From the Big Bang to AI

Posted on Oct 12, 2023 in AI, Machine Learning, Outreach, Public lecture, universe

I’m delighted to have been invited to talk about AI in cosmology by the prestigious Accademia dei XL, an Italian learnt society. The talk (in Italian) has been delivered online – spanning some of the history of astronomy as well as AI, it explains how and why machine learning will be crucial to enable us […]

From Big Bang to ChatGPT: Astronomy, Data and Society

Posted on Jul 8, 2023 in AI, Outreach, universe
From Big Bang to ChatGPT: Astronomy, Data and Society

It was very special to return to Oxford after so long: meeting so many fascinating academics, students and alumni working in many different fields and walks of life reminded me of how incredibly stimulating the place always is. The opportunity was an invitation to speak Hertford College Festival, in conversation with Physics Fellow and astronomer […]

LIBRA – a play on satellite mega-constellations

Posted on Apr 3, 2023 in Art and Science, Outreach, universe
LIBRA – a play on satellite mega-constellations

At the end of September 2022, I’ve had the pleasure to visit Reggio Calabria, at the far South-Western tip of Italy, where the theatre play I co-wrote opened the Cosmos Festival 2022. LIBRA – The Play It is 2042, and a global corporation has taken over the market of satellite-based internet ads. The sky is […]

The Future of Life on Earth

The Future of Life on Earth

My final lecture as Visiting Professor of Cosmology at Gresham college looks at the threats to life on Earth,  with a reflection straddling cosmology, astrophysics, history and environmental issues. I argue that what we need to worry about are not the dangers that are out there, but the ones that are in here – inside […]

The Broken Cosmic Distance Ladder

Posted on Mar 7, 2022 in Gresham College, Outreach, Public lecture, universe

When Albert Einstein tweaked his newl Measuring distances to astronomical objects outside our Galaxy is a surprisingly hard challenge: it wasn’t until 1923 that Edwin Hubble obtained proof that Andromeda is indeed a galaxy in its own right. Today, astronomers extend distance measurements in the cosmos to the edge of the visible Universe, building up […]

Can UFOs visit us?

Posted on Aug 27, 2021 in Outreach, universe

A few years back, I helped Dallas Campbell in his BBC Sky at Night investigation, trying to find out whether UFOs could be alien visitors… See the clip by clicking on the link below. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02jj121/player

Space Sounds: The Music of the Cosmos

Posted on May 28, 2021 in Gresham College, Outreach, Public lecture, Science, universe

A Gresham College lecture as Visiting Professor of Cosmology, part of the series “The Unexpected Universe“. “In space, no one can hear you scream”. The chillingly accurate tagline of Ridley Scott’s 1979 space horror classic, Alien, is often belied in science fiction movies, forgetting that in space there is no air, and hence no sound. Space today […]

Mysteries of the Dark Cosmos

Posted on Mar 2, 2021 in Gresham College, Outreach, Public lecture, Science, universe

A Gresham College lecture as Visiting Professor of Cosmology, part of the series “The Nature of Reality“. Dark matter and dark energy together make up 95% of our Universe. Yet, very little is known about them.  This lecture will present the endeavours of cosmologists and particle physicists, as they attempt to explain the fundamental nature of these […]

Inaugural lecture: From the Big Bang to AI

Posted on Jun 9, 2020 in AI, Bayes, Outreach, Public lecture, Research, Science, universe

My inaugural lecture as Professor of Astrostatistics at Imperial College London on Jan 15th 2020. A truly unique opportunity for me to sum up what I’ve learnt, from dark matter to Bayes, to the the audience to taste dark matter and feel the dark matter wind (!) and to share the journey. An unforgettable, emotional […]