On 11 February 2026, UCL turned 200 years old.

To mark this milestone and two centuries of bold ideas, breakthrough discoveries and inclusive education, we have launched our new philanthropic and engagement campaign: Here, it will happen.   

But when we say ‘Here’, we don’t just mean London. This is a campaign for everyone in UCL’s global community of friends, alumni and supporters. Because to achieve the scale of worldwide impact that we are hungry – and qualified – to deliver, we will need our global community behind us as we enter UCL’s third century.

So, in addition to the fantastic events we have already hosted across the US this year, we are delighted to be returning to San Francisco on Thursday 24 September. We sincerely hope that you will join us at Here, it will happen – San Francisco.

This will be a flagship gathering hosted by Dr Michael Spence, UCL’s President and Provost, and will include talks from some of our leading academic voices on major global issues:   

Angela Aristidou, Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship

Professor Aristidou speaks, writes and advises on the real-world deployment of artificial intelligence for public good. She is a Faculty Fellow at the Stanford Digital Economy Lab and the Stanford Institute for Human-centred AI, with work spanning health, higher education, nonprofit and humanitarian contexts, focusing on how organisations can adopt AI in ways that are impactful and responsible. 

Gail Taylor, Professor of Botany and Dean of the Faculty of Life Sciences 

Professor Taylor is an expert in global change biology, with a particular focus on the interactions between plants, ecosystems and climate. Her research spans field, laboratory and computational approaches to environmental change and how it affects food security, sustainability and climate resilience. As Dean of Life Sciences, she leads a faculty that is internationally recognised for its strength in neuroscience, genetics, AI and fundamental discovery.  

Together, they will offer insight into the greatest challenges we face and what we are doing about them.

We hope you will join us as we celebrate our 200-year history, of which you are a part; connect our global alumni network; and look ahead to what comes next and what we can achieve together.

‘Here, it will happen’ – San Francisco

Date: Thursday 24 September

Time: 6pm - 9.30pm

Venue: The Melody, 906 Broadway, San Francisco, CA 94133

Dress code: Smart casual

RSVP by:  Friday 11 September

Please confirm your attendance and kindly provide your details in the form below.

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