Events List for the Academic Year
Event Time:
Tuesday, May 27, 2025 | 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Event Location:
This seminar will only be available on zoom
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2025-05-27T14:00:00
2025-05-27T15:00:00
Building the world’s first open-source quantum computer
Event Information:
Abstract:
As quantum computers transition from academic labs to the larger world, we are faced with the question about how best to shape the emerging technology and the organizations surrounding it. In this talk I will present Open Quantum Design (OQD), a nonprofit foundation with the goal of developing the world's first open-source full-stack quantum computer based on trapped ions. By releasing both the hardware and software stack under permissive open-source licences, OQD provides a collaborative sandbox accessible to academics, startups, government, policy makers, researchers, students and teachers — allowing the larger community to guide the direction of innovation. I will argue that, in addition to ensuring that emerging quantum computers remain democratic, transparent and accessible, an open-source model could also provide a more robust and high-quality technology that is less dependent on conventional commercial incentives.
Bio:
https://perimeterinstitute.ca/people/roger-melko
Event Location:
This seminar will only be available on zoom
Event Time:
Tuesday, May 27, 2025 | 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Event Location:
GEOG 100
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2025-05-27T13:00:00
2025-05-27T14:00:00
From malaria to ChatGPT: the birth and strange life of the random walk
Event Information:
The UBC Department of Mathematics is pleased to announce the Niven & Hugh Morris Lecture, taking place tomorrow (May 27, 2025), in GEOG 100 at UBC.
Abstract:
This engaging public talk will explore the fascinating history and surprising applications of random walks - from mosquito control in the early 20th century to their role in modern artificial intelligence. Dr. Ellenberg is an acclaimed mathematician, author, and speaker known for making complex ideas accessible and inspiring.
The Niven Lecture is an annual event that celebrates graduating mathematics students and welcomes their families and the broader community. It honours UBC alumnus Ivan Niven, a renowned number theorist and beloved expositor whose legacy continues to impact generations of learners.
Bio:
Learn More:
About Dr. Ellenberg: https://people.math.wisc.edu/~ellenberg/ and
Event Location:
GEOG 100
Event Time:
Tuesday, May 27, 2025 | 8:00 am - 10:00 am
Event Location:
BC Cancer Research Agency (675 W 10th Ave, Vancouver, BC V5Z 0B4), Boardroom first floor
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2025-05-27T08:00:00
2025-05-27T10:00:00
Advancing Quantitative Dosimetry SPECT with Open-Source Image Reconstruction, Uncertainty Estimation, and Image Generation Optimization
Event Information:
Abstract:
Over the past decade, radiopharmaceutical therapies have demonstrated considerable potential in cancer treatment. Notably, the success of the NETTER-1 and VISION clinical trials led to FDA approval of Lu-177, a beta-emitting isotope, for treating neuroendocrine tumors in 2018 and prostate cancer in 2022. Coinciding with these advancements, there has been growing interest in exploring treatment outcomes using alternative isotopes like the alpha-emitter Ac-225, which may offer enhanced therapeutic benefits. Many therapeutic isotopes also emit photons that, while not directly contributing to therapy, can be detected using SPECT imaging. This enables concurrent delivery and evaluation of patient absorbed dose: a practice that is well-established in the field of external beam radiotherapy. Although current radiopharmaceutical treatment protocols use a standard "one-size-fits-all" approach whereby all patients receive the same injected activity, it is conjectured that image-based dosimetry can be used to tailor dosimetry on an individual basis and consequently improve treatment outcome. One of the major challenges of dosimetry is minimizing and accounting for the presence of bias and uncertainty in acquired SPECT images.
This thesis contains a collection of studies aimed at improving SPECT image quality and interpretability via improvements and modifications to existing image reconstruction protocols. Chapter 2 of the work describes the development of the open-source medical imaging software PyTomography, which enabled the subsequent innovations of this work. Chapter 3 derives a collimator detector response model for SPECT reconstruction of high energy photons, such as those emitted by the daughters of Ac-225. Chapter 4 outlines a modification to existing reconstruction algorithms to permit uncertainty estimation in medical images and subsequently in image-based dosimetry. Chapter 5 explores the optimal image acquisition and reconstruction parameters for Ac-225 imaging, and Chapter 6 explores Monte Carlo based reconstruction techniques to further improve image quality.
