Cranfield Alumni Webinars provide alumni with the opportunity to engage with Cranfield’s activities and expertise through a range of interactive online sessions.

Here you will find links to our recent webinars. You can also catch up on our webinars from 2021, or watch additional recordings from earlier than this in our archive. 

10 October 2024: What the 737MAX should remind us all about safety - Professor Graham Braithwaite, Director of Transport Systems and Professor of Safety and Accident Investigation

On 5th January 2024, passengers on board a 737MAX aircraft operated by Alaska Airlines experienced a terrifying blow out of a door plug. Amazingly, no-one was killed or injured, but the event once again threw the spotlight on Boeing and an aircraft type that already had a difficult history.

Catch up on this insightful webinar where Professor Graham Braithwaite highlights:

  • The role of safety culture, regulation and beyond in the aviation industry.
  • How the situation with the 737MAX developed.
  • Lessons we can learn about safety.

10 June 2024: The route to affordable EVs - Dr Andy Palmer CMG (PhD School of Industrial and Manufacturing Science 2003, Honorary Graduate 2019), CEO, Palmer Automotive

Drawing on Dr Andy Palmer's experience launching the Nissan LEAF as COO and latterly as Aston Martin CEO, this talk blends real-world experience with academic theory to explore how electric vehicles can become cheaper to manufacture and therefore cheaper to consumers.

Catch up on this insightful webinar where Dr Palmer discusses:

• the role of energy storage and battery chemistry,
• the charging infrastructure,
• how cost efficiencies can be made.

16 April 2024: Living in a full world - biodiversity, carbon and economics - Professor Jim Harris, Chair of Environmental Technology, Cranfield Environment Centre

We are losing species at an alarming rate. Nature not only has those compositional attributes that we are familiar with - charismatic animals, mature forests, and beautiful landscapes, but there is a lot going on in a mature functioning system which is more than the sum of its parts.

In this webinar, Professor Jim Harris explores:

  • the alarming rate in which we are losing species,
  • how we can make our solutions more impactful,
  • the value of nature and reconnecting society with it at all levels - especially economics - to regenerate the planet and ourselves

1 February 2024: The wider context of decarbonising civil aviation, protecting the environment and economic growth - Professor Pericles Pilidis, Director Thermal Power MSc, FRAeS, UK Representative ISABE Cranfield University

We need to protect the environment while simultaneously protecting the great strides already made to reduce global poverty. This means that sustainability must bring concurrent advances in environmental and socioeconomic performance. 

In this webinar, Professor Pilidis explores:

  • why electrification and hydrogen are good choices for civil aviation,
  • how we can replace current aircraft in full decarbonised scenarios,
  • what implications this could have on wider land and sea.

17 January 2024: Risky business - Stephen Carver (MSc Engineering Construction Project Management 1988), Senior Lecturer in Project & Programme Management, Action, Execution and Implementation

Many professionals set out with high hopes of creating a thriving expertise-based business. But often they struggle.

In this webinar, Stephen discusses:

  • the latest trends in risk management,
  • the role of pirates, chaos agents and tall poppies,
  • how to identify opportunities to encourage creativity and diversity in your business.

11 July 2023: How to attract higher-value clients - Roger Jones (MBA 1987)

Many professionals set out with high hopes of creating a thriving expertise-based business. But often they struggle.

In this webinar, Roger will teach you:

  • how to become a recognised authority and become the obvious choice,
  • the main challenges faced by expertise-based businesses,
  • a proven system to make your competition irrelevant, become known as the value creator in your market and attract clients based on your reputation.

30 March 2023: Hydrogen - will it take over the world? - Professor Nazmiye Ozkan, Dr Peter Clough, Professor Bobby Sethi, Professor Upul KG Wijayantha

It is essential that we find a chemical replacement for fossil fuels for use in heavy transport, flight and industrial heating for a more sustainable future. Could hydrogen and its derivatives such as ammonia be the answer?

Join Professor Nazmiye Ozkan and guests as they discuss the role hydrogen is set to play in the UK's path to net-zero.

In this webinar you will learn about:

• The challenges and current status of our research,
• The latest technology developments,
• Predictions for the development of the hydrogen economy in the UK and internationally over the coming years.

24 January 2023: Making fungi travel through time to predict future food safety problems - Professor Angel Medina Vaya

Catch up on this insightful webinar where Professor Medina presents the potential impact of climate change on food safety, both now and in the future.

In this webinar you will learn:

  • About the research of the Cranfield Applied Mycology Group.
  • The impact of climate change on the way some fungal pathogens grow.
  • The challenges that lie ahead.

6 December 2022: Outlook for the UK and Global Economy - tough times ahead? - Professor Joe Nellis 

"Prediction is very difficult, especially if it is about the future." Neils Bohr, Nobel Laureate (1992). Join Professor Joe Nellis as he looks at the current economic outlook, global economic risks and the major challenges ahead.

In this webinar you will learn:

  • The outlook for the UK and global economies
  • Professor Nellis’ expectations for the future
  • The possible impact on the UK and global economies

3 November 2022: Are electric aircraft the future of flight? - Dr Guy Gratton

Dr Guy Gratton will present an overview of the research in this field, the EnabEI project he is leading, and what the future for electric flight might look like.

