Introduction to the IAS The Institute of Advanced Study (IAS) was launched in October 2006 to mark the 175th anniversary of the foundation of Durham University. The aim of the Institute is to foster creative interdisciplinary thinking – and to communicate this to public audiences – through dialogue and collaboration across disciplinary boundaries. At the core of IAS activities lies a now internationally acclaimed Fellowship programme organised around an annual research theme. This allows the IAS to gather together distinguished scholars and non-academics (e.g.