advance and let us know of any accessibility requirements so we can best support your attendance.
Parking will be available at De Montfort Hall on a first come, first served basis. The University multi-storey car park on Putney Road will also be open for visitor parking.
Chancellor's Distinguished Lecture Series: Sir Chris Whitty on the role of the state in preventing disease
Friday 7 November, 5.30pm | Sir Bob Burgess Building, Freemen's Common, Leicester, LE2 7TF
As part of our celebrations, we will be joined by honorary graduate and Chief Medical Officer for England, Professor Sir Chris Whitty, for this special Chancellor's Distinguished Lecture.
This event requires a separate registration and is open to the public. Please make sure to book your tickets early to secure your space and avoid disappointment.
The Leicester Medical School: Influencing half a century of Academic Cardiovascular Medicine in the UK and beyond
Monday 10 November, 7.30pm - 9.00pm | Hansom Hall in the Leicester Adult Education College, 50-54 Belvoir St, Leicester LE1 6QL
Lecturer: Professor Bryan Williams OBE, Chair of Medicine UCL, Chief Scientific and Medical Officer British Heart Foundation, Consultant Physician, University College London Hospitals.
Since the opening of the Leicester Medical School in 1975 its destiny was shaped by the two inspired appointments of foundation Professors of Medicine and Surgery, John Swales, an academic cardiovascular physician and Sir Peter Bell, an academic vascular surgeon. From those early years Leicester has risen to become a leading centre of excellence for cardiovascular science in the UK.
This event is being hosted by the Leicester Literary and Philosophical Society (Lit & Phil). Tickets for this event are £7 allowing you to attend in person or on Zoom. Book your tickets today.
Alumni Awards Dinner
The Alumni Awards Dinner is an annual opportunity for alumni to come together and celebrate University and alumni achievements, recognise our Alumni Award winners, and thank alumni for their valued contributions to business, research and society.
Our 2025 Alumni Awards Dinner has already taken place and you can find out more about our Alumni Awards Dinner 2025 and our award winners on our website.
Annual Alumni Meeting
The Annual Alumni Meeting is open to all University of Leicester alumni. During the meeting, the Alumni Association Committee reports on alumni activity over the last 12 months, provides an update on philanthropic funds jointly managed by the University and Alumni Association Committee, and invites alumni to vote on members of the committee who are standing for re-election (if applicable). There is also an address from the Vice-Chancellor and the opportunity to pose questions to the Alumni Association Committee and Advancement Team.
The 2025 Annual Alumni Meeting has taken place and a recording will be available soon. Please make sure you are signed up to our mailing list to be the first to hear when the 2026 Annual Alumni Meeting will take place.
Recordings of previous Annual Alumni Meetings are available to watch.
Botanic Garden Festival
The 2025 Botanic Garden Festival has now taken place. You can view the official photograph's on our Facebook page. The Botanic Garden Festival will return in 2026.
Please make sure that you are signed up to our mailing list to receive the latest news and events from the University of Leicester.
Leicester Festive Celebrations
At the end of every year, the Alumni Relations Team host an online event for our global community to get together and celebrate the festive period, reflecting on the year just gone and looking ahead to new year.
Make sure you're signed up to our mailing list to be the first to hear when this event is announced.
Solo visitor scheme
Are you attending an event alone? We want to ensure that our events are welcoming and accessible to all attendees and with this in mind, are launching a new solo visitor scheme. If you wish to attend an event as a solo visitor and would like to see a friendly face when you arrive, drop us an email in advance to alumni.relations@leicester.ac.uk and let us know you are attending. One of our friendly staff members will introduce themselves to you via email beforehand and be present at the event to greet you.