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Talks

I have recently written a book, The Magick of Matter (Profile, UK 2022) / The Magick of Physics (Simon and Schuster, US 2023), introducing condensed matter physics to a broad audience.

Popular Science Talks

I’ve given a number of talks to general audiences, and am always happy to do more. If you organise an event at which you would like me to speak please do not hesitate to get in touch.

The Tyndall Lectures 2026

I have been invited to deliver the 2026 Tyndall lectures. These are a series of 9 lectures delivered around Ireland.

How to Grow a Quantum Computer

Computers were once the size of large rooms. We had to manufacture each of their logical components, as valves. This changed when physicists came to understand a new state of matter: the semiconductor. From that point on, we no longer had to manufacture the elementary computing components. Instead, we learnt to grow computers from crystals of silicon.

These days the race is on to build a practical quantum computer. These are again the size of large rooms. What we need is silicon for the 21st century: a new state of matter, manifested as a crystal we can grow and which acts as a quantum computer.

This talk will discuss some possible candidates for these quantum crystals, including a naturally occurring mineral (Herbertsmithite) which features some (but not all) of the necessary properties.

• Bristol Scientific Club, 21/11/25
• Institute of Physics Seminar Series, University of Kent, 9/12/25

The Demon's in the Details

A history of demons in physics, from Descartes' to Maxwell's, plus some ongoing work in which we understand the details of Pines' Demon, a new type of particle discovered in 2023.

• Samhain Agus Science, Dublin Institute for Advanced Study, 3/11/25

The Magick of Matter

This talk introduces my popular science book The Magick of Matter (Profile, UK 2022) / The Magick of Physics (Simon and Schuster, US 2023).

• The Art of Quantum, Trinity Centre Bristol, 13/4/25
• "Physics as Storytelling" (with Femi Fadugba), The Oxford Literary Festival, 8/4/25
• National Taiwan University, 8/3/25
• St Bede's School, London, 26/2/25
• Chaos PhysFest, University of Bristol, 8/6/24
• Lindemann Trust Outreach Event, King's College School, Wimbledon, 5/8/24
• Oxford Literary Festival, 23/3/24
• Laboratorio Internacional de Particulas Elementales, 27/7/23 (video here)
• Sedgehill Academy (London), 14/3/23
• Harvard Science Center, 10/3/23
• Cardiff Science Festival, 22/2/23
• St Paul's Girls' School (London) + partner schools, 30/11/22
• Cheltenham College + partner schools, 25/11/22
• Olchfa School (Swansea), 18/11/22
• The King's School (Ottery St Mary), 7/11/22
• The Royal Institution of Great Britain, 1/11/22 (video here)
• Oxford Science Festival, 27/10/22
• The Institute of Physics (London), 26/10/22
• The English-Speaking Union (Bristol), 20/10/22
• Keynote talk, Welsh Teachers' Conference (Christ's College, Brecon), 7/10/22

Magnetic Monopoles in Spin Ice

For further information and linked content see my Research page. Slides are available here.

• Cambridge University Physics Society, 13/3/24
• Laboratorio Internacional de Particulas Elementales, 25/1/24
• Friends of St. Andrew's (Colyton), 2/11/23
• PLANCKS Preliminary Competition (Edinburgh), 22/2/20
• The Royal Institution of Great Britain, 17/2/20 (video here)
• The Institute of Physics Seminar Series (University of Oxford), 4/2/20
• The Institute of Physics Seminar Series (University of Hertfordshire), 29/1/20
• The King's School (Ottery St Mary), 5/11/19
• Flying Start Physics (University of Oxford), 14/10/19

The Puzzling Paradoxes of Modern Physics

Slides are available here.

• Adstock Science Club, 16/1/19
• The Royal Institution of Great Britain, 19/1/18, 30/6/18, 1/7/18, 6/7/19
• St. Michael's Lectures (Exeter), 28/9/17
• A nice mention of this talk appears on the Gomboc information page!

Knots in Maths, Physics, Magic, and Superstition

Prepared with Dr Al Cummins.

