There’s a two-way relationship between talking about science and doing it. The talks and seminars we host in our rooms at the Royal Institution give our researchers the chance to crystallise their ideas, and to test them out on friends, colleagues and future collaborators.i
Theatre talks7 Jul
Decoding life with AI
Mikhail Burtsev explains how artificial intelligence is helping to decipher genomes in the Royal Institution’s iconic lecture theatre.
Informal seminars15 May
Early universe strings
Prof. Joseph Conlon explains how string theory suggests new equations of state that may describe the physics of the very early universe.
Informal seminars9 May
Conformal to topological
Dr Matthew Buican explains how a universal deformation takes 3d N=4 superconformal field theories to 3d topological quantum field theories.
Informal seminars6 May
Geometry meets physics
Simon Telen presents his discovery of a new connection between polynomials inspired by particle physics and classical algebraic geometry.
Informal seminars29 Apr
Linearising groups
Antoine Pinardin presents a complete description of the linearisable subgroups of the plane Cremona group over the field of complex numbers.
Lonti lectures7 Apr
Quantum symmetries
Dr Po-Shen Hsin introduces generalised symmetries in quantum systems and explores their roles in dynamics, constraints and applications.
Informal seminars28 Mar
London learns Lean
Mathematicians across London share their work on the formalisation of mathematics using the AI proof-assistant computer language Lean.
Informal seminars27 Mar
AI for QFT
In two consecutive talks, Prof. Koji Hashimoto and Dr Akio Tomiya discuss applying machine learning to problems in quantum field theory.
Informal seminars27 Mar
Groupoids do the twist
Prof. Konstantinos Zoubos will use Lie groupoids and their twists to uncover hidden symmetries of supersymmetric orbifold field theories.
Informal seminars26 Mar
Co-piloting proofs
Dr Bhavik Mehta from Imperial College London gives an overview of Lean, the proof-assistant computer language used to formalize mathematics.
Informal seminars5 Mar
Fermionic TQFTs
Dr Matthew Yu explains how fermionic topological quantum field theories can be given a categorical description in 3+1-dimensional spacetime.
LonTI Lectures3 Mar
QCD’s IR & UV limits
Dr Andrea Guerrieri explores QCD in two distinct regimes to illustrate its pivotal role in shaping our understanding of fundamental physics.
SOCIABILITY14 Feb
St Scholastica’s Feast
We hold an annual formal dinner in our rooms, to mark the anniversary of our founding and affirm our belief in the importance of community.
Talks12 Feb
A friendly monster
In the second Simon Norton Lecture, Prof. Leonard Soicher will convey the mystery and the magic of the monster group to a general audience.
Informal seminars20 Jan
Solving Navier-Stokes
Prof. Alexander Migdal presents an infinite dimensional manifold of exact solutions to the Navier-Stokes equations for decaying turbulence.
LonTI Lectures20 Jan
Black hole paradox
Dr Tarek Anous introduces the 50-year-old black hole information paradox and discusses some of the questions that have yet to be answered.
Informal seminars13 Jan
Automating maths
Dr Alex Davies of Google DeepMind leads an interactive discussion about AI-assisted mathematical discovery and automated theorem proving.
SOCIABILITY6 Dec 2024
Christmas party
Our Christmas party is an opportunity to celebrate our supporters and collaborators, review the past year, and set our plans for the future.
Seminars18 Nov 2024
Combinatorial geometry
The London Institute will host two talks by leading experts, surveying recent advances at the intersection of geometry and combinatorics.
Seminars16 Aug 2024
Ultra Unification
Dr Juven Wang proposes novel solutions to open problems in high-energy phenomenology via new analogies from modern ultra quantum matter.
Seminars8–9 Aug 2024
DANGER 2024
The London Institute hosts a two-day workshop for theorists to discuss and explore the links between data science, AI and pure mathematics.
Seminars31 Jul 2024
Stable pairs
In this seminar, Fields Medalist Prof. Caucher Birkar talks about sheaf stable pairs in algebraic geometry, especially for Fano varieties.
Talks5 Jun 2024
The future of AI
Journalists from MIT Technology Review discuss some of the risks and opportunities around AI and how the magazine will be covering them.
Conferences21 May 2024
Organising genius
We are hosting a half-day symposium for scientists, innovators and policymakers to debate the framework within which genius flourishes.
