From the Big Bang to AI
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
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
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
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
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 […]
Picturing the Invisible
Exploring interdisciplinary synergies from the arts and the sciences. I’m delighted to have been able to contribute to this cross-disciplinary group, and the ensuing book that’s now been published by UCL Press (Open access download here). Picturing the Invisible presents different disciplinary approaches to articulating the invisible, that which is not known or that which […]
Can UFOs visit us?
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
Mysteries of the Dark Cosmos
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
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 […]
