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STARBORN named “Book of the Week”

Posted on Dec 19, 2023 in Outreach, STARBORN
STARBORN named “Book of the Week”

I’m delighted and honoured that ⭐️STARBORN⭐️ has been selected as a BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week – with the amazing voice acting of Khalid Abdalla lending emotion and intensity to the text, in the outstanding abridgement by Anna Magnusson. If you are based in the UK, you can catch the five episodes on […]

Looking back, looking forward

Posted on Dec 3, 2024 in Research, Science
Looking back, looking forward

Yesterday’s group Xmas party (a bit early in the season, granted, as some of the team are off today to visit CCA at the Flatiron Institute) was the opportunity to thank everyone in the group for a great year together.I am grateful not only for the science we did together with these young and talented […]

Inside the Infinite Monkey Cage

Posted on Nov 29, 2024 in News, STARBORN
Inside the Infinite Monkey Cage

A few weeks ago, I had the rare pleasure of recording an episode of one of my favourite shows/podcasts – The Infinite Monkey Cage, hosted by Brian Cox and Robin Ince, with comedian John Bishop and astronomer Maggie Aderin-Pocock as guests alongside myself. Absolutely mesmerizing to be on the other side of that mic, and […]

Da Isaac a Elon: il nostro futuro è fra le stelle?

Posted on Nov 8, 2024 in Art and Science, Outreach, Public lecture
Da Isaac a Elon: il nostro futuro è fra le stelle?

Un intervento a Mondofuturo 2024, serie di eventi che accompagnano il Trieste Science + Fiction Festival. Una versione della mia presentazione è stata pubblicata da TuttoScienze del 30 ottobre 2024 su LaStampa. Il leggendario Ciclo della Fondazione di Isaac Asimov dipinge un lontano futuro in cui l’umanità ha conquistato la Galassia. A questo e ad […]

Machine learning pipeline for direct detection experiments

Posted on Oct 2, 2024 in AI, Research
Machine learning pipeline for direct detection experiments

After painstakingly thorough work, I am pleased to see our new paper, led by Andre Scaffidi, out today as part of the DARWIN direct dark matter detection collaboration! 👏 We use a semi-supervised anomaly detection pipeline, comprising of a variational autoencoder trained on simulated background events and a classifier distinguishing between electronic and nuclear recoils, […]

Living on Earth: we wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the stars

Posted on Aug 25, 2024 in Environment, Outreach, STARBORN
Living on Earth: we wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the stars

I’ve had the pleasure to return as a guest to Living on Earth, Public Radio’s Environmental News Magazine, to discuss how the stars have shaped who we are, and how they are likely to show us the way forward amidst the ongoing ecological emergency. It’s been great to discuss these topics with host Jenni Doering […]

A beautiful Summer festival of ideas

Posted on Jul 19, 2024 in News, Outreach, STARBORN
A beautiful Summer festival of ideas

This July, I had the great pleasure to present my book at ALSO24, one of the most stimulating and beautiful Summer festivals in England. Set on a natural estate with its own lake and forests, the festival combines ideas, music, food and dance in a unique, three-days long blend of entertainment and encounters. It was […]

Solstice at the Standing Stones of Callanish

Posted on Jun 30, 2024 in News, Outreach, STARBORN
Solstice at the Standing Stones of Callanish

I had the privilege to travel to the Outer Hebrides around solstice, to speak about my book, STARBORN, and to visit several primary schools on the Isle of Lewis, on the invitation of the Callanish Stones Trust. The Callanish Stones (the “Stonhenge of the Hebrides”) are an incredible neolithic stone circle, which inspired me during […]

What We Lose When We Can’t Stargaze

Posted on Feb 15, 2024 in Art and Science, STARBORN

In my first op-ed for TIME, I argue that losing our connection with the night sky means becoming cut off from our ancestors’ view of the universe. We are missing out on the opportunities of being inspired and awed by the cosmos that surrounds us, which is more and more urgent given the catastrophic impact […]

STARBORN at Ratio Forum

Posted on Feb 14, 2024 in Art and Science, Outreach, Public lecture, STARBORN
STARBORN at Ratio Forum

It was such a delight to present the topics of my book at RATIO, one of the largest science-themed events in Bulgaria in Nov 2023. The public were fantastic, the organizers incredibly warm and welcoming, and it was great fun to meet and hang out with the other invited speakers, Robin Ince and Louise Allcock! […]