Seminars28 Feb 2024
London Gravity Meeting
Researchers working on all aspects of gravity, from gravitational waves to black holes, discuss the latest developments in their field.
Seminars26 Feb 2024
HoloUK 2
Experts in holography, gravity and quantum systems discuss advances in our knowledge of quantum field theory and black hole physics.
Talks12 Feb 2024
A monstrous talent
In the inaugural Simon Norton Lecture, Prof. Peter Cameron celebrates the mathematician's achievements and talks about Norton algebras.
SOCIABILITY26 Jan 2024
St Scholastica’s Feast
We hold an annual formal dinner in our rooms, to mark the anniversary of our founding and affirm our belief in the importance of community.
Seminars16 Nov 2023
London Gravity Meeting
Researchers working on all aspects of gravity, from gravitational waves to black holes, discuss recent developments in the field.
Talks1 Nov 2023
Listening to maths
The luthier Robert Brewer Young explains the geometry of the violin, with musical accompaniment on two violins made by Stradivari himself.
Seminars27 Sep 2023
Launching HoloUK
Experts in holography, gravity and quantum systems discuss advances in our knowledge of conformal field theories and holographic complexity.
Seminars24–25 Aug 2023
Danger
The London Institute hosts a two-day workshop for theorists to discuss and explore the links between data science, AI and pure mathematics.
Seminars25 Jul 2023
Converging futures
The London Institute brings together experts from the worlds of finance and AI to discuss the potential and the pitfalls of AI-driven markets.
Seminars3 Jul 2023
Connected counting
Number theorists gather at the London Institute to discuss cutting-edge research and present their latest work in this branch of mathematics.
Theatre talks14 Jun 2023
Nuclear Now
The UK premiere of Oliver Stone’s new film, Nuclear Now, takes place in the Lecture Theatre, followed by an interview with the director.
Seminars1 Jun 2023
Towards fluid computing
The London Institute hosts a workshop on the Navier-Stokes millennium-prize problem and its connection to fluid computing and machine learning.
Seminars29 Mar 2023
Bounding Zaremba
Prof. Ilya Shkredov discusses Zaremba’s elegant 1971 conjecture in the theory of continued fractions, and explores the bounds relating to it.
LonTI Lectures13 Mar 2023
Geometry & fluxes
Prof. Daniel Waldram introduces the formalism and tools for characterising geometries in gravitational theories, such as Calabi-Yau manifolds.
Theatre talks24 Feb 2023
A revolution in geometry
At the Royal Institution's Friday Evening Discourse, Prof. Yang-Hui He recounts the creation of modern physics at the hands of geometry.
Theatre talks8 Feb 2023
Imagination machine
Our Trustee Martin Reeves explores imagination at its core, rethinking previous romantic notions, asking if we can harness it systematically.
Talks31 Jan 2023
Design meets maths
Designers and theorists talk about the intersection of design and mathematics in visualisation, architecture, digital design and industry.
LonTI Lectures30 Jan 2023
Conformal bootstrap
Dr Andreas Stergiou delivers an introduction to the conformal bootstrap method which is used to constrain and solve conformal field theories.
Seminars15 Dec 2022
Cohomology & sequences
The London Institute hosts guest speaker Dr Frank Neumann and the London Algebra Colloquium for their final seminar of 2022.
Talks6 Dec 2022
Spheres of influence
The Ukrainian mathematician Prof. Maryna Viazovska, who won this year’s Fields Medal, joins us for a virtual interview and discussion.
Seminars5–7 Dec 2022
Strong turbulence
Over the course of four lectures, Prof. Alexander Migdal will present 35 years of research concerning his new approach to strong turbulence.
Seminars1 Dec 2022
Evolution & Occam
The algorithmic nature of evolution implies an exponential bias towards simpler phenotypes, explaining an observed preference for symmetry.
LonTI Lectures21 Nov 2022
Black hole microstates
Prof. Sameer Murthy talks about the thermodynamic entropy of a black hole and how to formulate it within a statistical physics foundation.
Seminars1 Nov 2022
Sine-Gordon/Thirring duality
Prof. Alessandro Torrielli talks about integrable quantum field theories and the duality between the 2D Sine-Gordon and 2D Thirring models.
Talks1 Nov 2022
Skyrme theory at 60
Prof. Nicholas Manton will talk about the 60-year history of Skyrme theory, as he launches his new book on the subject.
