Wed 30 Jul 14:00: Title to be confirmed
Abstract not available
- Speaker: Stephen Xia, Northwestern University
- Wednesday 30 July 2025, 14:00-15:00
- Venue: Computer Lab, FW26 and Online.
- Series: Centre for Mobile, Wearable Systems and Augmented Intelligence Seminar Series; organiser: Cecilia Mascolo.
Fri 31 Oct 08:45: Uncovering Genomic Drivers Across 13 Feline Cancer Types
Bailey is a first-year PhD student and bioinformatician, supervised by Prof. Elizabeth Murchison and co-supervised by Dr. Louise van der Weyden from the Wellcome Sanger Institute. His research utilises next-generation DNA sequencing data to unravel the molecular underpinnings of companion animal cancers. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Manchester and a master’s degree in Bioinformatics from the University of Nottingham. When he is not coding, he enjoys playing football and cricket.
- Speaker: Bailey Francis, Departmet of Veterinary Medicine
- Friday 31 October 2025, 08:45-10:00
- Venue: LT2.
- Series: Friday Morning Seminars, Dept of Veterinary Medicine; organiser: Fiona Roby.
Fri 10 Oct 08:45: Title to be confirmed
Abstract not available
- Speaker: Meytar Ronel, Department of Veterinary Medicine
- Friday 10 October 2025, 08:45-10:00
- Venue: LT2.
- Series: Friday Morning Seminars, Dept of Veterinary Medicine; organiser: Fiona Roby.
Fri 24 Oct 08:45: Title to be confirmed
Abstract not available
- Speaker: Elâ Sutcliffe, Departmet of Veterinary Medicine
- Friday 24 October 2025, 08:45-10:00
- Venue: LT2.
- Series: Friday Morning Seminars, Dept of Veterinary Medicine; organiser: Fiona Roby.
Wed 09 Jul 11:15: The effect of staggered local environments on quantum spin chains
I will discuss the properties of non-linear antiferromagnetic (AFM) chains, in which the orientation of the local environment of the magnetic ion is ‘staggered’, i.e. alternates in direction from site to site. Spin-1/2 non-linear chains exhibit additional terms in their Hamiltonians compared to linear chains, including non-trivial staggered g-tensors and Dzyalonshinskii-Moriya interactions. On application of an external magnetic field, these energy scales can give rise to staggered fields, field-dependent energy gaps and low-temperature excitation spectra containing both breather and soliton modes, observations that have previously been explained via the sine-Gordon model of quantum-field theory. Spin-1 AFM chains are known to adopt ground states that differ fundamentally from their spin-1/2 counterparts, an example being the topological Haldane-gapped phase, but until recently the effect of staggered local environments on spin-1 systems had not been explored.
Here, I present magnetometry, muon-spin rotation and neutron-scattering data on several new examples of non-linear spin chains. I will show that a chiral spin-1/2 chain with a four-fold periodic rotation of the local spin environment leads to properties distinct from the alternating chains previously studied. I will also discuss the results obtained by measuring non-linear spin-1 AFM chains, why these differ from the spin-1/2 materials and how competition between single-ion anisotropy and magnetic exchange can give rise to non-collinear or chiral magnetic ground-state structures.
J. Liu et. al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 122, 057207 (2019)
S. Vaidya et. al., Phys. Rev. B 110 , 174438 (2024)
S. Vaidya et. al., PRB 111 , 014421 (2025)
- Speaker: Paul Goddard - University of Warwick
- Wednesday 09 July 2025, 11:15-12:00
- Venue: Seminar Room 1, RDC.
- Series: Quantum Matter Seminar; organiser: Mads Fonager Hansen.
Fri 31 Oct 08:45: Uncovering Genomic Drivers Across 13 Feline Cancer Types
Bruno isa first-year PhD student and bioinformatician, supervised by Prof. Elizabeth Murchison and co-supervised by Dr. Louise van der Weyden from the Wellcome Sanger Institute. His research utilises next-generation DNA sequencing data to unravel the molecular underpinnings of companion animal cancers. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Manchester and a master’s degree in Bioinformatics from the University of Nottingham. When he is not coding, he enjoys playing football and cricket.
- Speaker: tbc, Departmet of Veterinary Medicine
- Friday 31 October 2025, 08:45-10:00
- Venue: LT2.
