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Mathematical Physics Webinar

Upcoming Events

  • Oct 14 2026

    M. Cristina Marchetti – Active nematic solids and morphogenesis

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    Wednesday, October 14, 2026 - Wednesday, October 14, 2026
    10:45 AM - 12:00 PM
    Zoom

    M. Cristina Marchetti – UC Santa Barbara

    Wednesday, October 14, 2026

    Zoom opens: 10:30AM EDT

    Seminar begins: 10:45AM EDT

    Active nematic solids and morphogenesis

    Orientational order of elongated cells or muscle fibers is observed ubiquitously in biology and is known to play an important role in the organization of biological tissue. While most previous work has modeled living tissue as active fluids, in many circumstances both cell neighbor exchanges and cell divisions are suppressed and the tissue behaves more like an active solid. A striking example of this is the freshwater polyp Hydra, where topological defects in the muscle fiber orientation have been shown to localize to key features of the body plan. In this talk I will examine the behavior of active nematic solids, where the feedback between alignment, elasticity and biochemical signaling controls shape and structure.

  • Oct 21 2026

    Lai-Sang Young - Neuroscience meets dynamical systems: building a model of primary visual cortex

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    Wednesday, October 21, 2026 - Wednesday, October 21, 2026
    10:45 AM - 12:00 PM
    Zoom

    Lai-Sang Young - NYU

    Wednesday, October 21, 2026

    Zoom opens: 10:30AM EDT

    Seminar begins: 10:45AM EDT

    "Neuroscience meets dynamical systems: building a model of primary visual cortex"

    In this talk, I would like to discuss some modeling work in which  simple mathematical ideas were used to shed light on neural mechanisms. The model in question simulates a small region of the primary visual cortex (V1) of the Macaque monkey, whose visual system is very similar to that of humans. Our model is a dynamical network of spiking neurons capable of reproducing dozens of V1 function and is (to a degree) built to "compute like the real brain". I will attempt to clarify/propose answers to some basic questions in visual neuroscience, such as how exactly orientation selectivity (OS) works, and the origin of direction selectivity (DS). OS and DS are visual functions enjoyed by neurons in V1 but not by their LGN afferents.

  • Oct 28 2026

    Sourav Chatterjee – Some exact calculations in timelike Liouville field theory

    Information
    Wednesday, October 28, 2026 - Wednesday, October 28, 2026
    10:45 AM - 12:00 PM
    Zoom

    Sourav Chatterjee – Stanford University

    Wednesday, October 28, 2026

    Zoom opens: 10:30AM EDT

    Seminar begins: 10:45AM EDT

    Some exact calculations in timelike Liouville field theory

    Timelike Liouville field theory is a toy model of 2D gravity that has received attention in the recent literature. Most of the conjectures about this theory are currently beyond the reach of rigorous mathematics. I will present a recent work where I was able to perform some exact calculations for certain parameter values. No background is necessary.

 

Past Events

Aug 17 2022

Ido Kanter – From theoretical Physics to experimental Neuroscience: The new neuron and new type of learning

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Wednesday, August 17, 2022
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM
Event Type: Mathematical Physics Webinar
Ido Kanter – Bar Ilan University Wednesday, August 17th, 10:45AM (Zoom meeting starts at 10:30) “From theoretical Physics to experimental Neuroscience: The new neuron and new type of learning” Can Physics assist with key challenges in Neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence?
Aug 10 2022

Andrea Bertozzi - Tears of Wine

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Wednesday, August 10, 2022
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM
Zoom
Event Type: Mathematical Physics Webinar
Andrea Bertozzi - UCLA Wednesday, August 10th, 10:45AM (Zoom meeting starts at 10:30) “Tears of Wine” CLICK HERE TO VIEW RECORDING Tears of wine are an age-old phenomenon in which alcohol evaporation can lead to an effect in which wine
Aug 03 2022

Mark Alber - Combined Mathematical Modeling and Experimental Study of the Biomechanical Mechanisms of Platelet-Driven Contraction of Blood Clots

