As fascinating as physics can be, it can also seem very abstract, but behind each experiment and discovery stands a real person trying to understand the universe. Join us at the Cavendish Laboratory on the first Thursday of every month as we get up close and personal with the researchers, technicians, students, teachers, and people that are the beating heart of Cambridge University’s Physics department. Each episode also covers the most exciting and up-to-date physics news coming out of our labs. If you want to know what goes on behind the doors of a Physics department, are curious to know how people get into physics, or simply wonder what physicists think and dream about, listen in! Join us on Twitter @DeptofPhysics using the hashtag #PeopleDoingPhysics.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
https://www.phy.cam.ac.uk/podcast
episode 21: The rise of the machine (learning) with Gareth Conduit
Today we’re joined by Dr Gareth Conduit. Gareth is a lecturer at Gonville and Caius College and Royal Society Research Fellow here at the cavendish Laboratory. He leads a research group focused on developing machine learning methods for understanding and designing new materials and chemicals.
In 2017, he co-founded the startup Intellegens, through which he’s worked with companies such as Rolls Royce to apply software developed in the lab to the kinds of materials questions faced by industry.
Today, we talk about how the joy of physics can come from breaking things down to understand how they work, Gareth’s journey through Cambridge life as an undergraduate, postgraduate and now independent researcher, and the exciting opportunities and advances that arise when you bring physics and computers together to solve real-world challenges.
Useful links- You can find out more about Gareth's research at quantum.cam.ac.uk
- Learn more about Intellegens, the spin-out company founded in 2017
- Interested in the Physics Olympiad? Visit the International Physics Olympiad website or start with the British one.
- Watch David MacKay's TED talk and check the book mentioned in this episode: Sustainable Energy - without the hot air
- To learn more about the Cavendish Laboratory, or if you are interested in joining us or studying with us, go to the Cavendish website.
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- Any comment about the podcast or question you would like to ask our physicists, email us at podcast@phy.cam.ac.uk or join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #PeopleDoingPhysics.
Episode credits
- Hosts: Simone Eizagirre Barker and Jacob Butler
- Recording and Editing: Chris Brock
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy