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SciencePhysics

Phymaths podcast

Hassaan Saleem

A podcast to discuss the ideas that are at the forefront of fundamental theoretical physics and mathematics.

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  • 23 episodes
  • Avg 1 hr 40 min
  • English

Episodes 23

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  • S1 · E77
    October 29 · 1 hr 20 min

    Phymaths podcast # 77 || Dr. John Schwarz

    DescriptionDr. John Schwarz is the Harold Brown Professor of Theoretical Physics, Emeritus, at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). He is one of the pioneers of superstring theory and played a central role in the first superstring revolution through his groundbreaking work with Michael Green. His research focuses on string theory, quantum gravity, and theoretical elementary particle physics. A list of his works is given below.Some links1) His works: https://inspirehep.net/authors/9895842) Link to the high-energy physics resources page on my website: https://hassaansaleem.com/graduate-level-theoretical-physics-resources-in-progress/Contact InfoMy website: hassaansaleem.comFollow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hassaan.3142/Join the WhatsApp channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va9DkjmAzNbs7IlGuv1XFollow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Hassaan_PHYEmail Queries: greatestmight@gmail.comTime stamps(0:00) Intro of the guest(0:19) Graduate days with Geoffrey Chew(1:47) Dual resonance models(5:34) Early days of string theory(16:27) His collaboration with Joel Scherk(23:18) Discovery of 11D supergravity(25:23) His collaboration with Michael Green(35:30) Physics Carabet anecdote(39:16) His work on dualities(42:47) His textbooks (GSW and BBS)(48:39) His relationship with Feynman(50:35) Selecting graduate students(51:37) (People's question) Building collaborations(54:21) (People's question) Working on your idea(55:52) (People's question) Dark dimension scenario(1:02:15) (People's question) Amplitudes program(1:02:50) (People's question) Favorite brane(1:03:03) (People's question) Pursuing strings today(1:06:40) (People's question) Underexplored subfield(1:07:38) (People's question) 1984 work reception(1:10:09) (People's question) Pure spinor formalism(1:11:20) (People's question) AI problem solving(1:15:09) (People's question) Worthy problem(1:15:47) (People's question) Aspen center, Colorado(1:17:13) (People's question) Weinberg and strings

  • S1 · E76
    October 29 · 1 hr 23 min

    Phymaths podcast # 76 || Dr. Kristaps Balodis

    DescriptionDr. Kristaps Balodis is a math postdoc at Carleton University, working on representation theory of finite groups and p-adic local Langlands. He also runs a YouTube channel, K-theory, that covers various topics in mathematics and hosts discussions with prominent mathematicians. His works are linked below.Some links1) His works: https://sites.google.com/view/kristapsjohnbalodis/publications?authuser=02) Link to the high-energy physics resources page on my website: https://hassaansaleem.com/graduate-level-theoretical-physics-resources-in-progress/Contact InfoMy website: hassaansaleem.comFollow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hassaan.3142/Join the WhatsApp channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va9DkjmAzNbs7IlGuv1XFollow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Hassaan_PHYEmail Queries: greatestmight@gmail.comTime stamps(0:00) Introduction of the guest(0:34) Langlands program(18:29) Geometric Langlands(21:30) KL hypothesis(45:56) p-adic version of the KL hypothesis(49:02) Langlands program and graph theory(53:42) Doing outreach(56:26) Explaining abstract topics(58:12) Coursework to research(1:04:13) Building collaborations(1:06:49) (People's question) Difficult math textbook(1:08:52) (People's question) Problems in Langlands program(1:11:01) (People's question) Learning representation theory(1:13:20) (People's question) Books on his to-read list(1:14:43) (People's question) LLMs solving math problems