Event Location:
BC Cancer Research Agency (675 W 10th Ave, Vancouver, BC V5Z 0B4), Boardroom first floor
Event Time:
Monday, May 26, 2025 | 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Event Location:
HENN 318
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2025-05-26T11:00:00
2025-05-26T12:00:00
Family trees for fractional quantum Hall states
Event Information:
Abstract:
The fractional quantum Hall (FQH) effect arises in two-dimensional electron systems in strong magnetic fields and leads to exotic phases of matter with emergent quasiparticles known as anyons. These anyons carry fractional electric charge and exhibit braiding properties that go beyond those of bosons and fermions, allowing them to form building blocks for robust quantum codes. However, key features like their braiding properties are notoriously difficult to observe directly in experiments. One approach to gaining insight into a given FQH state — the "parent" — is to study its relationship to nearby "child" states that emerge when the magnetic field is slightly tuned. In this talk, we will present a new and more general framework for constructing FQH families, which can be applied even when previous methods cannot.
Bio:
Carolyn Zhang received her undergraduate degree from Yale University in 2017 and went on to earn her Ph.D. at the University of Chicago under the supervision of Michael Levin, supported by the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and the Bloomenthal Fellowship. Since the fall of 2023, she has been a Junior Fellow at the Harvard Society of Fellows. Carolyn loves all activities related to mountains, including running, climbing, and hiking.
Learn More:
Watch Carolyn's videos:
Symmetries: Symmetries 2024: Carolyn Zhang (Harvard)
Anyon Condensation and its applications: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8tGIniUxrg
Anomalies of (1 + 1)D categorical symmetries: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSzBMYEY_q8
Event Location:
HENN 318
Event Time:
Sunday, May 25, 2025 | 1:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Event Location:
HENN 318
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2025-05-25T13:00:00
2025-05-25T15:30:00
Zero-energy Modes in Quantum Field Theories
Event Information:
Abstract:
We discuss three instances where zero-energy or soft modes appear in quantum field theory.
First, we examine massless fermions in a 2+ 1 dimensional system with a spatial boundary, specifically graphene in half-space. Two boundary conditions and their interplay with the discrete and continuous symmetries of the system are analyzed. For doubled fermions, we identify a special case that respects CP T symmetry but breaks Lorentz and conformal symmetry, featuring fermion zero mode edge states. These edge states lead to unconventional representations of scale, phase, and translation symmetries, and enforcing symmetry constraints results in edge ferromagnetism.
Second, we investigate the infrared structure of a massless scalar theory coupled to fermions. We demonstrate the existence of a field theory containing massless scalar particles that mirrors the infrared structure of quantum electrodynamics and perturbative quantum gravity but lacks gauge invariance, internal symmetries, or apparent asymptotic symmetry. Unlike soft photons and gravitons, soft scalars do not decouple from dressed states and are generally produced during interactions of hard dressed particles, though their entanglement is minimal.
Lastly, we develop a novel method to calculate changes in an operator’s expectation value at asymptotic times, relevant to gravitational wave observations, by exploiting its soft limit. We derive a formula for asymptotic in-in observables from the soft limit of five-point amputated response functions. Using this, we re-derive the KMOC formulas for linear impulse and radiated momentum during scattering and provide an unambiguous calculation of radiated angular momentum at leading order. We introduce a causal method of computing classical observables using the Schwinger-Keldysh formalism.
Event Location:
HENN 318
Event Time:
Thursday, May 22, 2025 | 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Event Location:
HENN 318
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2025-05-22T11:00:00
2025-05-22T12:00:00
Collective quantum information
Event Information:
Abstract:
Quantum mechanics describes the behaviour of our world at microscopic scales. It features many mysterious and counter-intuitive phenomena which rarely impinge on our everyday lives—yet, the ability to control these effects at scale would yield new information technologies that have enormous potential for scientific and societal impact. While progress in building such quantum devices over the last several years has been extremely rapid, there is much theoretical work required to understand how best to design, test, and use these platforms, for which insights from multiple scientific disciplines will be required. In this talk, I will describe how concepts from condensed matter and many-body physics can bring about progress in quantum information science, in particular as we scale up towards the ‘many-qubit’ regime. Through understanding the emergent collective behaviour exhibited by many-body quantum systems, I will show how new protocols for quantum information processing can be developed, and how our understanding of the power of quantum computers can be advanced.