- Series: Friday Morning Seminars, Dept of Veterinary Medicine; organiser: Fiona Roby.
Thu 10 Jul 14:00: Title to be confirmed
Abstract not available
- Speaker: Prof. Haiming Yu (Beihang)
- Thursday 10 July 2025, 14:00-15:15
- Venue: Seminar Room 3, RDC.
- Series: Theory of Condensed Matter; organiser: Bo Peng.
Wed 02 Jul 14:00: Rethinking Antarctic Polynya Productivity: The Impact of Ice-Adjacency Effects on NPP Estimates along Icy Coasts
Ocean color-based estimates of Antarctic net primary productivity (NPP) have indicated low nearshore productivity in ice-adjacent waters, contrasting with coupled physical-biogeochemical models. To understand this discrepancy, we assessed satellite records of polynya NPP by comparing field data with two satellite imagery datasets derived using different processing schemes. Our results indicate historical underestimation of chlorophyll a (Chl) for imagery obtained using default atmospheric correction processing within approximately 100 km of ice-covered coastlines due to adjacency effects. Using radiative transfer modeling, we find that biases in ocean color polynya observations due to adjacency effects correspond to the high albedo of ice and snow. When applying an atmospheric correction processing scheme more robust to adjacency contamination, estimates of NPP more than doubled in 65 % of polynyas, especially smaller eastern Antarctic polynyas. Adjacency effects should therefore be managed when analyzing spatial and temporal trends in Antarctic coastal primary productivity.
- Speaker: Hilde Oliver, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
- Wednesday 02 July 2025, 14:00-15:00
- Venue: BAS Seminar Room 1.
- Series: British Antarctic Survey - Polar Oceans seminar series; organiser: Dr Yohei Takano.
Wed 02 Jul 14:00: Quo Vadis Quantum Dynamics?
Degenerate quantum gases in modulated optical potentials are a flexible testbed for the experimental study and application of quantum matter driven far from equilibrium. I will describe some recent experimental work in this area, including both fundamental studies of localization and a novel quantum sensing platform based on matter waves in a drive-tunable band structure. Turning to the future, I will discuss the emerging topic of “interactive quantum matter” in which unitary dynamics are coupled with weak measurement and feedback.
- Speaker: David M Weld (UC Santa Barbara)
- Wednesday 02 July 2025, 14:00-15:00
- Venue: Ray Dolby Centre, 3rd floor seminar room, PHY-RDC C3.002 .
- Series: AMOP list; organiser: Dr Ulrich Schneider.
Wed 02 Jul 14:00: Quo Vadis Quantum Dynamics?
Degenerate quantum gases in modulated optical potentials are a flexible testbed for the experimental study and application of quantum matter driven far from equilibrium. I will describe some recent experimental work in this area, including both fundamental studies of localization and a novel quantum sensing platform based on matter waves in a drive-tunable band structure. Turning to the future, I will discuss the emerging topic of “interactive quantum matter” in which unitary dynamics are coupled with weak measurement and feedback.
- Speaker: David M Weld (UC Santa Barbara)
- Wednesday 02 July 2025, 14:00-15:00
- Venue: Ray Dolby Centre, 3rd floor seminar room, PHY-RDC C3.002 .
- Series: AMOP list; organiser: Dr Ulrich Schneider.
Thu 10 Jul 16:00: Induction, persistence and function of microbiota-specific CD4 T cell memory
This Cambridge Immunology Network Seminar will take place on Thursday 10 July 2025, starting at 4:00-5:00pm
Speaker: Jakob Zimmermann, Department for Biomedical Research, University of Berne, Germany
Title: “Induction, persistence and function of microbiota-specific CD4 T cell memory”
Abstract: The intestinal microbiota contains a vast array of antigens, which throughout life stimulate mucosal T cell responses. To demonstrate how intermittent exposures to an intestinal symbiont drive antigen-specific CD4 T cell resident memory, we have genetically engineered a mutant strain of Lactobacillus reuteri that reversibly colonizes the gut of germ-free mice. We have combined this system that uncouples microbial exposure from permanent colonization with detection of antigen-specific T cells by custom adoptive transfer and peptide:MHC tools to address the induction, persistence, and function of microbiota-directed CD4 T cell responses. Our findings reveal that benign symbionts elicit long-lived, antigen-independent, tissue-resident CD4 T cells with significant implications for our understanding of host–microbial mutualism in the intestine.
