Exoplanets, Materials Science & Quantum Entanglement

Name: Exoplanets, Materials Science & Quantum Entanglement
Start: 2026-02-18T19:00:00-08:00
Location: Jack Lonsdales

Schedule

Wed, 18 Feb, 2026 at 07:00 pm

UTC-08:00

Location

Jack Lonsdales | North Vancouver, BC

Like TED Talks with Beer! Three 15-minute talks from scientists who explain big ideas in plain language. No decoder ring required. Q&A after each talk and Trivia. Check out one of the city’s most unique 19+ nights out, where science gets social and curiosity takes the mic.
Our featured talks in February are in the fields of Materials Science, Astrophysics and Quantum Physics.
"Life Outside Our Galaxy" - Exoplanets
Michelle Kunimoto, Assistant Professor, Astrophysicist, UBC
For as long as we've looked up at the night sky, we've wondered: Are we alone? In recent decades, the discovery of planets beyond our Solar System - known as exoplanets - has brought us closer than ever to answering that question.
This talk will explore how astronomers detect these distant worlds, what we’ve learned about the incredible diversity of planetary systems, and how we begin to identify which of these planets might be capable of supporting life. From gas giants in tight orbits to rocky planets in just the right conditions, each discovery adds a piece to the puzzle of how common - or rare - Earth-like worlds might be. Today, thanks to open data and citizen science tools, anyone can join the search.
Speaker Bio: Dr. Michelle Kunimoto is an Astrophysicist and Assistant Professor at UBC. Michelle served as a Torres Postdoc Fellow and as a TESS Postdoc Associate at MIT and was selected for Forbes 30 Under 30 in Science in 2017. Michelle has personally discovered over 3,700 potential planets. Yes, about half the known planet candidates from NASA's TESS mission (7,890 as of January 2026), have been discovered by Michelle
-----
"Molecular Origami" - Materials Science
Neil Branda, Professor of Chemistry, SFU
Far below what we can see, molecules can change shape when hit with light or electricity. Chemists design these “molecular switches” to build materials that respond, adapt, and quietly do work on their own.
This research treats molecules like origami made of chemistry. Molecules are designed so small signals trigger precise folds, changing what they recognize and how they behave.
If you can control how molecules move and interact, you can build smart materials - materials that react to light, store information, sense their environment, or change behaviour on command. This talk is a guided tour of a hidden construction site where the smallest building blocks quietly shape the future, one invisible fold at a time.
Speaker Bio: Neil Branda is a Professor of Chemistry at SFU and the Canada Research Chair in Materials Science. Neil is also the Scientific Director of 4D LABS, a research centre for advanced materials & nano-scale devices, and CTO of SWITCH Materials Inc. Neil has a PhD in Chemistry & Philosophy and his postdoc research was conducted at MIT in the area of supramolecular chemistry with Nobel Laureate Jean-Marie Lehn, a foundational figure in the field.
-----
“Spooky Action at a Distance" - Quantum Entanglement
Mark Van Raamsdonk, Theoretical Nuclear Physicist & Professor, UBC
Albert Einstein built relativity on one rule: nothing outruns light. Quantum entanglement appears to break that rule.
When particles become entangled, their information is no longer stored locally. Measure one and you measure the other in that same instant, even across cosmic distances. In 1935 Einstein was deeply unnerved by this idea and famously called it “spooky action at a distance.”
That same year, Erwin Schrödinger (of Schrödinger’s cat fame) realized that this shared information was fundamental to quantum physics and coined the term “entanglement” specifically to describe the phenomenon Einstein believed was proof that quantum mechanics was incomplete.
From exotic states of matter to black holes storing information, learn why entanglement sits at the core of quantum physics, shaping everything from emerging quantum technologies to our deepest theories of space and time.
Speaker Bio: Mark Van Raamsdonk is a Theoretical Physicist and Professor at UBC. Mark earned his undergrad degree in math and physics at UBC, completed his PhD in theoretical physics at Princeton, and held a postdoc position at Stanford. He is widely known for his work exploring how spacetime may emerge from quantum information. Mark is a Simons Investigator, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and the recipient of the CAP-CRM Prize in Theoretical and Mathematical Physics.