Bio:
Max McGinley is a Junior Research Fellow at Trinity College, Cambridge, working at the interface of quantum information theory and many-body physics. He received his PhD under the supervision of Prof. Nigel Cooper in 2020, before holding a postdoctoral position at the Rudolf Peierls Centre for Theoretical Physics, at Oxford University.
Learn More:
About Max: https://sites.google.com/view/max-mcginley
Event Location:
HENN 318
Event Time:
Tuesday, May 20, 2025 | 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm
Event Location:
HENN 318
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2025-05-20T13:30:00
2025-05-20T14:30:00
The emergence of Einstein gravity from topological supergravity in 3 + 1D
Event Information:
Abstract:
The topological aspects of Einstein gravity suggest that topological invariance could be a more profound principle in understanding quantum gravity. In this report, I will begin by considering a topological super-gravity action (N=1) that initially describes a universe without Riemann curvature, which seems trivial. However, after introducing a small deformation parameter λ, which can be regarded as an AdS generalization of supersymmetry (SUSY), we find that the deformed topological quantum field theory (TQFT) becomes unstable at low energy, resulting in the emergence of a classical metric, whose dynamics are controlled by the Einstein equation. Moreover, such type of TQFT can be generalized to include arbitrary N supercharge, enhancing the reliability of our saddle point calculations.
Bio:
Tianyao is a postdoctoral fellow at the Chinese University of Hong Kong Department of Physics.
Learn More:
Read Tianyao's paper, "The emergence of Einstein gravity from topological supergravity in 3 + 1D": 2312.17196
Event Location:
HENN 318
Event Time:
Friday, May 16, 2025 | 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Event Location:
HENN 318
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2025-05-16T12:00:00
2025-05-16T13:00:00
Collective quantum information
Event Information:
Abstract:
Quantum mechanics describes the behaviour of our world at microscopic scales. It features many mysterious and counter-intuitive phenomena which rarely impinge on our everyday lives—yet, the ability to control these effects at scale would yield new information technologies that have enormous potential for scientific and societal impact. While progress in building such quantum devices over the last several years has been extremely rapid, there is much theoretical work required to understand how best to design, test, and use these platforms, for which insights from multiple scientific disciplines will be required. In this talk, I will describe how concepts from condensed matter and many-body physics can bring about progress in quantum information science, in particular as we scale up towards the ‘many-qubit’ regime. Through understanding the emergent collective behaviour exhibited by many-body quantum systems, I will show how new protocols for quantum information processing can be developed, and how our understanding of the power of quantum computers can be advanced.
Bio:
Max McGinley is a Junior Research Fellow at Trinity College, Cambridge, working at the interface of quantum information theory and many-body physics. He received his PhD under the supervision of Prof. Nigel Cooper in 2020, before holding a postdoctoral position at the Rudolf Peierls Centre for Theoretical Physics, at Oxford University.
Learn More:
About Max: Max McGinley
Event Location:
HENN 318
Event Time:
Thursday, May 15, 2025 | 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Event Location:
Vancouver Public Library - Central Branch (Montalbano Family Theatre - level 8)
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2025-05-15T18:00:00
2025-05-15T19:30:00
How the Universe Works: Quantum Mechanics - the Music of the Universe
Event Information:
Curious about how the universe actually works? Join the experts from UBC’s Department of Physics and Astronomy to find out fun facts about everything from the Milky Way to radio waves in this new, accessible science series: How the Universe Works!. All are welcome!
Abstract:
Quantum mechanics is the sometimes bizarre set of physics rules that gives our best understanding of how nature works at a fundamental level.
In this talk, Dr. Van Raamsdonk will introduce some of the key ideas of quantum mechanics -- including quantum superpositions, wavefunctions, and indeterminacy -- by describing how these are related to much more familiar ideas from the science of music and musical instruments.
Bio:
Mark Van Raamsdonk is a professor of theoretical physics at the University of British Columbia. His research areas include quantum mechanics, general relativity, string theory, and cosmology. He is also an amateur musician, specializing in jazz saxophone.