• Locations in London; see Funzing. 16/1/18, 17/1/18

From Smoke Rings to Cosmic Strings: the Physics of Knots

Devoted page with extra information available here. Advertisement available here.

• The Royal Institution of Great Britain, 26/6/15, 27/6/15, 3/7/15
• Institute of Physics (London), 18/2/15
• The Open University, 10/2/15
• Institute of Physics Seminar Series (University of Hertfordshire), 1/10/14
• Bristol Sunday Circus, 21/09/14

Light

• Stilljam (Bristol), May 2014

Maxwell’s Demon

• Independence Day Festival (Devon), May 2012

Quantum Kung Fu

Devoted page with extra information available here. This was a video and article for Physics World.

• Quantum Carousel, 17/11/25

Summer Schools

Quasicrystals

• Physics by the Lake, 11/8/22

Colloquiua / Plenaries

The Physics of Aperiodic Order

• (invited Morning Talk) British Mathematical Colloquium / British Applied Mathematical Colloquium, Exeter 24/6/25
• University of Bielefeld, 7/7/23

Ordered Disorder

• University of Bristol, 31/3/25

Quasicrystals

• CM-CDT/QM-CDT Science Conference (St Andrew's), 11/12/23

Aperiodic Monotiles

• University of Durham, 27/11/23

Research Seminars

Witnessing the Quantum Spin Liquid in Herbertsmithite

• University of Kent, 10/12/25
• University of St Andrews, 19/11/25
• Cambridge University, 13/11/25
• Harvard University, 31/10/25
• Oxford University, 29/5/25
• Grenoble, 14/5/25
• ISIS, Rutherford Appleton Lab, 23/4/25
• National Taiwan University, 8/3/25
• Universiteit van Amsterdam, 28/2/25
• Bristol Physics Research Day, 10/1/25
• University College London, 9/12/24

Aperiodicity and Confinement

• Imperial College London, 3/12/25
• Higgs Centre for Theoretical Physics, Edinburgh, 17/11/25
• Dublin Institute for Advanced Study, 4/11/25
• University of Bristol, Holography and Quantum Field Theory Seminar, 29/1/24

Constrained Models on Aperiodic Tilings

• The Grimm Network, Glasgow 19/12/24
• Universite Paris-Saclay, 4/4/24
• Niels Bohr Institute (Copenhagen), 4/12/23
• University of Birmingham, 23/11/23
• University of Geneva, 9/6/23
• Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, 27/4/23
• Harvard University, 10/3/23
• University of Swansea, 8/2/23
• University of Lancaster, 2/12/22
• Aperiodic Tilings: A Meeting and Mathematical Art Exhibition in Honour of Uwe Grimm, Open University 29/6/22
• Unverisity of Amsterdam, 11/5/22
• University of Bristol, 9/12/21

Dimer Models on Quasicrystals

• University of Southern California (online seminar), 26/11/21
• Xiamen University (online seminar), 12/11/21
• University of Durham (online seminar), 29/4/20
• Dublin Institute for Advanced Study (online seminar), 17/4/20
• University of Bristol, 10/1/20
• University of Oxford, 23/10/19
• University of Nottingham, 25/3/19
• University of Bath, 19/2/19

Time Quasicrystals in Dissipative Dynamical Systems

• University College London, 1/9/19
• University of Kent, 8/11/18
• University of St. Andrew’s, 21/9/18
• University of Bristol, 29/9/17
• Jagiellonian University, 15/9/17
• MPI Potsdam (Albert Einstein Institute), 13/9/17

Detecting Magnetic Monopoles in Spin Ice with NV-magnetometry

• Harvard University, 14/11/16

Two Studies in Incommensurate Charge Order

• University of Oxford, 9/11/16
• The Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, 25/10/16
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 13/9/16
• Recording available here

The Gyrotropic Magnetic Effect

• University of Amsterdam, 3/5/16
• University of Leeds, 19/4/16

Charge Order in NbSe₂

• University of St. Andrew’s, 22/9/18
• University of Bath, 23/7/18
• Columbia University, 2/6/17
• University of British Columbia, 10/2/16
• Argonne National Lab, 29/1/16
• University of Waterloo, 15/6/15
• Free University of Berlin, 3/3/15
• University of Aberdeen, 30/5/13
• Slides available here

