PubhD #79 - Brain Stimulating Depression Treatment, How LLMs Go Wrong and Social Cohesion Break Down
Schedule
Wed, 14 Jan, 2026 at 07:00 pm
UTC+00:00Location
Barley Twist | Nottingham, EN
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Were back once again bringing researchers to a pub in Nottingham near you.Three local researchers will explain their work to a bunch of people in the pub in exchange for a pint or two. The talks are at "pub level" - you don't need to be an academic to understand them!
Downstairs at the Barley Twist
19:00 Arrival For a 19:30 Start
Speakers:
Jemima Shickle (Mental Health) is a second year PhD student at the University of Nottingham. Her research looks at alternatives to antidepressants and talk therapies for treating depression using techniques called transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial electrical stimulation (tES). These techniques use magnetic pulses and mild electrical currents respectively to effect brain activity. Her PhD project aims to find the optimal way to combine these techniques to treat depression.
Edward Brookman (Economics) is a first year PhD student. His research utilizes a combination of mathematical modelling and experimental data to investigate how individual behaviours aggregate into collective shifts. Specifically, his recent work models the evolution of social norms within polarized societies, where group differences can lead to a breakdown in social cohesion.
Jake Dorman (Physics) is a second year PhD student from the University of Nottingham. His research focuses on connecting Large Deviation Theory, the study of rare events, to Machine Learning, and in particular Large Language Models (LLMs). This work provides useful insights to problems in AI safety, such as estimating the likelihood of unwanted or dangerous text generation from LLMs. He is applying these techniques to Language Models, to provide a way to answer the question: "How often will ChatGPT do things I don't want it to do?".
The Format:
1. Three researchers will each have 10 minutes to talk about their subject area to an interested audience in a pub.
2. There will be up to 20 minutes of (friendly!) Q&A per speaker.
3. Each speaker gets at least one pint (or other drink of their choice).
4. A whiteboard/flip chart and coloured pens will be provided. No PowerPoints. Props welcomed. Handouts accepted.
Small donation of £3 to pay for our speakers drinks for attendance Requested. Card or Cash.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/PubhD/
Also anyone who wants to apply to speak or wants to suggest it to someone do get in touch to [email protected]
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Where is it happening?
Barley Twist, 89 Carrington Street, Nottingham, NG1 7FE, United KingdomEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
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