Learn More:
About Mark: https://phas.ubc.ca/~mav/vanraamsdonk.html
About quantum mechanics: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_mechanics
About science and music: https://www.kennedy-center.org/education/resources-for-educators/classroom-resources/media-and-interactives/media/music/connections/connections/science--music/
Event Location:
Vancouver Public Library - Central Branch (Montalbano Family Theatre - level 8)
Event Time:
Thursday, May 15, 2025 | 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Event Location:
HENN 318
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2025-05-15T11:00:00
2025-05-15T12:00:00
Quantum dynamics meets quantum information
Event Information:
Abstract:
Quantum computers have the potential to revolutionize both quantum simulations and classical computations. Rapid advancements in quantum hardware have not only introduced new opportunities but also posed significant theoretical challenges in understanding quantum dynamics. These developments highlight the need for benchmarking models—interacting many-body systems that can be solved exactly or numerically to assess the capabilities of quantum processors. In this talk, I will discuss powerful theoretical tools to address these challenges, focusing on the Sachdev–Ye–Kitaev (SYK) model and the emerging framework of entanglement in time, an information-theoretic approach designed to probe dynamical properties of quantum systems.
Bio:
Alexey Milekhin received his Ph.D. from Princeton University in 2020 under the supervision of Prof. Juan Maldacena. He is working at the intersection of quantum information theory, statistical physics and quantum gravity with the goal of understanding the general properties of out-of-equilibrium systems and quantum chaos.
He currently holds a postdoctoral scholarship at the Institute for Quantum Information and Matter at Caltech: Alexey Milekhin | The Division of Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy
Event Location:
HENN 318
Event Time:
Monday, May 12, 2025 | 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Event Location:
HENN 318
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2025-05-12T16:00:00
2025-05-12T17:00:00
Physics of fast radio bursts and their use as cosmological probes
Event Information:
Abstract:
The detection of a Fast Radio Burst (FRB) in 2007 opened a new frontier in astronomy, a field that is rapidly evolving. The search for FRBs and the measurement of their physical properties have become major scientific objectives. Canada has been at the forefront of this effort, led by the highly successful CHIME telescope. It is now well established that most FRBs originate at cosmological distances and rank among the brightest known transients in the radio band. In April 2020, an FRB was detected within our galaxy, confirming that at least some FRBs are associated with neutron stars possessing extremely strong magnetic fields (magnetars). I will describe recent work on how these coherent, powerful radio outbursts are generated. Additionally, I will discuss how FRBs can serve as probes of the baryon distribution in the universe and as tools for studying the era of reionization.
Bio:
I am an astrophysics professor at UT and my research specialty is exploding stars and blackholes.
Learn More:
About Pawan: Kumar | McDonald Observatory
About his research: Astronomy at the University of Texas at Austin
Event Location:
HENN 318
Event Time:
Thursday, May 8, 2025 | 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Event Location:
HENN 318
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2025-05-08T14:00:00
2025-05-08T15:00:00
Searches for novel gravitational-wave sources with ground and space-based detectors
Event Information:
Abstract:
Gravitational waves (GWs) probe the fundamental nature of neutron stars (NSs) and black holes (BHs). Observations of GWs by ground-based interferometric detectors, like the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO), have yielded key insights into the formation channels of compact binaries and the physics of ultra-dense NS matter. The planned space-based Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) will detect entirely new GW sources inaccessible with present-day interferometers. In this thesis, I present new data analysis methods for ground and space-based detectors that enable future discoveries of novel GW sources.
Spinning, non-axisymmetric NSs can emit weak continuous gravitational waves (CWs). Most CW searches assume a specific phase model for the signal, but are less sensitive to sources that deviate from this model, such as NSs in binary systems. In this thesis, I describe an end-to-end CW search pipeline that is robust to a wider range of signal morphologies, combining semi-coherent matched filtering techniques with a hidden Markov model (HMM) frequency tracking scheme. Using Advanced LIGO data from the third observing run, I applied this pipeline to analyze candidate signals reported by a previous radiometer-style GW search. No credible CW signals were detected. By recovering simulated signals into detector data, I show that our approach can detect CW signals with amplitudes h ~ 9e-26 in the most sensitive frequency band (~200 Hz) of the detectors. I also apply this pipeline in a search for CWs from the Vela pulsar following a spin-up glitch.
In the second part of this thesis, I characterized the ability of LISA to detect hierarchical triple systems, consisting of a stellar-mass BH binary (BHB) orbiting a supermassive black hole (SMBH). The stellar-mass BHB component may undergo high-amplitude eccentricity oscillations due to gravitational torques exerted by the SMBH, emitting repeated GW bursts detectable by LISA. Focusing on potential BHB-SMBH triples in the Galactic centre, I used simulated LISA data to demonstrate that an unmodelled wavelet decomposition of the data recovers the time-frequency properties of each burst, and further show how this approach can be used to study the eccentricity evolution of the perturbed BHB and the dynamics of BHB-SMBH triples.