Host: Noe Rodriguez Rodriguez, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology
Refreshments will be available following the seminar.
- Speaker: Jakob Zimmermann, Department for Biomedical Research, University of Berne
- Thursday 10 July 2025, 16:00-17:00
- Venue: Lecture Theatre, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, Cambridge Biomedical Campus.
- Series: Cambridge Immunology Network Seminar Series; organiser: Ruth Paton.
Wed 29 Oct 14:00: title tbc
Abstract not available
- Speaker: Prof. Dr. Ryan Gilmour, University of Münster,
- Wednesday 29 October 2025, 14:00-15:00
- Venue: Dept. of Chemistry, Wolfson Lecture Theatre.
- Series: Synthetic Chemistry Research Interest Group; organiser: Dr. Robert J. Phipps.
Mon 20 Oct 14:00: title tbc
Abstract not available
- Speaker: Prof. Syuzanna Harutyunyan, University of Groningen.
- Monday 20 October 2025, 14:00-15:00
- Venue: Dept. of Chemistry, Wolfson Lecture Theatre.
- Series: Synthetic Chemistry Research Interest Group; organiser: Dr. Robert J. Phipps.
Tue 22 Jul 11:00: LMB Seminar - Modulation of TREM2 function and its role in anti-Amyloid immunotherapeutic approaches
Abstract not available
- Speaker: Christian Haass - Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich
- Tuesday 22 July 2025, 11:00-12:00
- Venue: In person in the Max Perutz Lecture Theatre (CB2 0QH) and via Zoom link https://mrc-lmb-cam-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/96372751903?pwd=C2hRQ8UF0B03vDp6IHGfWuTlsqzrTi.1.
- Series: MRC LMB Seminar Series; organiser: Scientific Meetings Co-ordinator.
Fri 11 Jul 14:30: The Valencia-Bristol low-level vision MindSet
Recent claims about the superiority of deep-nets to model human vision are based on the reproduction of either (a) neural recordings from different brain layers or (b) high-level behaviors included in Brain-Score. However, high correlations in such tasks do not guarantee the functional similarity of the underlying mechanisms in models and humans. In particular, appart from exceptions (like your work ;-), not many people is looking at the bottleneck of artificial systems as characterized by low-level visual psychophysics. In this talk we present stimuli for 20 different experiments that highlight basic color/texture/motion perception facts, and how the trends of the artificial responses can be used to assess the similarities with human vision.
Recommended reading:- Li, Gomez-Villa, Bertalmío & Malo Contrast sensitivity functions in autoencoders Journal of Vision (May 2022), Vol.22, 8. doi:https://doi.org/10.1167/jov.22.6.8
- Malo, Vila-Tomas, Hernandez-Camara, Li, Laparra A Turing Test for Artificial Nets devoted to model Human Vision (june 2022) http://isp.uv.es/docs/talk_AI_Bristol_Malo_et_al_2022.pdf
- Malo & Bowers The Low-Level vision MindSet. Talk at the Seminars on Generalisation in Mind and Machine. (sept. 2024) http://isp.uv.es/docs/Low_Level_MindSet_3.pptx
- Speaker: Jesús Malo
- Friday 11 July 2025, 14:30-15:00
- Venue: SS03 - William Gates Building.
- Series: Rainbow Group Seminars; organiser: Yancheng Cai.
Fri 11 Jul 14:00: Emerging perceptual properties in foundation models: a vision science perspective
The empirical theory of vision suggests that what we see reflects statistical regularities learned through experience rather than direct representations of physical reality. Recent advances in machine learning, particularly in foundation models, have revealed intriguing parallels with human visual perception. However, the differences between biological and artificial vision systems are equally enlightening, offering unique windows into the nature of visual processing. In this talk, we will discuss how studying these artificial systems can deepen our understanding of human visual processing, while insights from vision science can guide the development of more robust and interpretable deep learning models.
Recommended papers:- Gomez-Villa, A., Martín, A., Vazquez-Corral, J., Bertalmío, M., & Malo, J. (2020). Color illusions also deceive CNNs for low-level vision tasks: Analysis and implications. Vision Research, 176, 156-174.
- Hirsch, E., & Tal, A. (2020). Color visual illusions: A statistics-based computational model. Advances in neural information processing systems, 33, 9447-9458.