Talks28 Oct 2022
AI mathematics
The London Institute hosts a day symposium on using AI to speed up mathematical discovery, followed by a panel discussion, drinks and dinner.
Seminars21 Oct 2022
Boundaries in gravity
The London Institution hosts a one-day workshop exploring the role of timelike boundaries in the context of gravity, followed by drinks.
SOCIABILITY6 Sep 2022
Cheers, Brits & Yanks
The London Institute welcomes MIT alumni to the Royal Institution to mark Prof. Peter Fisher’s departure as Head of Physics at MIT.
Talks7 Jul 2022
Accelerating innovation
The London Institute and the Ditchley Foundation host an afternoon discussion and drinks on the science of innovation and how to speed it up.
Talks28 Mar 2022
Quantifying AI
Peter Cochrane talks about how quantifying machine intelligence, distinct from biological intelligence, can quell the debate on AI’s future.
Theatre talks10 Mar 2022
Uncovering the OS of life
Breakthroughs in cell programming are kicking off a biological analogue of the silicon revolution, allowing us to predictably engineer life.
Conferences10 Mar 2022
Cell programming maths
The London Institute and bit.bio host a two-day international meeting to unravel the theory of cell programming at the Royal Institution.
LonTI Lectures21 Feb 2022
LonTI lecture series
During spring, the London Institute hosts weekly lectures in theoretical physics for young researchers who are interested in new fields.
Talks13 Dec 2021
Science of storytelling
Prof. Alison Woollard explores the science of storytelling and storytelling in science—a neglected virtue in modern scientific research.
Theatre talks1 Dec 2021
Theory of Everything
Professor Yang-Hui He tells the captivating story of the holy grail of science: the mathematical quest for a unifying theory of everything.
Theatre talks26 Oct 2021
Talking to Penrose
Sir Roger Penrose talks about physics, philosophy and art in a conversation with Thomas Fink and Yang-Hui He in the Faraday lecture theatre.
Talks27 Sep 2021
Maths & machines
Conrad Wolfram describes how two brothers harnessed machines to do mathematics, changing the way we think about computational thinking.
SOCIABILITY22 Sep 2021
Cheers, Brits & Yanks
Princeton and Caltech alumni celebrate Faraday’s birthday at the London Institute for Mathematical Sciences, inside the Royal Institution.
Talks21 Sep 2021
In search of serendipity
The London Institute is hosting a lunch at the Royal Institution to promote serendipity between leaders in business, finance and physics.
Conferences1–13 Aug 2021
Mathematical dialogues
Yang-Hui He co-organises the Nankai Symposium on dialogues between mathematics and physics, with the plenary talk by Sir Roger Penrose.
SOCIABILITY20 Jun 2021
Greek week
What is the limit to human achievement? To find out, we sent a team to a Greek island for a week to immerse themselves in a single problem.
Talks26 Mar 2021
23 challenges
A one-day symposium of physicists and mathematicians to write down a list of the 23 most important mathematical challenges of our time.
Seminars18 Dec 2020
Superstrings, Calabi-Yau manifolds and machine learning
In this in-real-life only event, Yang Hui talks about how string phenomenology has led from differential geometry to computational geometry and now to machine learning.
SOCIABILITY11 Dec 2020
Yuletide Winterfest
The London Institute marks the year’s successes at its Yuletide Winterfest, from 4pm on Friday 11 December—if it can get the spirits out.
Seminars16 Sep 2020
Biological computation
We’re bringing mathematicians and biologists together to discuss novel techniques for modelling cell biology on Wednesday, 16th September.
Seminars7 Aug 2020
Reprogramming the cell
Physicists and biologists discuss theoretical models of cell programming and reprogramming, shaped by experimental innovations at Bit Bio.
Seminars25 Mar 2020
Modelling in biology
Scientists discuss the potential of mathematical modelling in biology across problems in cell programming, immunology and gene regulation.
Late at LIMS30 Jan 2020
Collective behaviour
Mathematicians and social scientists discuss quantitative models of group dynamics and emergent behaviour on 30 Jan from 6:30. All welcome.
Talks29 Oct 2019
Science of Business IV
A dinner and discussion about collective imagination, strategies for acting on multiple timescales and how to respond to distant threats.
