Colloquia & Seminars
General information
Colloquia and seminars will usually be held in Kelvin Building, Room 312 on Wednesdays at 2.00pm (unless otherwise stated). Come One, Come All!
You can view the upcoming (and past) colloquia talks on the Events Management System, and you can also subscribe to calendar updates via RSS or iCal. Coordinated with the colloquia at the Department of Physics of the University of Strathclyde.
Questions? Comments? Speaker suggestions?
Please use the dedicated contacts below:
Colloquia:
Dr Adetunmise Dada (Adetunmise.Dada@glasgow.ac.uk)
Kelvin Building, Room 157C, Ext 6429
Internal seminars:
Dr Giulio Butera (Salvatore.Butera@glasgow.ac.uk)
Kelvin Building, Room 521
Schedule of upcoming talks
§ Internal seminar ‡ Outside of regular schedule.
21/01/26 • Jacopo Bertolotti (Exeter) • The radial memory effect in multimode optical fibres
Prof. Jacopo Bertolotti (University of Exeter) • Wednesday, January 21, 2026 at 2:00 PM • Kelvin Building, Room 312
The radial memory effect in multimode optical fibres
Multimode optical fibres are a ubiquitous technology in light guiding applications. They have an exceptionally high optical information density – supporting hundreds of parallel communication channels at a single frequency within the width of a stand of hair. Unfortunately, most applications cannot make full use of this wealth of channels. Optical signals must be encoded spatially – by illuminating the input end of the fibre with a particular pattern of light. However, propagation along the fibre is dispersive, and thus mixes-up the spatial information, resulting in a seemingly random speckle pattern.
And yet, information survives in the form of correlations. Two such correlations are well understood and are commonly exploited to control light propagation through multimode fibres: the axial and the rotational memory effects. In this talk I will describe a previously overlooked "radial" memory effect, that links the fields at the two ends of the fibre, providing both a theoretical explanation about its origin and an experimental characterisation. I will conclude with a proof of principle of how this effect can be used to perform spatial multiplexing.
28/01/26 • Andreia Fonseca da Silva (Edinburgh) • When Soft Matter meets Physics
Dr Andreia Fonseca da Silva (University of Edinburgh) • Wednesday, January 28, 2:00 PM • Kelvin Building, Room 312
When Soft Matter meets Physics
04/02/26 § • Sam Bayliss (Glasgow) • Optically addressable spin qubits in chemically synthesised molecules
Dr Sam Bayliss (University of Glasgow) • Wednesday, February 04, 2:00 PM • Kelvin Building, Room 312
Optically addressable spin qubits in chemically synthesised molecules
Optically addressable spins are a promising platform for quantum technologies due to their ability to be readily prepared, coherently controlled, and sensitively read out. For example, such ingredients have enabled remarkable quantum-sensing demonstrations with spins in semiconductors, including magnetic-resonance spectroscopy of nanoscale samples and sub-cellular processes. For spin-based quantum sensing, there is a delicate balance between optimising quantum properties (which thrive far from external influences) with the need to efficiently couple to sensing targets (which favours close proximity to, and strong interactions with, the system of interest). Chemically synthesised molecules offer an appealing balance of such features due to their nanoscale modularity, atomistic tunability, and bottom-up assembly. However, a key challenge for realising their potential for spin-based quantum sensing has been achieving the requisite optical-spin addressability, which underpins the successes of other ‘top-down’ platforms (e.g., based on semiconductors). In this talk, I will describe our work to demonstrate such functionality [1-5], and outline the opportunities chemically synthesised spin qubits offer for quantum sensing.
[1] Science 370, 1309 (2020); [2] Phys. Rev. X 12, 031028 (2022); [3] Phys. Rev. Lett. 133, 120801 (2024); [4] J. Am. Chem. Soc. 147, 22911 (2025); [5] arXiv:2510.09440 (2025)
18/02/26 • Ruth Gregory (King's College London) • Simulating quantum black holes
Prof. Ruth Gregory (King's College London) • Wednesday, 18/02/2026, 2:00 PM • Kelvin Building, Room 312 (TBC)
Simulating quantum black holes
I will describe recent experimental work on a liquid helium giant vortex that naturally has quantisation, and how we hope to explore "black hole" phenomena in a broader context.
