Presidential Lectures

Presidential Lectures are a series of free public colloquia spotlighting groundbreaking research across four themes: neuroscience and autism science, physics, biology, and mathematics and computer science. These curated, high-level scientific talks feature leading scientists and mathematicians and are designed to foster discussion and drive discovery within the New York City research community. We invite those interested in these topics to join us for this weekly lecture series.

Upcoming

Apr08

Randomized Algorithms and Representative Democracy

Moon Duchin, Ph.D.Professor of Computer Science and Data Science, University of Chicago

Lecture
April 8, 2026
6:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Gerald D. Fischbach Auditorium

Register

Apr15

Why Infections Make Us Sick: Host Defenses of the Brain–Immune Axis

Zuri Sullivan, Ph.D.Assistant Professor of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Lecture
April 15, 2026
6:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Gerald D. Fischbach Auditorium

Register

Apr22

Puzzles in the Black Hole Interior: Past, Present and Future

Netta Engelhardt, Ph.D.Associate Professor of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Lecture
April 22, 2026
6:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Gerald D. Fischbach Auditorium

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Past

Feb27

Learning to Count in String Theory

Portrait photo of Shamit Kachru

Shamit Kachru, Ph.D.Professor of Physics and Director, Stanford Institute for Theoretical Physics, Stanford University

Lecture
February 27, 2019
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Feb20

Measurements of Time in Astronomy

Portrait photo of Ruth Angus

Ruth Angus, Ph.D.Associate Research Scientist, Astronomical Data, CCA, Flatiron Institute

Lecture
February 20, 2019
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Feb13

Reflections on Human Origins Since Darwin’s Conjectures

Portrait photo of Richard Leakey

Richard E. Leakey, FRSProfessor, Chair, Turkana Basin Institute, Stony Brook University

Lecture
February 13, 2019
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Feb06

Could Machines Learn Like Humans?

Portrait photo of Yann LeCun

Yann LeCunFacebook AI Research
New York University

Lecture
February 6, 2019
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Jan30

The Genetic Influences on Autism Spectrum Disorder Risk

Portrait photo of Elise Robinson

Elise Robinson, Sc.D.Assistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology, Harvard Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University

Lecture
January 30, 2019

Jan23

Exploring Cancer Drivers and Dependencies

Scott W. Lowe, Ph.D.Chair, Geoffrey Beene Cancer Research Center, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

Lecture
January 23, 2019