Conference Venue

The conference will take place at the University of Leeds.

The conference will be centred around the Exhibition Centre, located within the Edge Sports Hall Complex. This offers a diverse and lively space for delegates to network, visit exhibition stands, and be served catering. All coffee and lunch breaks, and the poster session will be held here.

Plenary talks will be held in the Conference Auditorium, which is is the largest lecture theatre on campus and offers its own foyer and meeting area and is adjacent to the Exhibition Centre.  Parallel sessions will take place within the iconic Roger Stevens Building, comprising 25 tiered lecture theatres, with varying capacities. Fusing a traditional 1950s Brutalist architectural design, with a contemporary technical infrastructure throughout many of the theatres, Roger Stevens is an engaging environment for collaboration.

Some historical and geographical notes on the Leeds AERC venues

The University of Leeds was founded in 1904 but its origins date back further to the Yorkshire College of Science founded in 1874 and the Leeds School of Medicine founded in 1831. It is one of the largest universities in the UK with over 38,000 students currently enrolled from over 170 countries. It has a single campus covering 40 hectares located just over one mile from Leeds city centre.

Great Hall - Welcome Reception

The Great Hall is a Grade II listed Gothic Revival building featuring a beautiful redbrick exterior designed by English architect Alfred Waterhouse, who also designed the Natural History Museum in London. It is the focus for the University’s ceremonial activities, including the graduation ceremonies.

Conference Auditorium – Plenary sessions

The conference auditorium was the original location of the Leeds Playhouse Theatre from 1970 until 1990 when the Theatre relocated to Quarry Hill as the West Yorkshire Playhouse. The building was subsequently refurbished in 2003 to provide two large capacity lecture theatres.

Roger Stevens Building – Parallel sessions

With its striking Brutalist exterior, the Roger Stevens Lecture Theatre building is the centrepiece of the complex of grade II listed buildings that make up the southern part of the University of Leeds campus. It was designed by Chamberlin, Powell and Bon who also designed the Barbican Centre in London. The building contains 25 tiered lecture theatres of varying capacities linked by three internal staircases so that each row of seats has its own individual door.