Biography:
Ruth Gregory earned her PhD from DAMTP, Cambridge in 1988, in Stephen Hawking’s Relativity research group supervised by John Stewart. She was then a Research Associate at Fermilab, and a McCormick Fellow at the Enrico Fermi Institute, University of Chicago between 1988 and 1993, before moving back to the UK on PPARC, then Royal Society, Research Fellowships. In 2005 she was appointed Professor of Mathematics and Physics at Durham. She is currently Professor of Theoretical Particle Physics at King’s College London. Her fields of specialisation are General Relativity and Cosmology.
In 2006, she was awarded the IOP Maxwell Medal, and in 2011 a Royal Society Wolfson Merit Research Award. She is currently a visiting fellow at the Perimeter Institute, Waterloo Canada.
25/02/26 • Ciaran Beggan (BGS) • Geomagnetic field sensing – from the lodestone to quantum sensors
Dr Ciarán Beggan (BGS) • Wednesday, 25/02/2026, 2:00 PM • Kelvin Building, Room 312 (TBC)
Geomagnetic field sensing – from the lodestone to quantum sensors
Geomagnetism is one of the oldest geophysical sciences with only temperature having a longer measurement record since the 1600s. Sensors have evolved from lodestones through magnetised needles, fluxgates and proton precession instruments to the current suite of optically pumped and quantum effect instruments. With each iteration of magnetic sensors, new discoveries about the Earth’s magnetic field, environment, geological history and deep interior have been found. Since the space age, the hazard from magnetic field changes caused by space weather has been more widely recognised too. As everyone carries a magnetic sensor in their pocket, they use the geomagnetic field for navigation, perhaps without even realising. This talk describes the state-of-the-art in geomagnetic science, the applications of geomagnetic field measurements in society, the future of sensing and the effects of extreme space weather on historic and modern technology.
04/03/26 § • Craig Stark (Glasgow) • TBC
Dr Craig Stark (University of Glasgow) • Wednesday, March 04, 2:00 PM • Kelvin Building, Room 312 (TBC)
Title TBC
Abstract TBC
11/03/26 • Kevin Pimbblet (Hull) • A call for assessment reformation due to the existence of ChatGPT
Prof. Kevin Pimbblet (University of Hull) • Wednesday, March 11, 2:00 PM • Kelvin Building, Room 312 (TBC)
A call for assessment reformation due to the existence of ChatGPT.
Is education as we know it dead? Released in November 2022, ChatGPT is now regularly being used by students and instructors alike for a variety of different purposes within academia. Recent releases of ChatGPT and its analogues have shown incredible promise to scale and be able to pass elements of degree courses. In this talk, we will show our results of applying ChatGPT to an entire Physics BSc degree and how it achieves a (caveated) pass at a 2:1 standard. If it were not for laboratories (or performances in other disciplines), the implementation of invigilated exams, and vivas, it could achieve this outcome undetected. In general, coding tasks are performed exceptionally well, along with simple single-step solution problems. Multiple step problems and longer prose are generally poorer along with interdisciplinary problems, although there are ways to coax better performance. We strongly suggest that there is now a necessity to urgently re-think and revise assessment practice in physics—and other disciplines—due to the existence of AI such as GPT-4. We will describe its current form and limitations and predict what the future might hold including consideration of how AI can be embedded within the disciplinary context.
18/03/26 • Anna Scaife (Manchester) • Foundation models for astrophysics
Prof. Anna Scaife (University of Manchester) • Wednesday, March 18, 2:00 PM • Kelvin Building, Room 312 (TBC)
Foundation Models for Astrophysics
Abstract TBC
01/04/26 § • Chaitanya Kaul (Glasgow) • TBC
Dr Chaitanya Kaul (University of Glasgow) • Wednesday, April 01, 2:00 PM • Kelvin Building, Room 312 (TBC)
Title TBC
Abstract TBC
27/05/26 • Eugene Polzik (Copenhagen) • TBC
Prof. Eugene Polzik (Niels Bohr institute Copenhagen) • Wednesday, March 27, 2:00 PM • Kelvin Building, Room 312 (TBC)
Title TBC
Abstract TBC
Past talks
§ Internal seminar ‡ Outside of regular schedule.
[Cancelled] 26/11/25 • Andrea Jimenez Dalmaroni (Cardiff) • Towards a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive physics education
Dr Andrea Jimenez Dalmaroni (University of Cardiff) • Wednesday, November 26, 2:00 PM • Kelvin Building, Room 312
Towards a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive physics education: from collaborative exams to interactive lectures
Andrea obtained her DPhil in Theoretical Physics at the University of Oxford. After an extensive career in biophysics, her main interests are on the field of science education, focusing on innovation and research in alternative forms of assessments, employability and the use of technologies in physics education. She is a Senior Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy and has been a Visiting Scholar at Harvard University (2016), Stanford University (2017), and a Visiting Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2018 and 2019).