In this webinar you will learn:

  • The reasons for trying to achieve electric flight
  • The main challenges that confront projects worldwide
  • The various directions technology can take and what promises and challenges lie ahead

 

12 October 2022: Aerospace Alumni Awards and Distinguished Alumnus Lecture - Dame Professor Helen Atkinson DBE, FREng and Professor Iain Gray

Watch the presentation of the awards and hear from our 2022 Distinguished Aerospace Alumni Award winner, Scott McLarty FRAeS MCIPD, who shares the challenges and opportunities facing the aerospace sector.

 

11 October 2022: Aviation Alumni Awards and Distinguished Alumnus Lecture - Dame Professor Helen Atkinson DBE, FREng and Professor Graham Braithwaite

Watch the presentation of the awards and hear from our 2022 Distinguished Aviation Alumni Award winner, Samer Majali FRAeS, who shares the transformation plans for Royal Jordanian Airlines post-Covid lockdown.

 

21 September 2022: Antarctica: A remote Continent? - Professor Chris Fogwill

As part of the School of Water, Energy and Environment Professorial Lecture Series, Professor Chris Fogwill, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the School of Water, Energy and Environment, talks about his time in Antarctica, the Global Mean Sea Level and global warming. He urges you not to think of Antarctica as a remote Continent.

There are also photos of penguins!

 

28 June 2022: Listening to increase your impact! - Jane Adshead-Grant (Executive Retreat 2006)

Developing our listening skills not only saves time and money, but it enables others to feel valued as a human being.

And when we feel valued, we add value to ourselves, others and our families and organisations.

In this webinar you will:

  • Review how good a listener you are!
  • Discover 5 Levels of listening applicable to your everyday life 
  • Reflect on what stops you from listening well and gain new insights

 

25 May 2022: Long Covid: Impact in the workplace. - Hilary Fitzgerald (MBA 2005)

This Made by Alumni session focuses on Long Covid:

  • What actually is it?
  • The impact on those suffering (how to spot them; and how to support them at work)
  • Who is most at risk of being affected? Ideas on how to help avoid the condition

 

26 April 2022: Is time to consider a four-day working week? - Professor Emma Parry, David Stone and Perry Timms

Following the pandemic, the working world has changed tremendously and with this, the way some employees and employers think about life, work and what they want out of both.

With many countries already adopting this new way of work, is it time we all considered a shorter work week?

In this webinar the panel will discuss:

  • Real examples of how the four-day week has benefited their businesses.
  • The risks and things to consider before implementing a four-day week. 
  • The potential readiness of wider society for the four-day week.

 

31 March 2022: Part time working after the pandemic - Professor Clare Kelliher, Dr Charlotte Gascoigne and Pierre Walthery

Flexible working became a hot topic for employers during the Covid-19 pandemic and there has been widespread discussion about the increasing importance of work-life balance.

This Cranfield research project has explored what employers have learnt from their experiences during the pandemic and in particular the practical strategies they have used to deliver their business when employees were working part-time.

In this webinar you will learn:

  • What has led line managers to change their minds about the feasibility of part-time working.
  • How managers have dealt with gaps in service from part-time working 
  • Strategies for managing workload with available resources

 

24 March 2022: Social impact in action: the case of social procurement movement. - Dr Leila Alinaghian

Social procurement is when corporates use their buying power to generate social value above and beyond the value of the goods and services being procured.

This sustainable value creation makes businesses accountable for generating economic value without harm to society and the environment.

In this webinar you will learn:

  • The crucial role that corporate buyers play in progressing the social procurement movemement.
  • Best practices, challenges and opportunities across different stages of social procurement. 
  • How social procurement can develop from the current picture to increase impact in the future.

 

24 February 2022: Making the most of your Alumni Library - Rachel Daniels, Research Support Manager

Rachel heads the Alumni Library Online working group which develops library provision for all Cranfield alumni and in this webinar will tell you all about one of our most valuable resources!

In this webinar you will learn:

  • The wide range of resources available in the alumni library online.
  • How to search and access the information you need.  
  • The answers to frequently asked questions.

 

10 February 2022: Corporate Social Responsibility in the Age of the Anthropocene - Professor Kevin Morrell

Human activity has resulted in planetary conditions that are significantly different from preceding millenia and that pose an existential threat. 
Across several disciplines, thought leaders refer to this latest geological era as "the Anthropocene".

In this webinar you will learn:

  • How growing awareness of the Anthropocene is challenging our understanding of sustainable development
  • The questions being asked of Corporate Social Responsibility in the Anthropocene era
  • The implications of the age of the Anthropocene for purpose-driven businesses

 

28 January 2022: System Design for the Circular Economy - Dr Enes Unal

We need to transform our linear take-make-waste system – thinking about how we manage resources, how we make and use products, and how we can reuse the products or materials after their useful life.

In this webinar you will learn:

  • What is the circular economy?
  • Why design as a solution matters. 
  • The design strategies needed in order to realise a circular economy.