  • S1 · E75
    August 29 · 1 hr 43 min

    Phymaths podcast # 75 || Dr. Christian Ferko

    DescriptionDr. Christian Ferko is a theoretical physicist at Northeastern University and IAIFI. He primarily works on sigma models and machine learning (especially on the correspondence between neural networks and QFTs). His work can be found at the link below.Some links1) His works: https://inspirehep.net/authors/18380252) Link to the high-energy physics resources page on my website: https://hassaansaleem.com/graduate-level-theoretical-physics-resources-in-progress/Contact InfoMy website: hassaansaleem.comFollow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hassaan.3142/Join the WhatsApp channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va9DkjmAzNbs7IlGuv1XFollow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Hassaan_PHYEmail Queries: greatestmight@gmail.comTime stamps(0:00) Intro of the guest(0:20) Neural Networks/QFT (NN/QFT) correspondence(1:54) Getting gauge theory(4:07) Adding spinors(6:45) RG scale in Neural Networks (NNs)(9:20) Activation functions(14:40) Other architectures(16:01) Adding interactions(18:05) Anomalies in NNs(23:50) T duality in NNs(30:16) Discrete θ angles in NNs(33:21) Entanglement in NNs(35:41) NNs and Holography(39:45) NNs and generalized symmetries(41:36) TTbar deformation(44:37) TTbar and supersymmetry(47:42) TTbar and Modmax theory(50:48) TTbar and holography(56:54) Outreach(1:05:50) Psychological aspects of research(1:12:00) Choosing problems(1:17:04) Building collaborations(1:24:20) Using AI for research(1:30:08) Choosing Ph.D. students(1:34:22) (People's question) Non-linearity in ML(1:37:43) (People's question) Is AI curious?(1:39:45) (People's questions) Practices for using AI

  • S1 · E74
    August 7 · 1 hr 33 min

    Phymaths podcast # 74 || Phil Halper and Dr. Niayesh Afshordi

    DescriptionPhil Halper is a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and a science communicator, well known for his YouTube channel (Skydivephil) featuring cosmology documentaries with prominent cosmologists and physicists.Dr. Niayesh Afshordi is a cosmologist at the University of Waterloo, with an associate faculty position at the Perimeter Institute. He works on black hole physics and quadratic gravity.Together, they have co-authored a book titled "Battle of the Big Bang," which compiles and discusses various cosmological theories.The link to their book and papers, and a list of Dr. Afshordi's works, is given belowSome links1) Their book: https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/B/bo244963115.html2) Their Copenhagen survey: https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.157763) Their APS survey: https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.110584) Dr. Niayesh's works: https://inspirehep.net/authors/1023532?ui-citation-summary=true5) Link to the high-energy physics resources page on my website: https://hassaansaleem.com/graduate-level-theoretical-physics-resources-in-progress/Contact InfoMy website: hassaansaleem.comFollow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hassaan.3142/Join the WhatsApp channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va9DkjmAzNbs7IlGuv1XFollow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Hassaan_PHYEmail Queries: greatestmight@gmail.comTime stamps(0:00) Intro of the guests(0:25) Their book and Phil's series(5:56) Singularity theorems(22:11) Inflation(34:36) BGV theorem(45:41) Cosmic natural selection(1:04:34) Cyclic universe(1:17:05) Variable speed of light(1:29:47) More surveys?

  • S1 · E73
    July 11 · 1 hr

    Phymaths podcast # 73 || Dr. Georges Obied

    DescriptionDr. Georges Obeid is a theoretical physicist at the University of Chicago who has worked on the dark dimension scenario, dark sector, and evolving dark energy models motivated by string theory. His list of works can be found below.Some links1) His works: https://inspirehep.net/authors/12466842) Link to the high-energy physics resources page on my website: https://hassaansaleem.com/graduate-level-theoretical-physics-resources-in-progress/Contact InfoMy website: hassaansaleem.comFollow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hassaan.3142/Join the WhatsApp channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va9DkjmAzNbs7IlGuv1XFollow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Hassaan_PHYEmail Queries: greatestmight@gmail.comTime stamps(0:00) Intro of the guest(0:16) Dark dimension scenario(05:18) Relevant data and tools(17:07) Phantom dark energy(22:29) Quintessence(25:25) deSitter conjecture(30:26) Clash between Inflation and swampland(34:02) Open problems in the dark dimension scenario(39:20) Coursework to research transition(43:40) Choosing problems to work on(45:10) Building collaborations(47:10) His interest in Physics(49:50) (People's question) Dark dimension and cosmological constant(52:41) (People's question) Talking to experimentalists(57:48) (People's question) Taking Ph.D students