Andrea has been leading STEM education initiatives at UK-scale since 2017, such as the IOP/Royal Society Physics Education for the 21st Century Conference series and the Active Futures in STEM Education workshop, supporting cohorts of staff in applying evidence-based education innovation with confidence. Her work earned her a 2021 UCL Provost Education Award in the category Education Success for All and the Cardiff University Excellence Award in Teaching and Scholarship 2021.
12/11/25 § • Martin Weides (Glasgow) • Pushing the Limits of Superconducting Quantum Circuits
Prof. Martin Weides (Glasgow) • Wednesday, November 12, 2025 at 2:00 PM • Kelvin Building, Room 312
Pushing the Limits of Superconducting Quantum Circuits
Superconducting circuits are a leading platform for quantum computing, but face material and design challenges that limit their performance and scalability. I will present our work on new niobium-based technologies and novel device concepts that improve coherence, relax cooling demands, and enable integration of control electronics. These advances aim to make superconducting hardware more robust and bring practical quantum processors closer to reality.
29/10/25 • Budhika Mendis (Durham) • Compton scattering in the electron microscope
Prof. Budhika Mendis (University of Durham) • Wednesday, October 29, 2:00 PM • Kelvin Building, Room 312
Compton scattering in the electron microscope
The discovery of X-ray Compton scattering was a turning point in the history of the photon. Perhaps less well known is that Compton scattering also provides information about the electronic structure of materials. Apart from X-rays, charged particles, such as high energy electrons, can also undergo Compton scattering. This raises the intriguing possibility of performing electronic structure analysis at nanometre spatial resolution in a transmission electron microscope (TEM). Early experiments however highlighted some significant challenges, notably artefacts from coherent Bragg scattering in a crystal. I will outline our recent efforts to overcome these challenges and present results on several different materials systems, including 2D materials and semiconductor doping. I will also present a road map for the future development of TEM Compton scattering, pushing the boundaries beyond what is currently achievable.
01/10/25 • Andrew Blue (Glasgow) • The ATLAS ITk Strip Detector for the Phase-II LHC Upgrade
Dr Andrew Blue (University of Glasgow) • Wednesday, October 01, 2025 at 2:00 PM • Kelvin Building, Room 312
The ATLAS ITk Strip Detector for the Phase-II LHC Upgrade
ATLAS is currently preparing for the HL-LHC upgrade, with an all-silicon Inner Tracker (ITk) that will replace the current Inner Detector. The ITk will feature a pixel detector surrounded by a strip detector, with the strip system consisting of 4 barrel layers and 6 endcap disks. After completion of final design reviews in key areas, such as Sensors, Modules, Front-End electronics and ASICs, a large-scale prototyping program has been completed in all areas successfully. An overview of the Strip System will be presented highlighting the final design choices of sensors, module designs and ASICs. Results achieved during prototyping, and the current status of production and pre-production on various detector components will be summarized, highlighting the technical challenges (Cold Noise and HV breakdown) that delayed the start of production.
11/08/25 • Jeremy Heyl (UBC, Canada) • Polarized Radiation from X-Ray Pulsars
‡Prof. Jeremy Heyl (University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada) • Monday, August 11, 2025 at 2:00 PM‡ • James McCune Smith Building, Room 639
Polarized Radiation from X-Ray Pulsars
With the launch of IXPE at the end of 2021, we have entered the era of X-ray polarization. IXPE is more than one thousand times more sensitive that previous observations giving us "first (polarized) light" images of hundreds of X-ray sources. Looking as these objects in an essentially new way for the very first time has been exhilarating. I will focus in particular on the observations of accreting X-ray pulsars which despite complicated magnetic field and emission geometries with only a single exception exhibit very simple changes in the polarization direction as the stars rotate. This straightforward evolution with spin results from the first (yet still unverified) prediction of QED that a magnetic field even in vacuum induces an index of refraction: vacuum birefringence. The observations of the prototypical X-ray pulsar Hercules X-1 reveal the interior of the neutron star, while observations of the supercritical accretor LS V +44 17/RX J0440.9+4431 show complexity of the emitting accretion flow can produce more complicated polarization patterns.