Event Location:
HENN 318
Event Time:
Tuesday, April 29, 2025 | 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Event Location:
HENN 318
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2025-04-29T13:00:00
2025-04-29T14:00:00
High-parallel field spectrometer extends capability of TRIUMF beta-detected nuclear magnetic resonance
Event Information:
Abstract:
This thesis reports the design and implementation of a new high-parallel field spectrometer, which extends the capability of TRIUMF beta-detected nuclear magnetic resonance (beta-NMR) facility with fields up to 200 mT parallel to the sample surface.
The magnetic field range and spectrometer configuration are designed to allow nm-scale depth-resolved studies of superconducting RF (SRF) materials up to the superconducting critical field of Nb, the main material for SRF cavities. SRF cavities are the main technology behind high-energy and high-power linear accelerators (linacs) worldwide, allowing charged particle acceleration using radiofrequency (RF) accelerating gradient up to several tens of MV/m. The accelerating electric fields along the cavity axis are accompanied by the RF magnetic fields parallel to the cavity wall, which induce dissipation due to the penetrating magnetic fields contained within 100 nm layer of the cavity surface in the flux-free superconducting Meissner state.
The ability of the SRF materials to screen and contain magnetic fields within the penetration depth, as well as the maximum field limit before strongly dissipative magnetic fluxes enter the bulk of the material (and induce RF quenches of the SRF cavity), have been found to be very sensitive to different types of surface treatments. The magnetic field-dependent surface dissipation affects the operational cost of SRF cavities, and the maximum magnetic field that can be sustained in the Meissner state ultimately limits the maximum accelerating gradient of SRF cavities.
Various surface treatment recipes using heat treatment and/or impurity diffusion have been developed which demonstrate enhanced performance of SRF cavities. Complete understanding of the underlying mechanism of this enhancement, however, requires a more controlled microscopic study of the near surface layer. Depth-resolved measurements of the magnetic field screening below the surface of SRF materials are made possible with this new spectrometer, which combines local magnetic field measurements via spin-polarized radioactive ion beam (RIB) produced at TRIUMF ISAC facility (commonly uses Li-8 positive ions), and the suitable spectrometer which allows high-parallel field combined with implantation depth-control of the probing ions via deceleration of the their momentum.
The new spectrometer requires modifications of the existing beta-detected nuclear quadrupole resonance (beta-NQR) beamline, and an additional ~1 m beamline extension. The magnetic field configuration parallel to the sample surface (and initial spin polarization of the probe) but transverse to the beam momentum deflects the beam vertically and requires compensation via electrostatic steering of the RIB to deliver beam to the target sample. The details of design, assembly, various stages of beamline installation, and operations of the various elements both along the beamline and the new spectrometer are all presented in this thesis.Also provided are the test results of the new/modified components, and the commissioning results proving the functionality of the new spectrometer using RIB.
Depth-resolved measurements on two Nb samples with different surface treatments typically applied to SRF cavities have been performed on the new spectrometer up to the maximum available fields (of 200 mT). The results demonstrate the sensitivity of the beta-NMR technique in characterizing the magnetic field screening, and provide a working method for future SRF study. These results also provide comparison of the different screening responses of various Nb samples to the applied magnetic fields due to the modified surface layers. The change in the magnetic penetration depth with increased fields are then compared to various theoretical predictions on the role of the modified surface. Outlook on future experiments on different SRF materials (such as layered superconductors), as well as potential applications of the new spectrometer for other materials are proposed.
Event Location:
HENN 318
Event Time:
Tuesday, April 29, 2025 | 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Event Location:
(In-person): 15th Floor Meeting Room, BC Cancer Research Institute, 675 W 10th Ave, Vancouver, BC V5Z 0B4
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2025-04-29T10:00:00
2025-04-29T12:00:00
Deep-Learning-Guided Image Generation, Enhancement and Analyses: With Applications to Nuclear Medicine Imaging
Event Information:
Abstract:Modern nuclear medicine imaging pipeline involves image generation, enhancement, and analysis, each facing challenges in reconstruction fidelity, quantitative reliability, and automated interpretation. This thesis presents deep learning approaches to overcome these limitations throughout the nuclear medicine pipeline.
