Arabella Begin Keynote Speaker

Dr Arabella Begin is a tenured Fellow and Director of Medicine at Lincoln College, Oxford University. She is an Oxford-trained former medical doctor and has held academic faculty and leadership roles at Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Imperial College, London. Arabella is an academic researcher and global expert on how humans navigate uncertainty in an increasingly unpredictable world. With a PhD in burnout and uncertainty from Oxford University and a Masters in Medical Education from Harvard Medical School, her work sits at the intersection of neuroscience, behavioural science, leadership, and human flourishing.

For over two decades, Arabella has investigated how humans react to uncertainty—and how these reactions influence health, decision-making, behaviour, and wellbeing. Her research spans clinical environments, high-stakes industries, diverse global communities, and professionals (across domains) operating at the edge of the unknown. Arabella is a widely published author, regarded internationally as a thought leader in uncertainty, and has led curriculum reform in major universities to better prepare physicians for the unpredictable realities of modern clinical practice. She supports leaders across sectors in cultivating healthier, more skilful relationships with the unknown.

Arabella is currently writing The Power of Uncertainty (Harper Collins and Pegasus Books, 2027), a major nonfiction book exploring how to embrace and leverage uncertainty in a rapidly changing world. Blending science, lived experience, and stories from astronauts, elite athletes, cultural leaders, doctors, and entrepreneurs, the book teaches readers how to rewire their neural circuitry, reduce cognitive overload, and make better decisions under pressure. She is passionate about transforming our cultural relationship with not knowing, moving from fear and paralysis towards clarity, creativity, and wellbeing.

Raised in London and with deep personal and professional roots across the UK, US, and Australia, Arabella lives in Oxford with her American-Australian husband and their three young children. Together they enjoy international travel, good food and wine, and a wide range of outdoor activities.