  • S1 · E72
    June 11 · 1 hr 5 min

    Phymaths podcast # 72 || Dr. Lara Anderson

    Description Dr. Lara Anderson is a theoretical physicist at Virginia Tech and has worked on string compactifications of M theory and F theory, and model building in type II and heterotic theories. A list of her works can be found at the link below .Some links 1) Her works: https://inspirehep.net/authors/1030318?ui-citation-summary=true 2) Link to the high-energy physics resources page on my website: https://hassaansaleem.com/graduate-level-theoretical-physics-resources-in-progress/ Contact Info My website: hassaansaleem.com Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hassaan.3142/ Join the WhatsApp channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va9DkjmAzNbs7IlGuv1X Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Hassaan_PHY Email Queries: greatestmight@gmail.com Time stamps (0:00) Intro of the guest (0:15) Her work on compactifications (6:30) Algebraic Geometry (8:08) Swampland Program (11:24) Calabi-Yau manifolds (24:56) CICY manifolds (27:18) Intersecting branes (30:35) Science communication (38:31) Coursework to research transition (40:27) Difficult problems in postdocs (42:37) Getting stuck in research (44:01) Getting a PhD student (47:57) Choosing a problem to work on (51:42) Building collaborations (52:53) (People's question) F theory (54:15) (People's question) Moduli stabilization (55:11) (People's question) Career vs Job (56:40) (People's question) Homeschooling (59:40) (People's question) Interest in Physics (1:01:40) (People's question) Influential papers (1:03:33) (People's question) Virginia Tech

  • S1 · E71
    May 4 · 1 hr 44 min

    Phymaths podcast # 71 || Dr. Tejinder Pal Singh

    Description Dr. Tejinder Pal Singh is a theoretical physicist at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Physics, working on the unification of interactions using trace dynamics and octonions. A list of his works is linked below. Some links 1) His works: https://inspirehep.net/authors/988555?ui-citation-summary=true 2) Link to the high-energy physics resources page on my website: https://hassaansaleem.com/graduate-level-theoretical-physics-resources-in-progress/ Contact Info My website: hassaansaleem.com Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hassaan.3142/ Join the WhatsApp channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va9DkjmAzNbs7IlGuv1 Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Hassaan_PHY Email Queries: greatestmight@gmail.com Time stamps (0:00) Intro of the guest (0:16) His current projects (3:37) Octonions (13:57) Spacetime being classical (17:38) Structure of the Lagrangian and Connes time (22:50) Calculating path integral (33:21) Why octonions? (35:43) Role of SU(2) (39:57) Electroweak scale as QG scale? (46:17) Top quark problem (50:18) Fine structure constant (1:00:11) RG flow of Fine structure constant (1:02:45) (People's question) Advice for students (1:10:22) Anthropic reasoning (1:14:21) (People's question) AI's impact (1:17:29) (People's question) TIFR theory group (1:33:42) (People's question) Relativistic collapse models (1:38:45) (People's question) Thanu Padmanabhan (1:40:43) (People's question) John Baez's work

  • S1 · E70
    April 28 · 1 hr 8 min

    Phymaths podcast # 70 || Dr. Aninda Sinha

    DescriptionDr. Aninda Sinha is a theoretical physicist at the Indian Institute of Science, working on S matrix bootstrap, string amplitudes, and conformal field theories, among other things. A list of his works is linked below.Some links1) His works: https://inspirehep.net/authors/1019630?ui-citation-summary=true2) Link to the high-energy physics resources page on my website: https://hassaansaleem.com/graduate-level-theoretical-physics-resources-in-progress/Contact InfoMy website: hassaansaleem.comFollow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hassaan.3142/Join the WhatsApp channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va9DkjmAzNbs7IlGuv1XFollow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Hassaan_PHYEmail Queries: greatestmight@gmail.comTime stamps(0:00) Coming Up(0:21) Introduction of the guests(0:37) His current projects(3:13) His interest in Physics(4:28) c-theorem and a-theorem(11:54) g-theorem(12:54) Conformal bootstrap(17:46) Conformal bootstrap and holography(24:20) String amplitudes and π(33:12) Circuit complexity(41:52) Building collaborations(44:56) Choosing a research problem(46:24) Coursework to research transition(50:04) Taking a PhD student(51:24) (People's question) Thoughts on LLMs(54:25) (People's question) Bootstrap for extended operators(54:57) (People's question) Non-Physics courses at IISc(57:15) (People's question) Academic job market(1:04:30) (People's question) N-point scattering(1:06:20) (People's question) Bootstrap and positive geometry