In Chapter 2, we propose **DIP-SPECTNet**, an unsupervised approach leveraging the inductive bias of convolutional networks to denoise SPECT projections without paired training data. Exploiting the deep image prior technique, our method separated noiseless photopeak projections from Poisson noise while preserving anatomical features in low-count regimes.
In Chapter 3, we present **DAWN-FM**, a novel framework for solving ill-posed inverse problems through data and noise-aware flow matching. Incorporating embeddings for measured data and noise characteristics into the training process, we solved deblurring and tomography inverse problems in the presence of noise. Our method’s ability to sample from the learned posterior enables the exploration of the solution space and facilitates uncertainty quantification.
In Chapter 4, we develop a **comprehensive framework for evaluating deep-learning methods for lymphoma quantitation**. Rigorous comparison with expert annotations showed that networks match physician performance for large lesions while revealing shared limitations in detecting small, low-contrast abnormalities.
In Chapter 5, we introduce **IgCONDA-PET** to overcome annotation scarcity for training networks for anomaly detection in PET. Our weakly-supervised approach combined attention-mechanisms with counterfactual diffusion modeling to localize lesions without pixel-level supervision, outperforming other competing methods across diverse cancer phenotypes.
In Chapter 6, we propose **Thyroidiomics**, a machine-learning framework for thyroid disease classification using scintigraphy imaging. Integrating deep segmentation with radiomics analysis achieved physician-level accuracy while reducing additional test requirements and assessment time.
Finally, in Chapter 7, we present **Multiscale Stochastic Gradient Descent**, addressing computational challenges in high-resolution network training. The computation of the gradient of loss using a coarse-to-fine strategy with novel mesh-free convolutions enabled efficient convergence while maintaining resolution consistency, which is crucial for training deep learning models where training compute is often the bottleneck, especially in the case of high-resolution imaging.
Together, these AI solutions have the potential to enhance nuclear medicine from acquisition to diagnosis by addressing core challenges in data quality, annotation needs, and computational efficiency, bridging innovation with clinical implementation.
Event Location:
(In-person): 15th Floor Meeting Room, BC Cancer Research Institute, 675 W 10th Ave, Vancouver, BC V5Z 0B4
Event Time:
Thursday, April 24, 2025 | 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Event Location:
Vancouver Public Library - Central Branch (Montalbano Family Theatre, level 8)
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2025-04-24T18:00:00
2025-04-24T19:30:00
How the Universe Works: Milky Way - Our Place in the Universe
Event Information:
Curious about how the universe actually works? Join the experts from UBC’s Department of Physics and Astronomy to find out fun facts about everything from quantum physics to the Milky Way in this new, accessible science series: How the Universe Works! All are welcome!
Abstract:
Have you ever wondered where we are situated in the Universe, beyond our Earth and the Solar System? Dr. Man will present the chronicle of discoveries that led us to understand our place in the Universe, discoveries enabled by scientific and technological advancement in distance measurements. You will learn how we can measure astronomical distances using light alone!
Bio:
Dr. Allison Man uses the most advanced telescopes to study how massive galaxies like our own Milky Way came to be. She investigates the physics behind starburst activity, colliding galaxies and supermassive black holes. Before joining UBC as an assistant professor, she was a postdoctoral fellow at the European Southern Observatory and at the University of Toronto. Allison received her PhD in Astrophysics from the University of Copenhagen.
Learn More:
About the Milky Way: https://science.nasa.gov/resource/the-milky-way-galaxy/
About Astrophysics: https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/
About Allison Man at UBC Physics & Astronomy: https://phas.ubc.ca/users/allison-man
Event Location:
Vancouver Public Library - Central Branch (Montalbano Family Theatre, level 8)
Event Time:
Thursday, April 17, 2025 | 10:00 am - 11:00 am
Event Location:
BRIM 311
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2025-04-17T10:00:00
2025-04-17T11:00:00
Using Neural Networks to Accelerate Molecular Dynamics
Event Information:
When running molecular dynamics simulations, typically timesteps must be on the order of 2fs to preserve numerical stability. This sharply limits our ability to generate trajectories for processes such as protein folding that can take on the order of milliseconds. In this talk, we'll discuss training a neural net to predict the configuration of the protein many timesteps in the future (conditional on its current configuration) in order to save computation. Such a neural net cannot output a state deterministically but must sample from a probability distribution because molecular dynamics is stochastic. We'll examine two well-known machine learning methods for modelling a probability distribution over many dimensions: Generative Adversarial Nets and Denoising Diffusion Probabilistic Models. In addition, molecular dynamics is symmetric under rotations and translations, and so the talk will also explain how the idea of a representation from group theory is helpful for constructing neural nets that respect these symmetries. We try out these techniques on small molecules and short proteins in solution.
