Biography

Stephen Wilkins is a Professor of Astronomy and Public Understanding of Science at the University of Sussex, just outside Brighton. 

Stephen obtained his Masters in Physics from the University of Durham before receiving his PhD from the University of Cambridge. Stephen then worked as a research fellow at the University of Oxford before joining the faculty at Sussex in 2013. Stephen’s main research focuses on understanding the formation and evolution of galaxies, particularly their first stages in the distant early Universe. To do this Stephen combines observations from telescopes including Webb and Hubble with supercomputer simulations. 

Outside his research, Stephen is also a keen advocate of public understanding of science. Highlights include his leadership of three exhibits at the prestigious Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition and dozens of talks.

Synopsis

Quantum physics is a fundamental theory that describes the behaviour of nature at and below the scale of atoms. Celebrating 100 years since its initial developments, the United Nations proclaimed 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology. 

As part of these celebrations, Stephen will introduce how quantum physics is essential to our understanding of the cosmos, focussing on two examples. 

First, the process of nuclear fusion is responsible for the majority of energy generation in stars; however the temperatures in stellar interiors are too low for this to happen “classically”. Instead, the phenomenon of quantum tunnelling enables atomic nuclei to fuse even if they don’t have the required energies. 

Second, our Universe is replete with structures in the form of planets, stars, galaxies and clusters. These structures are thought to be amplified by the process of inflation of minuscule quantum fluctuations present in the very early Universe.

This will be a fascinating look at how the very smallest things influence the very biggest.