Public Lecture: The Universe in a Box - Andrew Pontzen25th Anniversary

Wednesday Jul 30, 2025, 7:00 p.m. → 9:00 p.m. America/Toronto

Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics

Abstract – Merging black holes, collapsing dark matter, giant supernova explosions: a tapestry of cosmic events stretching over the past 13.8 billion years have shaped our existence in a vast universe. Faced with this complexity, humanity has increasingly turned to computers to help extract a clear understanding of the cosmos and our place within it. This lecture will explore how the history of how these tools have developed, in parallel with more down-to-earth computational pursuits like weather forecasting. We will see how the resulting codes have unlocked our understanding of the universe, from galaxies and black holes to the essence of matter. And the lecture will conclude with a look at a contentious idea put forward by some philosophers and scientists – that we may already be living inside a simulation. 

 

Bio – Andrew Pontzen is a professor of cosmology, and from January 2026 will direct Durham University’s Institute for Computational Cosmology. His research concerns how structure formed in our universe, from its opening moments to the present day. He has written for the New Scientist, BBC Sky at Night and BBC Science Focus; lectured at the Royal Institution; appeared on BBC, Amazon Prime and Discovery Channel documentaries; and contributed to BBC Radio 4 programmes including Inside Science and The Curious Cases of Rutherford & Fry. He is also the author of The Universe in a Box which dives into the role of simulations in cosmology and beyond, recently published to critical acclaim.