Stephen Hawking: His life and work

Drawing on previously unseen letters and diaries, Stephen Hawking’s biographer Graham Farmelo joins Marika Taylor and Daniel Baumann to explore his life and the lasting impact of his ideas.

'When one is faced with the possibility of early death, it makes one realise that life is worth living.' Stephen Hawking

An insatiable curiosity and appreciation for life powered Stephen Hawking to the furthest reaches of the Universe and human achievement: during his remarkable lifetime he shed light on many of the mysteries of black holes and made key contributions to our understanding of the beginnings of the Universe.

A brilliant theoretical physicist, Stephen lived one of the most extraordinary lives of the past century. And yet, none of this should have been possible. Aged 21, he was given only a few years to live—and spent the next fifty-five showing what can be achieved despite near-hopeless odds.

Award-winning biographer and physicist Graham Farmelo joins us to reveal the complex man behind the theories and global celebrity. Joined by Daniel Baumann, the first Stephen W. Hawking Professor of Cosmology at the University of Cambridge, Marika Taylor, Executive Dean and Professor at UCL who completed her PhD with Stephen, Tim Hawking, Stephen's son, and chaired by Roger Highfield, this live In Conversation event will explore both how Stephen’s life influenced his revolutionary ideas and what they mean for the future of physics.

This event is a co-production with How To Academy.