  • S1 · E69
    April 19 · 1 hr 23 min

    Phymaths podcast # 69 || Dr. Eran Palti

    DescriptionEran Palti is a theoretical physicist at Ben-Gurion University, working on the low-energy behavior of string theory, string compactifications, and the swampland program. The list of his works can be found below.Some links1) His works: https://inspirehep.net/authors/10293902) Link to the high-energy physics resources page on my website: https://hassaansaleem.com/graduate-level-theoretical-physics-resources-in-progress/Contact InfoMy website: hassaansaleem.comJoin the WhatsApp channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va9DkjmAzNbs7IlGuv1XFollow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Hassaan_PHYFollow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hassaan.3142/Email: phymaths3142@gmail.comTime stamps(0:00) Coming Up(0:11) Introduction of the guest(0:28) His current projects(6:41) Swampland Program(10:47) Distance conjecture(16:12) Metric on moduli spaces(17:52) Metric on vacuua(26:30) AdS distance conjecture(33:17) Building metrics on AdS vacuua(45:32) DGKT's holographic dual(47:24) DeSitter conjecture(51:39) Challenges of writing a review(56:00) Conceptual vs. calculation-based research(1:02:03) His other interests(1:02:58) (People's question) Textbook on swampland(1:06:16) (People's question) First postdoc expectation(1:10:36) (People's question) Purpose of swampland(1:15:39) (People's question) Giving up on a problem(1:19:38) (People's question) Passion vs Profession

  • S1 · E68
    March 11 · 1 hr 57 min

    Phymaths podcast # 68 || Dr. Keshav Dasgupta

    Description Keshav Dasgupta is a theoretical physicist at McGill University, working on string compactifications, especially on achieving deSitter spacetime from string theory (including the possibility of achieving deSitter as an excited state). The list of his works can be found below. Some links 1) His works: https://inspirehep.net/authors/1012406?ui-citation-summary=true 2) Link to the high-energy physics resources page on my website: https://hassaansaleem.com/graduate-level-theoretical-physics-resources-in-progress/ Contact Info My website: hassaansaleem.com Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hassaan.3142/ Join the WhatsApp channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va9DkjmAzNbs7IlGuv1X Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Hassaan_PHY Email Queries: greatestmight@gmail.com Time stamps (0:00) Coming Up (0:41) Introduction of the guest (0:59) His current projects (15:23) The deSitter problem in string theory (a summary) (26:42) deSitter as an excited state (35:09) Breaking supersymmetry (38:05) Norm of coherent states (39:08) Fluctuations as coherent states (41:28) Why did the 500-page paper become that long? (45:50) Duality sequences (55:16) Non-supersymmetric case? (1:02:30) What are you calculating? (1:07:39) Evading no-go theorems (1:14:09) Worldsheet description available? (1:17:10) Holographic dual of Glauber Sudharshan state (1:18:23) The issue of scale separation (1:21:00) Satisfying swampland constraints (1:24:34) Embedding standard model (1:27:51) Using localization techniques (1:31:22) Open problems (1:36:41) Choosing research problems (1:43:19) Handling multiple projects (1:44:50) (People's question) Comparison with KKLT (1:49:16) (People's question) Writing short papers (1:53:16) Interaction with Ed Witten (1:54:50) (People's question) Living in Montreal

  • March 3 · 1 hr 19 min

    Phymaths podcast # 67 || Dr. Alok Laddha

    Description Alok Laddha is a theoretical physicist at the Chennai Mathematical Institute, who majorly works on soft theorems, S matrices, and the positive geometry program. The list of his works can be found at the link provided below. Some links 1) His works: https://inspirehep.net/authors/1036956 2) Link to the high-energy physics resources page on my website: https://hassaansaleem.com/graduate-level-theoretical-physics-resources-in-progress/ Contact Info My website: hassaansaleem.com Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hassaan.3142/ Join the WhatsApp channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va9DkjmAzNbs7IlGuv1X Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Hassaan_PHY Email Queries: greatestmight@gmail.com Time Stamps (0:00) Coming up (0:22) Intro of the guest (0:44) His current projects (01:59) Soft theorems (12:16) Soft theorems and symmetries (18:43) Soft theorems for scalars (21:50) Soft theorem for higher spin? (25:40) Positive Geometry program (36:50) Unitarity from positive geometry (48:08) Gentle Quivers (for positive geometry) (50:37) Positive Geometry and Holography (53:30) Positive Geometry and String Field Theory (55:44) Reading Literature (1:01:02) Choosing problems (1:02:30) (People's question) Important problems (1:05:13) (People's question) Advice for PhD/Postdocs (1:07:37) (People's question) Research outside academia (1:09:40) (People's question) PhD after a big gap (1:11:07) (People's question) Hep-th job market (1:13:53) (People's question) Gravitational wave memory (1:15:53) (People's question) Leaving LQG (1:19:22) (People's question) His hobbies

