Professor Lord Richard Layard, an eminent economist who has significantly reshaped the field by integrating happiness studies into economic research, will be a featured speaker at Humanists UK Convention 2025, scheduled for 13–15 June 2025 at Sheffield’s Octagon Centre.
Lord Layard’s work is distinguished by its advocacy for aligning traditional ‘cost-benefit analyses’ with a more nuanced understanding of human values and well-being, and he has been a key voice in addressing critical issues such as unemployment and inequality.
Tickets for Humanists UK Convention 2025 are on sale now – and running low.
Lord Richard Layard founded the Centre for Economic Performance at the London School of Economics (LSE) and currently leads its Wellbeing Programme.
His 2005 book, Happiness: Lessons from a New Science, translated into 20 languages, explores factors influencing happiness beyond economic measures. In 2018, he co-authored The Origins of Happiness: The Science of Wellbeing Over the Life Course, examining long-term influences on well-being. His latest work, Wellbeing: Science and Policy (2023), offers a comprehensive framework for applying well-being research to policy.
Beyond academia, Layard has engaged in public discussions on humanism; in a 2013 House of Lords debate, he highlighted humanists’ contributions to British society, particularly with regard to advocacy for free speech, secularism, and human rights.
Humanists UK Chief Executive Andrew Copson said:
‘Richard’s research is so crucial because it brings much-needed rigorous evidence to bear on perhaps the most important question we face: how can we actively design and build a society that genuinely promotes human flourishing for everyone? His scientifically informed insights into the determinants of happiness can offer some concrete, practical routes forward and will be invaluable for our Convention audience, who I know are passionate about creating positive change.’
Humanists UK Convention 2025 will bring together humanists from across the country for a weekend of science, politics, culture, and comedy. The event will be held at the Octagon Centre in Sheffield from 13–15 June 2025. Lord Richard Layard joins a diverse line-up of speakers, including physicist Dr Helen Czerski; journalist Ian Dunt; author of Money, Lies, and God, Katherine Stewart; tech entrepreneur Sara Wahedi; anthropologist and author of The Evolutionary Origins of the Modern World, Professor Harvey Whitehouse; historian and editor of The Free Speech Wars, Dr Charlotte Lydia Riley; philosopher and author of What Is Humanism For?, Professor Richard Norman; Authoritarian Century author Dr Azeem Ibrahim OBE; folklorist and cultural anthropologist Deborah Hyde; AI, Faith & Civil Society Commissioner Professor Kate Devlin; and many more.
Humanists UK Convention 2025 | Sheffield
13 June 2025, 19:00
The Octagon Centre, Clarkston Street, Sheffield, S10 2TQ
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For further comment or information, media should contact Humanists UK Director of Public Affairs and Policy Richy Thompson at press@humanists.uk or phone 0203 675 0959.
Humanists UK is the national charity working on behalf of non-religious people. Powered by over 130,000 members and supporters, we advance free thinking and promote humanism to create a tolerant society where rational thinking and kindness prevail. We provide ceremonies, pastoral care, education, and support services benefitting over a million people every year and our campaigns advance humanist thinking on ethical issues, human rights, and equal treatment for all.