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Wednesday, August 3, 2022
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM
Event Type: Mathematical Physics Webinar
Mark Alber - University of California Wednesday, August 3rd, 10:45AM (Zoom meeting starts at 10:30) CLICK HERE TO VIEW RECORDING “Combined Mathematical Modeling and Experimental Study of the Biomechanical Mechanisms of Platelet-Driven Contraction of Blood Clots” While blood clot formation
Jul 27 2022

Arup K. Chakraborty - Viruses, Immunity, and Vaccines

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Wednesday, July 27, 2022
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM
Zoom
Event Type: Mathematical Physics Webinar
Arup K. Chakraborty - Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT & Harvard Wednesday, July 27, 10:45AM (Zoom meeting starts at 10:30) CLICK HERE TO VIEW RECORDING “Viruses, Immunity, and Vaccines” Infectious disease-causing pathogens have plagued humanity since antiquity, and the COVID-19
Jul 20 2022

Udo Seifert - From stochastic thermodynamics to thermodynamic inference

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Wednesday, July 20, 2022
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM
Event Type: Mathematical Physics Webinar
Udo Seifert - Universitaet Stuttgart Wednesday, July 20, 10:45AM (Zoom meeting starts at 10:30) “From stochastic thermodynamics to thermodynamic inference” CLICK HERE TO VIEW RECORDING Stochastic thermodynamics provides a universal framework for analyzing nano- and micro-sized non-equilibrium systems. Prominent examples
Jul 13 2022

David R. Nelson - Geometrical frustration and fractional defect charges on cones

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Wednesday, July 13, 2022
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM
Event Type: Mathematical Physics Webinar
David R. Nelson - Harvard University Wednesday, July 13, 10:45AM (Zoom meeting starts at 10:30) “Geometrical frustration and fractional defect charges on cones” CLICK HERE TO VIEW RECORDING The difficulty of constructing ordered states on spheres, an example of geometrical
Jul 06 2022

Scott Aaronson - Discrete Bulk Reconstruction

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Wednesday, July 6, 2022
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM
Event Type: Mathematical Physics Webinar
Scott Aaronson - University of Texas at Austin Wednesday, July 6, 10:45AM (Zoom meeting starts at 10:30) “Discrete Bulk Reconstruction” CLICK HERE TO VIEW RECORDING The AdS/CFT correspondence posits a duality between quantum theories of gravity in anti-de-Sitter (AdS) universes,
Jun 29 2022

Steven M. Girvin - Adventures in Quantum Phase Space: Why Bosons are Better than Qubits for Quantum Error Correction

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Wednesday, June 29, 2022
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM
Event Type: Mathematical Physics Webinar
Steven M. Girvin - Yale University Wednesday, June 29, 10:45AM (Zoom meeting starts at 10:30) “Adventures in Quantum Phase Space: Why Bosons are Better than Qubits for Quantum Error Correction” The fact that quantum error correction is possible in principle
Jun 22 2022

Sylvia Serfaty – Microscopic description of Coulomb gases

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Wednesday, June 22, 2022
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM
Zoom
Event Type: Mathematical Physics Webinar
Sylvia Serfaty – New York University Wednesday, June 22, 10:45AM (Zoom meeting starts at 10:30) CLICK HERE TO VIEW RECORDING “Microscopic description of Coulomb gases” We are interested in the statistical mechanics of systems of N points with Coulomb interactions
Jun 15 2022

Michael J. Shelley - Flows and instabilities in cellular biomechanics

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Wednesday, June 15, 2022
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM
Event Type: Mathematical Physics Webinar
Michael J. Shelley - NYU Wednesday, June 15, 10:45AM (Zoom meeting starts at 10:30) CLICK HERE TO VIEW RECORDING “Flows and instabilities in cellular biomechanics” Flows in the fluidic interior of living cells can serve function, and by their structure
Jun 08 2022

Maxim Kontsevich - Over-determined Schwinger-Dyson equations for matrix models

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Wednesday, June 8, 2022
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM
Event Type: Mathematical Physics Webinar
Maxim Kontsevich - IHES Wednesday, June 8, 10:45AM (Zoom meeting starts at 10:30) CLICK HERE TO VIEW RECORDING “Over-determined Schwinger-Dyson equations for matrix models” Observables in the planar limit of multi-matrix models satisfy an infinite system of quadratic equations, called
Jun 01 2022