  • S1 · E66
    March 3 · 1 hr 46 min

    Phymaths podcast # 66 || Dr. Jonathan Heckman

    Description Jonathan Heckman is a theoretical physicist at the University of Pennsylvania and works on generalized symmetries, the swampland program, holography, and F theory, among other related areas. The list of his works can be found at the link provided below. Some links 1) His works: https://inspirehep.net/authors/1045268 2) Link to the high-energy physics resources page on my website: https://hassaansaleem.com/graduate-level-theoretical-physics-resources-in-progress/ Contact Info My website: hassaansaleem.com Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hassaan.3142/ Join the WhatsApp channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va9DkjmAzNbs7IlGuv1X Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Hassaan_PHY Email Queries: greatestmight@gmail.com Time Stamps (0:00) Coming Up (0:24) Introduction of the guest (0:40) His current projects (4:54) Grand Unified Theories (GUTs) and F theory (17:19) Algebraic Geometry for F theory (22:40) Role of singularities in model building (24:53) GUT models in F theory (continued) (28:50) Engineering SCFTs from F theory (43:38) Engineering SCFTs in odd dimensions (48:58) Transitioning to generalized symmetries (52:54) Defining QFTs (55:44) Swampland and Cobordism conjecture (1:03:20) R7 branes (1:08:35) Falsifying string theory at colliders (1:18:33) Building collaborations (and fear of being wrong) (1:22:56) Choosing a problem to work on (1:27:53) Handling multiple projects (1:30:34) Selecting a Ph.D student (1:34:30) (People's question) Learning string theory (1:36:27) (People's question) Learning abstract topics (1:38:12) (People's question) Important problems (1:43:30) (People's question) UPenn funding (1:45:03) (People's question) Symmetries on T folds

  • S1 · E65
    March 3 · 3 hr 6 min

    Phymaths podcast # 65 || Dr. Jacob McNamara

    Description Jacob McNamara is a theoretical physicist at Simons Center for Geometry and Physics, who has worked on swampland (quite notably on the cobordism conjecture), holography, and non invertible symmetries. The list of his works can be found at the link provided below. Some links 1) His works: https://inspirehep.net/authors/1804692?ui-citation-summary=true 2) Link to the high energy physics resources page on my website: https://hassaansaleem.com/graduate-level-theoretical-physics-resources-in-progress/ Contact Info My website: hassaansaleem.com Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hassaan.3142/ Join the Whatsapp channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va9DkjmAzNbs7IlGuv1X Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Hassaan_PHY Email Queries: greatestmight@gmail.com Time Stamps (0:00) Coming Up (0:45) Introduction of the guest (1:01) His current projects (4:40) Swampland and no global symmetries (16:30) Cobordism conjecture (35:34) R7 branes (51:26) Stringy Non-Invertible Symmetries (59:39) What does gauging mean? (1:08:34) Weak Gravity Conjecture (1:13:36) Use of the word "conjecture" (1:17:42) Consciousness and Swampland (1:27:27) Weak Gravity Conjecture (contd.) (1:30:16) Distance conjecture(s) (1:35:45) Dark dimension (1:40:45) Emergent String & generalized distance conjectures (1:53:15) No scale separation conjecture (1:59:30) Gravity being classical (2:09:26) Why study JT gravity? (2:13:21) Baby universes (2:16:05) Cobordism conjecture and Wheeler Dewitt equation (2:21:40) Building collaborations and doing research (2:32:45) Imposter syndrome (2:38:16) Learning Geometry and Topology (2:38:55) Using different platforms (2:42:07) Pure Math rabbit hole (2:45:10) Physics vs. Math perspectives and attitudes (2:25:36) Book recommendations (2:54:40) Interpretational issues (3:03:58) What problems do you want to be solved

