Inaugural Lecture: Professor Jiannis Pachos, School of Physics & Astronomy

The School of Physics and Astronomy are delighted to present this inaugural lecture by Professor Jiannis Pachos. The one hour lecture starts at 17:30, followed by a small drinks reception.

Abstract: Quantum physics fascinates scientists and the public alike. Sometimes it is like a lens through which reality is viewed more clearly. At other times we are still at odds with its fundamental properties. Nevertheless, scientists successfully already employ quantum physics for technological applications, ranging from X-rays, lasers and MRI that transformed modern medicine to semiconductors that revolutionised computers.

Recently, it has been proposed to use the full power of quantum mechanics in the form of a quantum computer. Can scientists learn how to use something that defies common logic? Or do we need to understand quantum mechanics in a deeper level before any actual revolution is made in quantum technologies?

Bio: Prof Jiannis K. Pachos was born in Rhodes, Greece. He studied undergraduate Physics at the University of Athens, and did his PhD at Durham University. Subsequently, he did postdocs at several places around the world, such as at MIT, Max Planck Institute and Imperial College. Then he obtained a Royal Society University Research Fellowship that he held at Cambridge and subsequently at the University of Leeds. Jiannis became a Professor of Theoretical Physics in 2018. His main research interests are quantum matter, geometrical and topological effects in physics and quantum computation.

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