Talks2 Sep 2019
Making sure Skynet behaves itself
Marc Warner talks about how we should manage the safety of embedded artificial intelligence both individually and on a collective scale.
Talks28 May 2019
Science of Business III
A dinner and discussion about speeding up innovation, forecasting technological change and the collective action problem in climate change.
SOCIABILITY11 Dec 2018
Christmas party
The Institute’s Christmas Party continued into the small hours as members served their local delicacies and held a Meccano competition.
Talks29 Oct 2018
Science of Business II
A dinner and discussion about commitment and flexibility, acting on multiple timescales and learning and forgetting in the age of AI.
SOCIABILITY4 Jul 2018
Independence Day BBQ
Thomas Fink barbeques a Texan lunch in the popular seminar room fireplace as the London Institute celebrates American Independence Day.
Talks22 May 2018
Science of Business I
A dinner and discussion about applying principles from evolution and ecology to seemingly intractable problems in business and politics.
Seminars25 Jan 2018
Ransomware & blockchain
Leaders in intelligence, defence, business and academia discuss the technology behind ransomware and the cryptocurrencies that fund it.
Late at LIMS25 Jan 2018
The future of blockchain
Scientists and businessmen discuss the use of blockchain technologies across cryptocurrencies, commerce and the analysis of private data.
Late at LIMS5 Dec 2017
Neuroscience & AI
Physicists and neuroscientists and discuss how artificial neural networks can shed light on the working of their biological counterparts.
Seminars7 Mar 2016
Maths meets physics
Charles Epstein talks about the longstanding fractious but fruitful relationship between pure mathematics and mathematical physics.
Seminars28 Oct 2015
Ponytail physics
Robin Ball talks about a theoretical model of fibers in which their elasticity and curliness produce the characteristic shape of a ponytail.
Seminars27 May 2015
Evolution of technology
Doyne Farmer talks about what technology is and how it evolves and our improving ability to forecast technological change into the future.
Seminars22 Apr 2015
Multifractal finance
Tiziana Di Matteo talks about the interdependence of multifractal financial time series and a new way to understand and forecast them.
Grand tour23 Mar 2015
Science of information
Mark Girolami talks about how information, inference and data analysis drives the digital revolution in part 7 of our Grand Tour of Science.
Grand tour16 Mar 2015
High energy physics
Neil Lambert talks about subatomic particles and the elusive search for a theory of everything in part 6 of our Grand Tour of Science.
Grand tour9 Mar 2015
The human genome
Brian Sutton talks about the path to understanding life, molecular biology and synthetic biology in part 5 of our Grand Tour of Science.
Grand tour2 Mar 2015
Quantum theory
Chris Pickard talks about how Nature’s mysterious non-determinism is captured by quantum mechanics in part 4 of our Grand Tour of Science.
Seminars11 Feb 2015
Correlated novelties
Vittorio Loreto talks about the dynamics of correlated novelties in the evolution of biological systems, human society and technology.
Grand tour9 Feb 2015
Relativity & the universe
Andrew Green talks about the theory of relativity, cosmology and the structure of the universe in part 3 of our Grand Tour of Science.
Grand tour2 Feb 2015
Revolutions in maths
Thomas Fink talks about radical new mathematical developments that set the stage for modern physics in part 2 of our Grand Tour of Science.
Grand tour26 Jan 2015
Classical science
Robert Farr talks about the emergence of science from astronomy and the rise of classical physics in part 1 of our Grand Tour of Science.
Talks28 Aug 2014
The chain fountain
John Biggins talks about how he solved the mystery of the chain fountain, in which a chain spontaneously leaps up as it flows out of a jar.
Talks10 Dec 2013
Calculation & creativity
Thomas Fink talks about physicists’ inner drive to systematize the world around them and the role of imagination in building theories.
Talks12 Sep 2012
The minority game
Anthonius Coolen talks about a game of motorways, bars and financial markets solved by the statistical mechanics of disordered systems.
Talks12 Jun 2012
Fractal architecture
Rob Farr talks about the physics of architecture and how self-similar mechanical structures can make seemingly impossible designs a reality.
Conferences11 Apr 2012
Cyberspace networks
A two-day workshop funded by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research on computational topology, game semantics and network security.
Symposia26 Jan 2011
Physics & finance
A lunchtime symposium of physicists and financiers on banking ecosystems, financial risk and the building blocks of economic complexity.