Tuesday 15th September 2026 from 19:00 for 19:30
Abingdon United Football Club (Northcourt Rd, OX14 1PL, Abingdon)

Imagine if your computer could access a hidden reality, outperforming even a supercomputer the size of the universe — that’s what’s possible with quantum computing. Dr Maria Violaris demystifies how quantum computers actually work; the global race towards building them; and how they could radically change our everyday lives. You’ll also find out how quantum computing originated in an idea to test one of the biggest controversies in physics: whether or not we live in a quantum multiverse.

Speaker: Maria Violaris

Dr Maria Violaris is a quantum physicist and prize-winning science communicator, with a PhD in the foundations of quantum information from the University of Oxford. She works on quantum theory research and technical content creation at quantum computing spin-out Oxford Quantum Circuits. Alongside this, she runs a YouTube channel and the Quantum Foundations Podcast; writes for publications such as Physics World; and researches fundamental aspects of quantum physics. She pioneered the approach of using quantum thought experiments for quantum computing education, through publications, workshops and creating the Quantum Paradoxes video series while at IBM Quantum.

Tuesday 18th August 2026 from 19:00 for 19:30
Abingdon United Football Club (Northcourt Rd, OX14 1PL, Abingdon)

At the UK Atomic Energy Authority, robots are an essential part of achieving fusion energy. What sort of robots do we use, why do we need them and how did we get here? This talk explores the robots we currently have at Culham, their surprisingly long history, and how we use them to enable fusion research. Outside of fusion energy, we will also cover our involvement in robotics around the world, spanning from systems that can inspect the Large Hadron Collider, will process material at the world’s largest neutron source, and navigate the hazardous environments of the traditional nuclear fission industry.

Speaker: Charles Birdsall

Charles Birdsall is a Remote Handling Operations Engineer at the UK Atomic Energy Authority, working on robotic operations at the Joint European Torus (JET) fusion energy experiment. With academic backgrounds in engineering physics, mechatronics, and robotics, they have recently contributed to the development of a training course on remote handling. They plan to begin PhD research in biologically inspired soft robotics for applications in challenging environments.

Wednesday 22nd July 2026 from 19:00 for 19:30
Abingdon United Football Club (Northcourt Rd, OX14 1PL, Abingdon)

Please note this month’s event is on Wednesday.

Congenital heart disease is the term given to heart abnormalities patients are born with. Cardiac catheterisation is the procedure of inserting long thin tubes through the blood vessels in the groin, neck and liver into the heart. Neil will describe the development of cardiac catheterisation from a purely diagnostic procedure to treatment of structural and electrical congenital heart disease (holes in the heart, abnormal heart rhythms, etc.)

Speaker: Dr Neil Wilson

Neil graduated MB BS from St Thomas Hospital Medical School and specialised in paediatric cardiology during a varied career in the UK, USA and Middle East. His retirement is devoted to helping children read, Pilates, golf, playing the melodeon and Morris dancing.

Tuesday 16th June 2026 from 19:00 for 19:30
Abingdon United Football Club (Northcourt Rd, OX14 1PL, Abingdon)

How do diseases spread and how can the analysis of data help us stop them? In this talk, Professor Donnelly will explain the quantitative modelling and statistical tools that are essential for understanding transmission dynamics and informing evidence-based policies for both human and animal health. Drawing on lessons from past epidemics and endemic diseases, across livestock, wildlife, and human populations, she will show how mathematical frameworks and statistical inference help unravel complex transmission systems. She will also highlight how novel data sources are underpinning new approaches to understanding transmission and protecting vulnerable populations.

Speaker: Professor Christl Donnelly

Christl Donnelly CBE has been Professor of Applied Statistics at the University of Oxford since 2018. Previously, she was Professor of Statistical Epidemiology at Imperial College London.  She is a Fellow of the Royal Society, the Academy of Medical Sciences and the newly formed Academy for the Mathematical Sciences.  Her research spans infectious diseases in humans and in animals, with extensive experience in real-time analysis of data during major epidemics. These include the 2001 UK foot-and-mouth disease epidemic, the 2003 SARS epidemic, the 2009 influenza pandemic, the 2014-2016 West African Ebola epidemic and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tuesday 19th May 2026 from 19:00 for 19:30
Abingdon United Football Club (Northcourt Rd, OX14 1PL, Abingdon)

Speaker: James Edmiston

James is a DPhil candidate at the University of Oxford, cosponsored by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority. Previously he completed an MSci and BA in Natural Sciences at the University of Cambridge, and has conducted research in plasma physics at the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics in Greifswald, the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and Imperial College London. Current research interests include transport in ‘burning’ magnetically confined plasmas, magnetohydrodynamic turbulence and magnetic reconnection thrusters.