Event Location:
BRIM 311
Event Time:
Saturday, April 12, 2025 | 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Event Location:
TRIUMF - Main Office Building Auditorium (4004 Wesbrook Mall Vancouver, BC / V6T 2A3)
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2025-04-12T10:00:00
2025-04-12T12:00:00
Saturday Morning Lectures
Event Information:
April 12 (TRIUMF)10:00 Sabrina Leslie (UBC): "New eyes on medicines and vaccines: seeing how they work one molecule at a time"11:10 Andrea Capra (TRIUMF): "Dropping anti-atoms at CERN"
Event Location:
TRIUMF - Main Office Building Auditorium (4004 Wesbrook Mall Vancouver, BC / V6T 2A3)
Event Time:
Thursday, April 10, 2025 | 10:00 am - 11:00 am
Event Location:
CEME 1203 (UBC campus)
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2025-04-10T10:00:00
2025-04-10T11:00:00
Small Systems, Smart Strategies: Energy Optimization through Stochastic Thermodynamics
Event Information:
This talk is part of the Structural Matter Seminar series.
Abstract:
Dr. Loos will explore the framework of stochastic thermodynamics to study the thermodynamic properties of microscale systems subject to thermal and non-thermal noise. She will discuss fundamental principles of control strategies that transition a system from one state to another in the most energy-efficient way. As a canonical example, she will explain the problem of dragging a harmonic trap containing a particle over a finite distance in a finite time while minimizing the work input, showcasing that the optimal dragging protocol and the corresponding mean particle trajectory both exhibit time-reversal symmetry, identified as a universal and exclusive feature of optimal solutions.
Bio:
Dr Sarah Loos | Corpus Christi College University of Cambridge
Event Location:
CEME 1203 (UBC campus)
Event Time:
Thursday, April 10, 2025 | 9:30 am - 2:30 pm
Event Location:
Earth Sciences Building, 1st Floor Lobby and Atrium
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2025-04-10T09:30:00
2025-04-10T14:30:00
2025 Science Education Open House
Event Information:
Welcome, faculty and instructors to the 2025 Science Education Open House:
Event Schedule
9:30am - Registration
Check in at registration desk, coffee and snacks available
10:00am - Morning Session, Part 1
Welcome and Schedule Overview
Remarks from Mark MacLachlan, Dean pro tem
Highlights from the Skylight Team
Keynote: Looking Back to Look Forward -by Karen Smith (Microbiology & Immunology)
11:15am - Break
Coffee and snacks available
11:30am - Morning Session, Part 2
Integrating Generative AI into Curricula: Motivation, Challenges, and Approaches – Dongwook Yoon (Computer Science)
The Development and Delivery of a Pre-term, Unassessed Laboratory Foundations Event (LFE) for Incoming First-year Students with Minimal Prior Laboratory Experience – Navreet Grewal, Anne Thomas & Anka Lekhi (Chemistry)
12:30pm - Lunch
Lunch and socializing with colleagues, food will remain available during the poster session
1:00pm - Poster (or “Show and Tell”) Session
Afternoon session showcasing teaching and learning projects from across the Faculty of Science
Event Location:
Earth Sciences Building, 1st Floor Lobby and Atrium
Event Time:
Wednesday, April 9, 2025 | 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Event Location:
AMS NEST Room 2314
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2025-04-09T18:00:00
2025-04-09T20:00:00
Medical Imaging Networking Night
Event Information:
Event hosted by the AMS Medical Imaging Club at UBC.
This event is designed to connect students with professionals in medical imaging through a round-robin networking format. Attendees will have the chance to engage in face-to-face discussions with radiologists, MD and MD/PhD candidates, radiology residents, imaging technologists (ultrasound, X-ray, CT, MRI), and UBC researchers in radiology.
Students interested in radiology, medical research, or imaging technology will gain valuable career insights, mentorship opportunities, and a deeper understanding of medical imaging professions. They will also have the opportunity to build meaningful connections that may extend beyond their undergraduate studies. Food will be provided, creating a relaxed and engaging networking environment.
Event Location:
AMS NEST Room 2314