Add to Calendar 2026-10-08T14:00:00 2026-10-08T15:00:00 Department Colloquium with Mark Boland Event Information: Abstract: [coming soon!] Bio: After completing a BSc in physics and PhD in experimental photonuclear physics at the University of Melbourne, Mark did a two year postdoc at Lund University in Sweden. He then returned to Melbourne in 2003 to be a part of the team that designed, built and commissioned the accelerator systems for the Australian Synchrotron. From 2003-2017 Mark worked on accelerator physics research and development including building diagnostic beamline and performing pioneering research into creating and measuring ultra low emittance electron beams. In 2012 he was a JSPS Visiting Fellow at KEK in Japan and in 2014 he was a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at Stanford University and the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. In 2017 he took up a faculty position at the University of Saskatchewan as an Associate Professor with a joint appointment as Machine Director at the Canadian Light Source from 2017 to 2024. Promoted to full professor in 2022, he is now full time faculty in the Department of Physics and Engineering physics. Mark was the Chair of the International Particle Accelerator Conference IPAC'19 in Melbourne, Australia from 19-24 May 2019. In 2025 he was elected as Vice Chair of the Executive Committee for the Division of Physics of Beams in the American Physical Society. Presently, the major project Mark is working on is as a co-PI and Steering Committee Member of the new Canadian Foundation for Innovation funded national research infrastructure facility WaterFEL, an Infra Red Free Electron Laser under construction at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Learn More: See his faculty profile page from the University of Saskatchewan: https://artsandscience.usask.ca/profile/MBoland  Read about him in this UofSask newsletter, The Sheaf article, "“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts”: U of S, CLS collaborate with international accelerator community on new research infrastructure": https://thesheaf.com/2022/01/18/the-whole-is-greater-than-the-sum-of-its-parts-u-of-s-cls-collaborate-with-international-accelerator-community-on-new-research-infrastructure/     Event Location: TRIUMF Auditorium *(4004 Wesbrook Mall)

Add to Calendar 2026-10-15T16:00:00 2026-10-15T17:00:00 Department Colloquium with Grace Mackenzie-Smith Event Information: Abstract: [coming soon!] Bio: Grace earned her bachelor's degree at Bowdoin College, majoring in physics and biology (with honors), and carrying out research on fruit fly epigenetics. She completed her Ph.D. and postdoc work at Princeton University where she investigated the effects of social isolation on bumblebees and the long-timescale structure of fruit fly behavior. Learn more: See her faculty profile page at Wesleyan University: Faculty Profile  Read more from the Mackenzie-Smith lab: People – McKenzie-Smith Lab Read article "Professor Grace McKenzie-Smith on Social Perturbations in Insects and in Physics"  Event Location: HENN 200

Add to Calendar 2026-10-29T16:00:00 2026-10-29T17:00:00 Department Colloquium with Francisco Villaescusa-Navarro Event Information: Abstract: [coming soon!] Bio: Francisco (Paco) Villaescusa-Navarro is a computational cosmologist and AI researcher whose work aims to transform how scientific discovery is conducted. He has co-led the creation of major cosmological simulation suites—Quijote, CAMELS, DREAMS, and Backlight—that provide the community with petabytes of high-dimensional datasets for precision cosmology and machine learning. His research develops new theoretical and AI-driven methods to optimally extract information from cosmological data, leveraging simulations to train machine learning models capable of performing fast, accurate inference in highly nonlinear regimes. His work bridges physics-based modeling and data-driven approaches, enabling new ways to analyze large-scale structure, galaxy formation, and survey data. He is now developing frameworks to integrate multi-agent AI systems into the scientific workflow. As co-creator of Denario, an autonomous AI research companion, he is exploring how agents can generate hypotheses, evaluate literature, design experiments, write and execute code, and assist in scientific writing—reshaping the research process itself.  Learn More: Read his profile from the Simons Foundation website: https://www.simonsfoundation.org/people/francisco-villaescusa-navarro/  See his personal website here: https://franciscovillaescusa.github.io/ Read Simons Foundation Center for Computational Astrophysics FlatIron Institute article, "Artificial Intelligence Discovers Secret Equation for ‘Weighing’ Galaxy Clusters": https://www.simonsfoundation.org/2023/03/23/artificial-intelligence-discovers-secret-equation-for-weighing-galaxy-clusters/     Event Location: HENN 200

