Public Lectures

Physics for the Inquiring Mind

Public LecturesKITP Public Lectures connect you with people and research that is transforming our understanding of the universe. This popular series of 3-4 public lectures each year takes advantage of the presence of the many distinguished scientists who visit KITP to collaborate on the most fascinating and challenging questions in their fields. 

Speakers have included, among others, Conny Aerts, Peter Galison, Asimina Arvanitaki, Murray Gell-Mann, John Grunsfeld, Stephen Hawking, Robert Kirshner, Nathan Lewis, and M. Cristina Marchetti. Talks have ranged from how stars ring, projects at the large hadron collider (LHC), how the brain works, challenges for global energy, the potential in the human genome, and black holes.

Friends of KITP receive priority seat reservations, and an informal reception follows each lecture.


Upcoming Event

Living in the Matrix: Recent Advances in Understanding Quantum Spacetime

Speaker: Clifford V. Johnson
Date: Thursday, April 18, 2024, 6:00 PM
Location: Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, Fred Kavli Auditorium

KITP Public Lectures Archive

Event Informationsort descending
From photons to perception: A physicist looks at the brain
Speaker: William Bialek
Date: 2004-09-01
From String Theory to Exotic Materials and Back Again
Speaker: Sean Hartnoll
Date: 2011-10-12
From zero to c in 60 minutes: ...A crash course in Einstein's relativity
Speaker: R. Shankar
Date: 2014-11-18
Fundamental Physics and the Fifth Dimension
Speaker: Raman Sundrum
Date: 2019-07-10
Genetic Predispositions for Cancers in Humans
Speaker: Arnold J. Levine
Date: 2005-02-02
Gravity and Quantum Mechanics - The Quest for Unification
Speaker: Joe Polchinski
Date: 2013-03-06
How Bacteria Talk to Each Other
Speaker: Bonnie Bassler
Date: 2011-01-19
How Cells Package and Traffic Proteins for Export
Speaker: Randy Schekman
Date: 2015-08-19
How Hearing Happens
Speaker: A. James Hudspeth
Date: 2017-06-14
Impact and Intrusion
Speaker: Sidney Nagel
Date: 2018-02-28