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Presidential Lectures 2024

Free public talks that spotlight groundbreaking research.

This series spotlights groundbreaking research across neuroscience and autism, physics, biology, and mathematics and computer science. Featuring leading scientists and mathematicians, these talks foster discussion and discovery within the New York City research community.

Past Events

Collision Course: Particle Physics Meets Machine Learning

Lecture

December 4, 2024

6–7 p.m. ET

Speaker

Jesse Thaler

Portrait of Jesse Thaler

Emergence of a Hexagonal Lattice of Differentiated Cells by Tissue-Scale Mechanics

Lecture

November 20, 2024

6–7 p.m. ET

Speaker

Richard Carthew

Richard Carthew headshot

Waves of Topological Origin in Earth’s Atmosphere and Beyond

Lecture

November 13, 2024

6–7 p.m. ET

Speaker

Brad Marston

A man with short gray hair and beard stands in front of a chalkboard covered with physics equations and diagrams, wearing a black t-shirt and looking toward the camera.

Neurobiology of Sickness and Social Behavior

Lecture

November 6, 2024

6–7 p.m. ET

Speaker

Catherine Dulac

Headshot of SFARI Investigator Catherine Dulac.

Simulating the Quantum World with Data-Free, Physics-Driven Machine Learning

Lecture

October 30, 2024

6–7 p.m. ET

Speaker

Giuseppe Carleo

Portrait photo of Giuseppe Carleo

The Geometry of Multicellular Life

Lecture

October 23, 2024

6–7 p.m. ET

Speaker

Raymond E. Goldstein

A portrait photo of Raymond E. Goldstein.

Copernicus Revisited: Is Earth Special?

Lecture

October 16, 2024

6–7 p.m. ET

Speaker

Laura Kreidberg

A woman with long curly hair, wearing a blue blouse and gray blazer, smiles while sitting in front of a chalkboard filled with equations.

Social Cognition, Autism and the Human Brain

Lecture

October 9, 2024

6–7 p.m. ET

Speaker

Ralph Adolphs

Portrait photo of Ralph Adolphs

(Machine) Learning the Genealogy of the Milky Way

Lecture

September 25, 2024

6–7 p.m. ET

Speaker

Lina Necib

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Deciphering the Genomic Rosetta Stone

Lecture

September 11, 2024

6–7 p.m. ET

Speaker

Rob Phillips

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Exploring the Atmospheres of Ice Giants: Uranus and Neptune in the Age of Exoplanets

Lecture

September 4, 2024

6–7 p.m. ET

Speaker

Heidi Hammel

A smiling woman with glasses holds two blue plush toys, standing in front of an image of the James Webb Space Telescope with its gold hexagonal mirrors visible.

Neural Mechanisms of Interactive Communication: From Bird Cage to Bedside

Lecture

May 8, 2024

6–7 p.m. ET

Speaker

Michael A. Long

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Statistical Physics of Machine Learning

Lecture

May 1, 2024

6–7 p.m. ET

Speaker

Lenka Zdeborová

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Fast and Flexible Group Decision-Making

Lecture

April 24, 2024

6–7 p.m. ET

Speaker

Naomi Ehrich Leonard

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Bioinspired Ocean Exploration

Lecture

April 17, 2024

6–7 p.m. ET

Speaker

John Dabiri

A smiling man with a shaved head wearing a blue, long-sleeve, button-up shirt stands with arms crossed in a sunlit corridor with archways.

Themes and Variations in Social Brain Circuits

Lecture

April 10, 2024

6–7 p.m. ET

Speaker

Vanessa Ruta

Portrait photo of Vanessa Ruta

The Next Great Scientific Theory is Hiding Inside a Neural Network

Lecture

April 3, 2024

6–7 p.m. ET

Speaker

Miles Cranmer

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The Story of the First Two Hours of a Fly’s Life

Lecture

March 27, 2024

6–7 p.m. ET

Speaker

Massimo Vergassola

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The Climate Multiscale Challenge From the Lens of the Ocean

Lecture

March 20, 2024

6–7 p.m. ET

Speaker

Annalisa Bracco

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Face to Face: The Special Ways of Our Social Minds and Brains

Lecture

March 13, 2024

6–7 p.m. ET

Speaker

Winrich Freiwald

Portrait photo of Winrich Freiwald

Exploring and Exploiting the Biomolecular Structure and Function with Machine Learning: Biodiversity and Beyond

Lecture

March 6, 2024

8 a.m.–5 p.m. ET

Speaker

Richard Bonneau

A man with light skin, brown hair, and a beard wearing a dark shirt stands against a plain light background, looking at the camera with a neutral expression.

Engineering Life One Molecule at a Time

Lecture

February 28, 2024

6–7 p.m. ET

Speaker

Michael Murrell

A man with long dreadlocks wearing a brown suit jacket, blue dress shirt, and striped tie, poses in front of a solid blue background.

AI in Climate Science: From Emulation to New Discoveries

Lecture

February 21, 2024

6–7 p.m. ET

Speaker

Pierre Gentine

A man with light brown hair and a beard, wearing a dark button-up shirt, stands in front of a blurred whiteboard background, looking directly at the camera with a neutral expression.

Neurobiology for Social Touch, From Mice to Naked Mole Rats

Lecture

February 14, 2024

6–7 p.m. ET

Speaker

Ishmail Abdus-Saboor

A man with glasses and a beard sits at a desk in a lab, wearing a white shirt and looking at the camera. Lab equipment and a whiteboard are visible in the background.

Accelerating Discovery in Climate Physics with Machine Learning

Lecture

February 7, 2024

6–7 p.m. ET

Speaker

Laure Zanna

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Understanding How Biological Cells Self-Organize Into Organs and Organisms

Lecture

January 31, 2024

6–7 p.m. ET

Speaker

Lisa Manning

Portrait photo of Lisa Manning

How Exoplanets Provide Insight Into Atmospheric Physics Within Extreme Regimes

Lecture

January 24, 2024

6–7 p.m. ET

Speaker

Emily Rauscher

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Genomic Pillars of the Social Brain

Lecture

January 17, 2024

6–7 p.m. ET

Speaker

Gene E. Robinson

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