Public Lectures

Physics for the Inquiring Mind

KITP 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.

Image showing KITP Public Lectures happening on stage

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.

 

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The Force of Nothing: Attraction, Repulsion, and Motion in the Quantum Void

 

Speaker: Mehran Kardar
Date: Tuesday, June 9, 2026
Time: Reception at 5:00 PM | Talk at 6:00 PM
Location: Kohn Hall, Lagoon Rd, UC Santa Barbara, CA | Zoom Webinar
 

 

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KITP Public Lectures Archive

Event Information
Space-Time Versus the Quantum
Speaker: Joseph Polchinski
Date: 2014-12-04
Watch Talk
From zero to c in 60 minutes: ...A crash course in Einstein's relativity
Speaker: R. Shankar
Date: 2014-11-18
Watch Talk
The Quantum Physics of Global Warming
Speaker: Brad Marston
Date: 2014-06-18
Watch Talk
The Physics of Flocking
Speaker: M. Cristina Marchetti
Date: 2014-05-14
Watch Talk
Rhythms & Algorithms ~ Physics and Music
Speaker: Theo Geisel
Date: 2014-02-19
Watch Talk
The Spin on Electronics!: The nanoscience and nanotech of spin currents
Speaker: Stuart Parkin
Date: 2013-11-04
Watch Talk
On Growth & Form of the Embryo: From Gene Expression to Tissue Mechanics
Speaker: Eric F. Wieschaus
Date: 2013-07-31
Watch Talk
Gravity and Quantum Mechanics - The Quest for Unification
Speaker: Joe Polchinski
Date: 2013-03-06
Watch Talk
Can Evolution Be Understood Quantitatively?
Speaker: Daniel S. Fisher
Date: 2013-01-30
Watch Talk
Particle Physics On a Chip: the Search for Majorana Fermions
Speaker: Leo Kouwenhoven
Date: 2012-12-05
Watch Talk
Worshipped Today, Scorned Tomorrow…: Albert Einstein and the Perils of Public Engagement
Speaker: Diana Kormos Buchwald
Date: 2012-03-14
Watch Talk
From String Theory to Exotic Materials and Back Again
Speaker: Sean Hartnoll
Date: 2011-10-12
Watch Talk
Life After Stellar Death: Supernovae, Neutron Stars, Pulsars and Black Holes
Speaker: Edward van den Heuvel
Date: 2011-03-23
Watch Talk
How Bacteria Talk to Each Other
Speaker: Bonnie Bassler
Date: 2011-01-19
Watch Talk
Time, Einstein and the Coolest Stuff in the Universe
Speaker: William Phillips
Date: 2010-10-13
Watch Talk