Quasicrystals, Charge Ordering, and the Quantum Hall Effect

• Princeton University, 7/1/16
• U. C. Berkeley, 16/9/15
• LMU Munich, 17/7/15
• University of Leeds, 1/4/15
• University of Porto, 13/3/15
• University of Cambridge, 13/2/15
• University of Amsterdam, 7/1/15
• University of Durham, 3/12/14
• University of St. Andrew’s, 27/11/14
• University of Kent, 20/11/14
• University of Bristol, 19/11/14
• Slides available here

Faddeev Popov ghosts

Talk notes available here.

• Physical Asymptotics Group Meeting, University of Bristol

The Gott time machine and a possible realization in condensed matter systems

Talk notes available here.

• Theory Group Open Day, University of Bristol

Conference Talks

After the End of the Universe

• (invited) After the End Workshop, University of Oxford, 3/7/24

Tensor Networks and Quasicrystals

• (invited) Tensor Networks for Constrained Systems, Kavli Institute for Nanoscience, TU Delft, 16/10/23

Constrained Models on Quasicrystals

• Topology and Geometry Beyond Perfect Crystals, Nordita 5/6/25
• (invited) 15th International Conference on Quasicrystals, 18/6/23

Hamiltonian Cycles on Ammann Beenker Tilings

• APS March Meeting, 8/3/23
• Aperiodic Tilings: A meeting and mathematical art exhibition in honour of Uwe Grimm, Open University, 29/6/22

The Classical Dimer Model on Penrose Tilings

• Open Statistical Physics Meeting, Open University, 27/3/19

Braiding Non-Abelian Anyons with Localized Heating

• Frontiers of Condensed Matter Physics, Bristol University, 10/1/19

Enhanced Gyrotropic Magnetic Effect from Multifold Fermions

• Quantum Matter Beyond the Tenfold Way, Nordita 15/7/18
• Condensed Matter in the City, UCL, 21/6/18
• (invited) Oxford Symposium on Quantum Materials 2018, Oxford University 27/4/18

The Gyrotropic Magnetic Effect

• (invited) Hot Topics in Cold Matter Workshop, UC Berkeley, 27/5/16

Charge Order in NbSe₂

• (invited) Synergistic Mechanisms in Displacive Phase Transitions, Bad Honnef 26/4/25
• 2DSPM-2018, San Sebastian, 27/7/18
• (invited) ECRYS-2017, Corsica, 26/8/17
• (invited) User Meeting, Argonne National Lab, 9/5/17
• Condensed Matter in the City, UCL, 1/7/15
• University of Bristol Postgraduate Conference, 23/07/13
• Slides available here

Detecting Magnetic Monopoles in Spin Ice with Nanoscale Magnetometry

• Workshop on Synergy and Innovation in Quantum Materials (poster), Berkeley, 12/6/17
• DAMOP (poster), Sacramento CA, 8/6/17

Charge Order along Mirror Twin Boundaries in Monolayer MoSe₂

• APS March Meeting, New Orleans LA, 15/3/17

Electron-Phonon Driven Charge Order in NbSe₂

• APS March Meeting, Denver CO, 6/3/14
• Talk slides available upon request (8.3MB file)

The Geometry of CDWs in Dichalcogenides

• Workshop and Conference on Geometrical Aspects of Quantum States in Condensed Matter, ICTP, 3/6/13
• Poster available here

Charge Density Waves, Quasicrystals, and the Quantum Hall Effect

• 6th Annual Natural Systems and Processes (poster), Bristol, 16/3/15
• Quantum Matter workshop (poster), Benasque, June 2014
• Conference in Memory of Balázs Györffy (poster), Bristol, 19/7/14

Modelling Neutron Scattering With the Large-N Method

• Highly Frustrated Magnetism 2014 (poster), Queens’ College (Cambridge), 9/7/14
• Poster available upon request (23MB file)