  • S1 · E64
    Dec 30, 2025 · 1 hr 38 min

    Phymaths podcast # 64 || Dr. Shiraz Minwalla

    DescriptionDr. Shiraz Minwalla is a theoretical physicist at TIFR Mumbai, India. He has worked on the problem of classification and existence of conformal and superconformal field theories in various dimensions, black holes and superfluids. The list of his works can be found at the link provided below.Some links1) His works: https://inspirehep.net/authors/997328?ui-citation-summary=true2) Link to the high energy physics resources page on my website: https://hassaansaleem.com/graduate-level-theoretical-physics-resources-in-progress/Contact InfoMy website: hassaansaleem.comFollow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hassaan.3142/Join the Whatsapp channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va9DkjmAzNbs7IlGuv1XFollow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Hassaan_PHYEmail Queries: greatestmight@gmail.comTime stamps(0:00) Coming Up(0:48) Intro of the guest(1:07) His current projects(4:37) Grey Galaxies(10:48) Non-commutative field theories(16:51) Cosmological Constant problem(27:25) Non-commutative solitons(29:27) Existence of CFTs and SCFTs(41:41) Index of SCFTs(47:16) Gravity/Fluid correspondence(1:00:05) Turbulence(1:03:57) Millenium Prize problem (Navier Stokes)(1:10:30) His interest in Physics(1:12:33) How to choose a Ph.D. student?(1:14:14) How to choose a problem to work on?(1:21:44) Talent and environment for Physics(1:23:20) (People's question) Advice for Ph.Ds(1:25:51) (People's question) Fav. collaboration(1:26:12) (People's question) Fuzzball and Islands(1:30:42) (People's question) Becoming a Physicist(1:31:31) (People's question) Coming back to India(1:33:14) (People's question) Regrets about returning(1:33:54) (People's question) Research spending(1:35:38) (People's question) Learning a new topic(1:37:17) (People's question) CBS Mumbai(1:37:50) (People's question) His Infinite Energy

  • S1 · E63
    Dec 11, 2025 · 1 hr 6 min

    Phymaths podcast # 63 || Dr. Sonia Contera

    DescriptionDr. Sonia Contera is a professor of Biological Sciences at Oxford, senior fellow at Oxford Martin School. She works at the interface of physics, biology, medicine and nanotechnology. She has authored two books titled “ Nano comes to life” and “Six problems that science can’t solve" which respectively talk about the use of nanotechnology in biological sciences, and the problems that may require a different approach to solve than conventional methods. The list of her works can be found at the link provided below.Some links1) Her works: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=yr6AJ50AAAAJ&hl=en2) Link to the high energy physics resources page on my website: https://hassaansaleem.com/graduate-level-theoretical-physics-resources-in-progress/Contact InfoMy website: hassaansaleem.comFollow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hassaan.3142/Join the Whatsapp channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va9DkjmAzNbs7IlGuv1XFollow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Hassaan_PHYEmail Queries: greatestmight@gmail.comTime stamps(0:00) Introduction of the guest(0:36) Her currents projects(4:13) Her interest in Physics(7:02) Quantitative biology and origin of life(15:33) DNA nanotech(18:54) Protein design(21:56) Application in cancer treatment(23:23) Emergence of life(29:40) Overcoming ageing(38:46) Intelligent machines(45:16) Zero emission buildings(51:03) Physics and Power(58:03) Einstein and Eddington example(1:00:02) (People's question) Advice for students(1:01:35) (People's question) Emergent systems(1:02:49) (People's question) Learning languages

  • S1 · E62
    Nov 2, 2025 · 2 hr 5 min

    Phymaths podcast # 62 || Guest: Dr. Alastair Wilson

    DescriptionDr. Alastair Wilson is a philosopher at University of Leeds, who works on metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of science and philosophy of physics. His doctoral thesis was on the metaphysics of Everettian interpretation and he works on the development of this interpretation. A list of his works can be found below.Some links1) His works: https://philpeople.org/profiles/alastair-wilson2) Link to the high energy physics resources page on my website: https://hassaansaleem.com/graduate-level-theoretical-physics-resources-in-progress/ Contact InfoMy website: hassaansaleem.comFollow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hassaan.3142/Join the Whatsapp channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va9DkjmAzNbs7IlGuv1XFollow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Hassaan_PHYEmail Queries: greatestmight@gmail.comTime stamps(0:00) Coming Up(0:35) Intro of the guest(0:52) Many worlds interpretation (MWI)(3:59) Disagreements about many worlds(6:30) Meaning of "worlds" (11:30) Probabilities in MWI(30:55) Probabilities are objective?(46:14) Meaning of the laws of nature(53:28) Causation and Explanation(1:06:45) Causation and counterfactuals(1:10:34) Explanation by inevitability(1:18:45) Causation by inaction(1:33:36) Emergence and Reductionism(1:38:25) Are emergent properties caused?(1:40:32) Strong emergence(1:44:14) Does 'fundamental' make sense?(1:46:44) Physicist/philosopher collaborations(1:49:45) (People's question) Misconceptions about Philosophy(1:53:53) (People's question) Unpopular conclusion(1:56:13) (People's question) Book recommendations(1:57:47) (People's question) Other routes to MWI(1:59:42) (People's question) Finiteness