Add to Calendar 2026-11-19T16:00:00 2026-11-19T17:00:00 Department Colloquium with Joseph Sanderson Event Information: Abstract: [coming soon!] Bio: Joseph (Joe) Sanderson is an Associate Professor at the University of Waterloo, specializing in the study of matter interactions with intense femtosecond laser pulses. His research focuses on how these interactions can be utilized for imaging the smallest and fastest moving units of matter, including complex molecules. With a profound background in physics and astronomy, he has significantly contributed to the fields of Coulomb imaging of small molecules, mass spectrometry, and nano-science applications. His work involves the generation of nanoparticles through femtosecond laser irradiation and the development of analytical methods and optical systems for nanomaterials. Sanderson has also received several accolades for his research contributions, including the JSPS Fellowship and the Premier's Research Excellence Award. He actively engages in teaching various physics courses and has a commitment to advancing research in ultrafast laser-matter interactions. Learn More: Read more about Joe from his University of Waterloo profile page: https://uwaterloo.ca/physics-astronomy/profile/j3sander  See his personal website here: https://uwaterloo.ca/ultrafast-laser-matter/ Find him in the UofWaterloo experts pages: https://experts.uwaterloo.ca/joseph-sanderson  Event Location: HENN 200

Add to Calendar 2027-01-21T16:00:00 2027-01-21T17:00:00 Department Colloquium with Steven Rayan Event Information: Abstract: [coming soon!] Bio: Steven Rayan is a Professor at the University of Saskatchewan, specializing in algebraic geometry, mathematical physics, and quantum information science. He is the Director of the Centre for Quantum Topology and Its Applications (quanTA) and has been involved in research across multiple areas, including quantum computing and quantum matter. Rayan completed his doctoral studies at the University of Oxford and has contributed significantly to the field of Higgs bundles and their moduli spaces. He has also been recognized for his work with the College of the Royal Society of Canada and is a member of various research consortia, including the NSERC Alliance Quantum Consortium.  Learn More: See his researcher profile page from the University of Saskatchewan: https://researchers.usask.ca/steven-rayan/index.php More about his research: https://researchers.usask.ca/steven-rayan/research/overview.php  Read UofSaskatchewan article, "'Art inside a material’: USask mathematician recognized for quantum research": https://news.usask.ca/articles/colleges/2023/art-inside-a-material-usask-mathematician-recognized-for-quantum-research.php Steven explains the Signature Area: https://research.usask.ca/about/signature-areas/quantum-innovation.php Read article from The Sheaf, "The coldest machine on campus: inside USask's quantum leap": https://thesheaf.com/2026/05/28/the-coldest-machine-on-campus-inside-usasks-quantum-leap/  Event Location: HENN 200

Add to Calendar 2027-02-04T16:00:00 2027-02-04T17:00:00 Department Colloquium with Michelle Kuchera Event Information: Abstract: [coming soon!] Bio: Michelle Kuchera is an Associate Professor of Physics and Computer Science and Director of the Applied Mathematics Program at Davidson College, where she leads the ALPhA (Algorithms for Learning in Physics Applications) research group. She is a computational physicist working at the intersection of machine learning, nuclear physics, and particle physics, with a focus on deep learning for the analysis of accelerator-based physics data. Her current research interests include modeling stochastic processes and developing pre-trained models to support a broad range of physics data analysis tasks. She collaborates extensively with scientists at major nuclear and particle physics facilities, including the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, the upcoming Electron-Ion Collider, and CERN. Her research has been supported by grants from the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, and Center for Nuclear Femtography. She has given plenary talks on artificial intelligence for nuclear science at conferences and workshops and is passionate about educating the next generation about AI, science, and their broader social impacts. Learn More: Read her Davidson College faculty page: https://www.davidson.edu/people/michelle-kuchera    Event Location: HENN 200

