Robbert Dijkgraaf meets Christoph Lindner

An Evening with Robbert Dijkgraaf and Christoph Lindner: Bridging Science, Art, and Society

In his talk, Robbert Dijkgraaf will reflect on the role of science in a world facing global challenges and geopolitical tensions. He will explore how universities can help bridge the gap between science and society, and why international collaboration and science diplomacy are more essential than ever.

The programme also includes a short presentation and conversation with Christoph Lindner, President and Vice-Chancellor of the Royal College of Art and former Professor of Media Studies at the University of Amsterdam, offering a perspective on the intersection of science, the arts, and global academic collaboration.

Robbert Dijkgraaf is a distinguished mathematical physicist and academic leader who recently served as Minister of Education, Culture and Science of the Netherlands. He is currently a Distinguished University Professor at the University of Amsterdam and the President-Elect of the International Science Council, the oldest and most representative organization representing the global science community, headquartered in Paris. Before that he served for ten years as Director of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. Dijkgraaf’s research focuses on the interface between theoretical physics and mathematics where he contributed to the understanding of string theory, black holes and topological field theories. He is an experienced public policy adviser having served as president of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences and the InterAcademy Partnership, the global alliance of science academies. For his contributions to science, he has received the Spinoza Prize, the highest scientific award in the Netherlands, and has been named a Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion. He is also a trained artist, writer, and popular lecturer. He was educated at Utrecht University working with Nobel Laureate Gerard ’t Hooft. From 2022 to 2024, Dijkgraaf served as Minister of Education, Culture and Science of the Netherlands.

Christoph Lindner is President and Vice-Chancellor of the Royal College of Art, the internationally renowned art and design postgraduate university, where he also holds the title of Professor of Visual Culture. He is a fellow of both the Royal Society of Arts and the Royal Geographical Society. An interdisciplinary scholar of cities and visual culture, he has over 20 years of experience at public research universities in the United States, Europe, and the UK. His leadership work focuses on advancing educational access, intercultural understanding, student entrepreneurship, and environmental sustainability. Lindner joined the RCA in 2024 from his role as Dean of the Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment at University College London. Before joining UCL, he served as Dean of the College of Design at the University of Oregon and, prior to that, Professor of Media and Culture at the University of Amsterdam. During his time at Amsterdam, he created and led the Netherlands Institute for Cultural Analysis, co-founded the Amsterdam Centre for Globalization Studies, and directed the Amsterdam School for Cultural Analysis. He has been a visiting professor at New York University, The New School, University of California-Berkeley, University of Edinburgh, University of Freiburg, Queen Mary University of London, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, and the University of London Institute in Paris. He is a Trustee of the Victoria and Albert Museum, general editor of the Cities and Cultures book series at Amsterdam University Press, and an editorial board member of Places Journal. Lindner has published 15 books in the fields of art, architecture, media and cultural studies, and urban geography.

This event is a collaboration with the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the University of Amsterdam.

***UvA Alumni, please reserve your place via this link***