  • S1 · E61
    Oct 21, 2025 · 1 hr 53 min

    Phymaths podcast # 61 || Dr. Sunil Mukhi

    DescriptionDr. Sunil Mukhi is a theoretical physicist at IISER Pune. His works include areas like classification of conformal field theories (CFTs), entanglement, quantum gravity, and Black Holes. A list of his works can be found below.Some links1) His works: https://inspirehep.net/authors/996540?ui-citation-summary=true3) Link to the high energy physics resources page on my website: https://hassaansaleem.com/graduate-level-theoretical-physics-resources-in-progress/Contact InfoMy website: hassaansaleem.comFollow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hassaan.3142/Join the Whatsapp channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va9DkjmAzNbs7IlGuv1XFollow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Hassaan_PHYEmail Queries: greatestmight@gmail.comTime stamps(0:00) Coming up(0:34) Intro of the guest (0:51) His current projects(2:45) His interest in physics(7:10) His experience with PhD advisors(8:53) Witten's talks before first superstring revolution(13:45) Aftermaths of the revolution(15:38) Story of his most cited paper(22:24) What are CFTs?(28:20) Why study CFTs?(31:17) What are RCFTs?(36:21) Story of the classifation of RCFTs(47:35) Classifying unitary vs non unitary RCFTs(52:32) What are orbifolds?(1:04:04) His 1995 work on Orbifolds(1:09:19) Important moments in his career(1:14:38) His teaching methodology(1:18:02) Discoveries aren't miracles(1:23:40) Good mentiorship's role in physics(1:30:39) How to chose a Ph.D. student(1:39:28) How to choose problems to work on(1:43:10) (People's question) Autodidact physicist?(1:45:13) (People's question) Phenomenology(1:46:26) (People's question) IISER Pune for QFT(1:48:40) (People's question) Most difficult book he read(1:50:10) (People's question) Favorite guitar solo(1:51:28) (People's question) Pursuing multiple passions

  • S1 · E60
    Oct 21, 2025 · 1 hr 25 min

    Phymaths podcast # 60 || Dr. Daniel Whiteson

    Description Dr. Daniel Whiteson is an experimental high-energy physicist at UC Irvine and works in the ATLAS collaboration. He is also a science communicator, who made the Daytime Emmy nominated series Elinor Wonders Why, and he also hosts a podcast named Daniel and Kelly’s Extraordinary Universe. His new book titled "Do Aliens speak Physics" is coming on 4th November. In this episode, we talk and speculate about different topics in the context of aliens. The links to his book and podcast are given below. Some links 1) Do aliens speak physics website: https://sites.uci.edu/alienphysics/ 2) His podcast: https://sites.uci.edu/danielandkelly/ 3) Link to the high energy physics resources page on my website: https://hassaansaleem.com/graduate-level-theoretical-physics-resources-in-progress/ Contact Info My website: hassaansaleem.com Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hassaan.3142/ Join the Whatsapp channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va9DkjmAzNbs7IlGuv1X Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Hassaan_PHY Email Queries: greatestmight@gmail.com Time stamps (00:00) Introduction of the guest (00:27) Motivations behind the book (02:46) Aliens version of geopolitics (06:01) Is 1+1=2 everywhere? (17:50) Do Aliens write? (and their language) (24:36) Physics/Chemistry/Biology distinctions (28:55) Aliens contacting certain genuises? (35:41) Peculiar history of discoveries in Physics (43:53) Talking to strangers and Aliens (47:11) Is Physics of the universe unique? (56:39) Can aliens manipulate observations? (58:51) What if aliens don't care about science? (1:04:36) Human dating aliens (1:07:54) Alien Psychology (1:09:33) Which past idea may be true (1:11:17) Topics that he couldn't include in book (1:14:18) Aliens and money (1:18:10) (People's question) Aliens and extra dimensions (1:19:16) (People's question) Aliens and dark matter (1:20:12) (People's question) Aliens and anti matter (1:21:10) (People's question) What question to ask? (1:22:03) (People's question) Have aliens visited us? (1:24:13) When would the book be available?

