Professor David Wiltshire, University of Canterbury Sixty years ago New Zealander Roy Kerr helped revolutionize physics when he discovered the solution to Einstein's equations defining space around a rotating star or black hole. The Kerr solution became the basis for revolutions first in fundamental physics and later in astronomy and cosmology. More recent discoveries of […]

All cellular organisms in the world are vulnerable to infection by viruses. We have seen this impact our lives in the past few years with the coronavirus pandemic. Bacteria are also infected by their own viruses, which are known as bacteriophages (phages) – Greek for “bacteria eaters”. These phages are the most abundant biological entities […]

Professor James Higham, Griffith University, Brisbane, and University of Otago There has been much said about the impact of COVID-19 on tourism in New Zealand, and the need for a ‘new’ tourism that will meet the challenges of the 21st century. This presentation will explore the challenges that we now face, consider why a tourism re-set […]

Associate Professor Karen Pollard, University of Canterbury and Director of Mount John Observatory Stars are key components of galaxies: they are hosts for families of planets; they create the chemical elements deep in their interiors; they evolve and explode, providing the physical feedback mechanism to kickstart new generations of star formation. In this talk I […]

Professor Cliff Abraham, University of Otago Alzheimer’s disease treatment is one of neurology’s greatest challenges. Although drug therapies have been available for over 30 years, they’ve only been able to address certain symptoms. Now, new therapies are being developed that have potential to directly attack the disease’s causes. Yet there are still questions about their […]

DO YOU HAVE A HEALTHY MIND? The philosophy of mental health Professor Simon Keller, Victoria University of Wellington Mental health is an increasingly prominent consideration in society but what is a healthy mind? To put it another way: what should you strive for, exactly, when you set out to cultivate or protect your mental health? […]

Professor Stephen Henry, Kode Biotech Ltd Steve’s early studies were of glycolipids (which can hop into cells and label them) before he switched to creating synthetic analogues. The work evolved into Kode technology - 3D bioactive paint that allows the rapid modification of virtually any biological or non-biological surface and can be used to create […]

Dr Tim Payn, SCION Everything that can be made with fossil-based materials today can be made from a tree tomorrow. Forests are wonderful things, providing a huge range of products and services and a home for biodiversity. But the outlook for natural forests is grim. This is why planted forests are critically important. In his […]

Dr Samuel Mehr (University of Auckland) Music - what is it, how does it work, and why does it exist? Henry Wadsworth Longfellow famously described music as "the universal language of mankind". Recent insights from cognitive and developmental psychology, cross-cultural data science, and evolutionary anthropology show that he had the right idea. Sam will present […]

Professor Emeritus Philippa Gander, Massey University Philippa will explore how the circadian body clock modifies the functioning of our brain and body across the day/night cycle and programmes us for sleeping at night, ideally for about a third of our life. Many aspects of modern life interfere with these genetically driven requirements, but the scientific […]

Dr Fiona Shanhun Antarctica is a continent of extremes, and an incredible natural laboratory. Explorers and scientists have long been fascinated with unlocking Antarctica's secrets – making measurements and taking samples from some of the most remote and challenging research locations on the planet. Fiona will take you on a journey of science and exploration, […]

Associate Professor Karen Pollard, University of Canterbury The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) studies every phase in the history of our Universe, ranging from the first luminous glows after the Big Bang, to the formation and evolution of stars that may have solar systems capable of supporting life on planets like Earth. Launched on 25 December […]