Add to Calendar 2027-02-25T16:00:00 2027-02-25T17:00:00 Department Colloquium with Peter Armitage Event Information: Abstract: [coming soon!] Bio: N. Peter Armitage is a condensed matter physicist experimenting with 'optical' techniques to investigate complexed condensed matter systems. His current main interest includes the exotic electron states of matter at low temperatures. Other areas of interest include biological physics, nanostructures, physical chemistry, and quantum optics.  Learn More: See his Johns Hopkins University faculty page: https://physics-astronomy.jhu.edu/directory/n-peter-armitage/ Review his Johns Hopkins University experts page: https://hub.jhu.edu/experts/profiles/peter-armitage/ Learn more about his Armitage Group: https://sites.google.com/site/nparmitagegroup/?pli=1&authuser=0  Read this Johns Hopkins article, "Peter Armitage and Collin Broholm receive grants to further our understanding of the ;weirdness' of quantum materials": https://physics-astronomy.jhu.edu/2020/05/29/peter-armitage-collin-broholm-weirdness-of-quantum-materials/ Watch his videos: "Electrodynamics of quantum materials":  and "Electrodynamics of quantum materials II" Event Location: HENN 200

Add to Calendar 2027-03-04T16:00:00 2027-03-04T17:00:00 Department Colloquium with James Analytis Event Information: Abstract:  [coming soon!] Bio: James Analytis joined the UBC Berkeley faculty in January 2013 as the Charles Kittel Chair in condensed matter physics, and served as Department Chair from 2020-2023. He received his B.Sc. in physics from Canterbury University in 2001 and his D. Phil. from the University of Oxford as a Rhodes' Scholar in 2006. At Oxford, he worked with Stephen Blundell and Arzhang Ardavan on experimental and computational studies of quasi-two dimensional organic superconductors. Following his graduate studies, Analytis was a Lloyd's Tercentenary Fellow at the University of Bristol, where he worked on understanding the nature of anisotropic scattering in cuprate superconductors. In 2008 he became a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University where he worked on both pnictide superconductors and topological insulators. Analytis' current interests are unconventional superconductors, quantum critical systems, frustrated magnets and topological spintronics. As Department Chair, Analytis created the Pi2 undergraduate fellowship program, the Physics Innovation Lab, and drove a number of transformative reforms in graduate admissions, the graduate PhD program, undergraduate mentoring, departmental finances and initiated new approaches to faculty hiring to ensure our department remained at the forefront of academic institutions. Analytis led the department through the peak of the SARS-COVID-19 pandemic, maintaining the department's mission to provide a world class education to aspiring scientists and engineers.  Learn More: See his UC Berkely faculty page: https://physics.berkeley.edu/people/faculty/james-analytis  See his research bio: https://vcresearch.berkeley.edu/faculty/james-analytis Learn more about the Analytis Lab: https://physics.berkeley.edu/research-faculty/research-groups/analytis-lab Review his publications: https://profiles.lbl.gov/11280-james-analytis/publications Read this UCBerkely article, "James Analytis awarded a 2024 national Brown Investigator award": https://physics.berkeley.edu/news/james-analytis-awarded-2024-national-brown-investigator-award  Event Location: HENN 200

Add to Calendar 2027-03-18T16:00:00 2027-03-18T17:00:00 Department Colloquium with Tim Maudlin Event Information: Abstract: [coming soon!] Bio: Tim Maudlin (B.A. Yale, Physics and Philosophy; Ph.D. Pittsburgh, History and Philosophy of Science) has interests primarily focused in the foundations of physics, metaphysics, and logic. His books include Quantum Non-Locality and Relativity (Blackwell, 3rd edition now available), Truth and Paradox (Oxford) and The Metaphysics Within Physics (Oxford) and Philosophy of Physics: Space and Time. He is a member of the Academie Internationale de Philosophie des Sciences and the Foundational Questions Institute (FQXi). He has been a Guggenheim Fellow. He taught at Rutgers from 1986 to 2011, and has been a visiting professor at Harvard. Learn More: See his NYU faculty page: https://as.nyu.edu/faculty/tim-maudlin.html?challenge=d06e90d7-4d8f-4b88-9d8c-10b73beb60f1 Review his personal website: https://tim-maudlin.site/ Watch his videos: Why physics can't explain mathematics Why philosophers can't solve quantum gravity yet Tim Maudlin: a masterclass on the philosophy of time Read his book, Philosophy of Physics: Space and Time (2012): https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691165714/philosophy-of-physics    Event Location: HENN 200