- Huh, M., Cheung, B., Wang, T., & Isola, P (2023). Position: The Platonic Representation Hypothesis. In Forty-first International Conference on Machine Learning.
- Gomez-Villa, A., Wang, K., Parraga, A. C., Twardowski, B., Malo, J., Vazquez-Corral, J., & van de Weijer, J. The Art of Deception: Color Visual Illusions and Diffusion Models. CVPR (2025).
- Speaker: Alexandra Gomez-Villa
- Friday 11 July 2025, 14:00-14:30
- Venue: SS03 - William Gates Building.
- Series: Rainbow Group Seminars; organiser: Yancheng Cai.
Tue 01 Jul 11:15: The Most Ambitious Radio Astronomy Endeavour of the 21st Century? Science, Technology and Engineering Dialogues in a Large-scale Project
The presentation will open with some reflections on the early part of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project, where questions asked about engineering realities constraining science aspirations were raised. Early encounters between Scientists and Engineers considered Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) as one of the constraints. Some formative developments of this specific Radio Astronomy (RA) project, with a focus on the XDM , KAT7 and then MeerKAT in South Africa, will be introduced and related to unexpected RFI . The picture will then be widened to unpack an understanding of RFI and ElectroMagnetic Compatibility (EMC) for RA and science projects more generally. Two European examples will be considered. A short diversion into the language that EMC engineers use in RFI and what RA presents as uv-plane data will be taken.
- Speaker: Prof. Howard Reader
- Tuesday 01 July 2025, 11:15-12:00
- Venue: Coffee area, Battcock Centre.
- Series: Hills Coffee Talks; organiser: Charles Walker.
Tue 01 Jul 11:15: Title TBC
The presentation will open with some reflections on the early part of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project, where questions asked about engineering realities constraining science aspirations were raised. Early encounters between Scientists and Engineers considered Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) as one of the constraints. Some formative developments of this specific Radio Astronomy (RA) project, with a focus on the XDM , KAT7 and then MeerKAT in South Africa, will be introduced and related to unexpected RFI . The picture will then be widened to unpack an understanding of RFI and ElectroMagnetic Compatibility (EMC) for RA and science projects more generally. Two European examples will be considered. A short diversion into the language that EMC engineers use in RFI and what RA presents as uv-plane data will be taken.
- Speaker: Prof. Howard Reader
- Tuesday 01 July 2025, 11:15-12:00
- Venue: Coffee area, Battcock Centre.
- Series: Hills Coffee Talks; organiser: Charles Walker.
Mon 07 Jul 11:00: LMB Seminar - In vitro reconstitution of minimal cytoskeletal systems
In my group we build minimal cytoskeletal systems using purified components which allow us to study the dynamic, force-generating and self-organizing properties of (for example) minimal mitotic spindles in (artificial) confinement. In addition, we are interested in designing and building a minimal DNA segregation system for synthetic cells based on prokaryotic cytoskeletal filaments. In my talk I will give an overview of current interests, work in progress and challenges that we face.
- Speaker: Marileen Dogterom - TU Delft, Delft University of Technology
- Monday 07 July 2025, 11:00-12:00
- Venue: In person in the Max Perutz Lecture Theatre (CB2 0QH) and via Zoom link https://mrc-lmb-cam-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/95584842300?pwd=V2DAKEE0bQXA4bbbSUryiRPELlhmzP.1.
- Series: MRC LMB Seminar Series; organiser: Scientific Meetings Co-ordinator.
Fri 04 Jul 14:00: Approaching precise device scale all-atom simulations of crystallisation of halide perovskites
Certified solar to power conversion efficiencies of perovskite solar cells are 27% for single-junction and 35% for silicon-perovskite tandem efficiencies. However, their industrialization is hampered by challenges in scaling efficiencies and ensuring operational stability. This relies on extensive trial-and-error synthesis processes. Where, an all-atom understanding of the synthesis process is crucial for designing stable and efficient perovskite electronics and accelerating industrialization. In this talk, I will present all-atom simulations of crystallization of halide perovskite, utilizing precise machine learning potentials.
- Speaker: Paramvir Ahlawat (Cambridge)
- Friday 04 July 2025, 14:00-15:15
- Venue: Seminar Room 3, RDC.
- Series: Theory of Condensed Matter; organiser: Gaurav.