Lecture
Special Van der Waals Colloquium featuring Chris Ferrie
- Date
- Friday 18 September 2026
- Time
- Explanation
- Room open 15.30 Lecture 16.00 - 17.00 Drinks until 18.00
- Location
- Gorleaus Building
Einsteinweg 55
Leiden - Room
- CM.1.26
Join us for this (extra Van Der Waals) Collloquium, where author of the Baby University (“X for Babies”) books Chris Ferrie talks about all the things you shouldn’t know about quantum physics, and making science accessible for everyone.
What you shouldn’t know about quantum physics
In 1935, Erwin Schrödinger put a (hypothetical!) cat in a box. With a vile poison and some quantum magic, we were forced to the conclusion that the cat was both alive and dead at the same time. Over 80 years later, it is either one impressive cat or it is surely dead. I will resurrect Schrodinger’s cat and discuss the implications of and on the famous thought experiment from the perspective of the recently developed fields of quantum information and computation, but not before showing you how we can share such seemingly complex concepts even with children! Along the way, we will debunk certain myths and misconceptions about things such as quantum superposition, uncertainty, and entanglement.
About the speaker
Dr Chris Ferrie is an associate professor of quantum information at the University of Technology Sydney. His research blends quantum machine learning, estimation and control. Beyond the lab he is the award‑winning creator of the global Baby University series and more than 100 popular‑science titles, which have sold over four million copies and been translated into twenty languages. He is also co‑founder of Eigensystems, the company behind Quokka, the first handheld quantum‑computing teaching platform. Chris speaks at science festivals, schools and conferences worldwide, driven by one mission: making the strangest ideas in the universe accessible—and fun—for everyone.