lectures

Social Mobility Week: Keynote with Professor Lee Elliot Major: The Rise and Unravelling of Meritocratic Elites

Imperial College

October 29

G16 Lecture Theatre, Sir Alexander Fleming Building

Event linkcalender

The early 21st century is marked by the rise of detached and persistent ‘meritocratic’ elites across the world, in an era of increasing absolute downward social mobility overall. Amid populist and polarised political debates, what can we do to equalise opportunities when just living a decent life, let alone climbing the social ladder, is becoming an impossible dream for so many people?

Lee Elliot Major OBE FAcSS is Britain’s first Professor of Social Mobility, based at the University of Exeter. He advises education, government and corporate leaders across the world on enabling people from all socio-economic backgrounds to flourish in life whatever path they choose. This includes serving on the Wales Government’s Ministerial schools expert advisory group. He was formerly CEO of the Sutton Trust, the UK’s leading social mobility foundation.

His award-winning books include Social Mobility and Its Enemies and Equity in Education. Lee lived on his own from age 15 and was first in his family to go to university. He studied at Imperial College in 1993-1994 for the MSc Science Communication. He was awarded an OBE for services to social mobility.

This event is part of Social Mobility Week, a 5-day series of events on w/c 27th October celebrating and exploring Social Mobility at Imperial and beyond.

Organised within the Faculty of Natural Sciences (FoNS) but open to all staff and students across Imperial, this initiative aims to bring together a range of events designed to celebrate, explore and promote social mobility within our community.