Peter Constantin - On the Nernst-Planck-Navier-Stokes system

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Wednesday, June 1, 2022
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM
Event Type: Mathematical Physics Webinar
Peter Constantin - Princeton University Wednesday, June 1, 10:45AM (Zoom meeting starts at 10:30) “On the Nernst-Planck-Navier-Stokes system” CLICK HERE TO VIEW RECORDING The NPNS system models the macroscopic evolution of ionic concentrations in electrically conducting fluids. I will present
May 25 2022

Sidney Nagel - Memory formation in out of equilibrium systems

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Wednesday, May 25, 2022
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM
Zoom
Event Type: Mathematical Physics Webinar
Out-of-equilibrium systems preserve memories of their formation and training history in a variety of ways allowing for an innovative classification of material and dynamics. I will discuss one case where a cyclically sheared suspension of particles or a charge-density-wave solid
May 18 2022

Sriram Ramaswamy - Directions in Active Matter

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Wednesday, May 18, 2022
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM
Event Type: Mathematical Physics Webinar
Sriram Ramaswamy - Indian Institute of Science Wednesday, May 18, 10:45AM (Zoom meeting starts at 10:30) CLICK HERE TO VIEW RECORDING “Directions in Active Matter” Active matter is made of particles steadily supplied with free energy that they turn into
May 11 2022

Peter Fratzl -Simple mechanobiological models for tissue growth and regeneration

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Wednesday, May 11, 2022
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM
Zoom
Event Type: Mathematical Physics Webinar
Peter Fratzl - Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces Wednesday, May 11, 10:45AM (Zoom meeting starts at 10:30) CLICK HERE TO VIEW RECORDING “Simple mechanobiological models for tissue growth and regeneration” Tissue regeneration after fracture or injury is controlled
May 04 2022

Peter Wolynes - The Theory of Glasses: The Last Twenty Years (Mostly)

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Wednesday, May 4, 2022
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM
Event Type: Mathematical Physics Webinar
Peter Wolynes - Rice University Wednesday, May 4, 10:45AM (Zoom meeting starts at 10:30) CLICK HERE TO VIEW RECORDING “The Theory of Glasses: The Last Twenty Years (Mostly)” The mosaic picture of supercooled liquids and glasses based on an underlying
Apr 27 2022

Albert-László Barabási - Controlling Networks: Fundamentals and applications to brain science

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Wednesday, April 27, 2022
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM
Zoom
Event Type: Mathematical Physics Webinar
Albert-László Barabási - Northeastern University and Harvard University Wednesday, April 27, 10:45AM (Zoom meeting starts at 10:30) “Controlling Networks: Fundamentals and applications to brain science” The ultimate proof of our understanding of biological or technological systems is reflected in our
Apr 20 2022

Jonathan Mattingly - A random forcing model of the 2D  fluid equations

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Wednesday, April 20, 2022
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM
Event Type: Mathematical Physics Webinar
Jonathan Mattingly - Duke University Wednesday, April 20, 10:45AM (Zoom meeting starts at 10:30) CLICK HERE TO VIEW RECORDING “A random forcing model of the 2D fluid equations” Abstract: The Navier-Stokes and Euler equations describe the flow of a incompressible
Apr 13 2022

Jim Hudspeth - Making an effort to listen: mechanical amplification by ion channels and myosin molecules in hair cells of the inner ear

Information
Wednesday, April 13, 2022
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM
Zoom
Event Type: Mathematical Physics Webinar
Jim Hudspeth - Rockefeller University Wednesday, April 13, 10:45AM (Zoom meeting starts at 10:30) CLICK HERE TO VIEW SEMINAR RECORDING “Making an effort to listen: mechanical amplification by ion channels and myosin molecules in hair cells of the inner ear”
Apr 06 2022

Irene Giardina - Departure from equilibrium and signatures of irreversibility in flocking systems

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Wednesday, April 6, 2022
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM
Zoom
Event Type: Mathematical Physics Webinar
Irene Giardina - Sapienza University of Rome Wednesday, April 6, 10:45AM (Zoom meeting starts at 10:30) CLICK HERE TO VIEW SEMINAR RECORDING “Departure from equilibrium and signatures of irreversibility in flocking systems” Biological groups such as insect swarms and bird