  • S1 · E59
    Aug 26, 2025 · 1 hr 55 min

    Phymaths podcast # 59 || Dr. Chitraang Murdia

    *Description*Dr. Chitraang Murdia is a theoretical physicist at UPenn Philadelphia, and his works comprise areas like CFTs, holography, and entanglement. He is quite well known for being the All India Rank 1 holder in the JEE engineering exam in 2014. The list of his works can be found below.*Some links*1) Dr. Murdia's works: https://inspirehep.net/authors/19385402) Link to the high energy physics resources page on my website: https://hassaansaleem.com/graduate-level-theoretical-physics-resources-in-progress/*Contact Info*My website: hassaansaleem.comFollow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hassaan.3142/Join the Whatsapp channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va9DkjmAzNbs7IlGuv1XFollow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Hassaan_PHYEmail Queries: greatestmight@gmail.com*Time stamps*(0:00) Coming Up(0:30) Intro of the guest(0:45) His current projects(2:40) His journey from JEE to Physics(13:06) CFTs and why to study them(15:27) TTbar deformation(24:12) Interfaces in CFT(29:16) Islands(36:35) Generalized symmetries(44:38) Minimal strings and matrix models(56:46) Using string field theory(1:02:38) FZZT and ZZ branes(1:05:28) 2D and 10D string theories(1:07:40) Building collaborations(1:09:43) Problem solving and writing papers (undergrad vs. grad)(1:23:19) (People's question) JEE to Ph.D(1:25:09) (People's question) Current state of string theory(1:26:41) (People's question) Avoid distractions(1:28:30) (People's question) Choosing Ph.D. position(1:31:01) (People's question) Lack of motivation(1:32:14) (People's question) Switching to industry(1:35:05) (People's question) Advice for grad students(1:38:00) (People's question) Ups and downs(1:39:18) (People's question) Most difficult textbook(1:40:38) (People's question) Core courses(1:43:30) (People's question) Social media addiction(1:47:11) (People's question) Internation Physics Olympiad(1:49:04) (People's question) Pressure for engineering(1:52:03) (People's question) Approaching researchers(1:53:22) (People's question) No of papers vs. reference letters

  • S1 · E58
    Aug 26, 2025 · 2 hr 44 min

    Phymaths podcast # 58 || Dr. John Baez

    *Description*Dr. John Baez is a theoretical physicist and mathematician, previously at UC Riverside and now at the University of Edinburgh, who works on Quantum Gravity, Network Theory, and higher categories. The list of his works is linked below.*Some links*1) Dr. Baez's works: https://inspirehep.net/authors/10176892) Link to the high energy physics resources page on my website: https://hassaansaleem.com/graduate-level-theoretical-physics-resources-in-progress/*Contact Info*My website: hassaansaleem.comFollow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hassaan.3142/Join the Whatsapp channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va9DkjmAzNbs7IlGuv1XFollow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Hassaan_PHYEmail Queries: greatestmight@gmail.com*Time stamps*(0:00) Coming up(1:23) Intro of the guest(1:42) His current projects(6:25) Octonions(15:44) Octonions and quantum logic(21:49) Knot theory(28:53) Other Knot invriants(31:04) His categorification program(45:51) Categories and Russell's program(53:45) Future directions for the program(1:01:56) Generalized symmetries(1:06:23) Topos theory(1:12:54) Network theory(1:19:32) OPen networks and compositionality(1:29:07) This Week's findings in Mathematical Physics(1:33:41) The crackpot index(1:42:00) New entry in the crackpot index(1:43:15) AI and future of physics(1:50:01) Advent of Computers vs advent of AI(1:56:02) Sphere packing and practical applications(1:58:14) Unsolved problems in physics(2:05:16) Mathematical rigor of QFT(2:11:28) Dealing with failure in research(2:18:10) (People's question) Beauty as a guide(2:20:25) (People's question) Undergrad math(2:22:23) (People's question) Retaining knowledge(2:25:23) (People's question) "Foolish" idea that was good(2:27:18) (People's question) Moving sofa problem(2:29:31) (People's question) Unsolved problems in maths

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