Physics for Future was a unique event which highlighted the multidisciplinary societal and technological advances led by fundamental and applied physics that integrate the megatrends of Quantum, AI, HPC/Data, Health, and Sustainability. The event brought together leading researchers, technologists, politicians, students, and enthusiasts of future technologies and scientific advancements in STEM fields for two days full of exciting recent developments and deep discussions.

If you missed the event, we got you covered! The Physics for Future experience extends beyond the conference. A three-episode podcast is already available on all major platforms.

Additionally, for the next 10 weeks, videos of the Physics for Future speakers and of university research will be released weekly (see below!)

In this premiere episode:

Nobel Prize-winning physicist Prof. Dr. William D. Phillips reveals how he and his team use lasers to cool atoms to the coldest temperatures in the universe — colder than deep space!

These ultra-cold atoms are essential for building atomic clocks, which power smartphones, GPS, and much more. Prof. Dr. Phillips also shares what drew him to physics, how to stay motivated when research gets tough, and why we’re now living through the Second Quantum Revolution — a future so strange, even Einstein couldn’t have predicted it.

In this episode, we meet Deniz Avşar, a PhD researcher whose work blends physics, robotics, and materials science to tackle a fascinating challenge: how can robots safely move among us — without disrupting the world we see?

Deniz is creating invisible patterns, similar to QR codes, that only robots can detect. These subtle signals guide robotic systems through human spaces — safely and beautifully. Her mission: take these tools from the lab into the real world, without making our cities and homes look like science fiction sets.

Deniz also shares her childhood dream of becoming a “science woman” who could discover a formula to keep her loved ones young and healthy forever. Her story reminds us that science starts with imagination.

In this episode, we meet Prof. Peter Zoller, professor of theoretical physics at the University of Innsbruck, and one of the world’s leading thinkers in quantum computing. Quantum physics, he explains, is a paradoxical and fascinating language — one you don’t just learn, but eventually begin to think in. It’s this mindset that fuels the next big shift in technology: quantum computers.

Zoller shares his vision of a future where quantum computing transforms both science and society — becoming a tool for discovery, a driver of new economies, and a bridge between basic research and real-world applications. In this future, quantum and classical computers will work together, not in competition. But his journey into science started as a kid in a library, leafing through books on how to build radios.

What hooked him wasn’t the building — it was the why behind how things work. That curiosity eventually led him to theoretical physics, where ideas can become real and students become collaborators.

In this episode, we meet Prof. Tess Smidt, assistant professor at MIT, whose work explores how we can teach computers to understand the physical world — and how that understanding can, in turn, help us solve some of our most pressing challenges.

From molecular modeling for pharmaceuticals to designing better materials for low-power electronics, Smidt shows how machine learning can amplify physics — if we learn to model the complexity of nature the right way. It’s about bringing together knowledge, collaboration, and perspective to build tools that benefit humanity. Smidt knew she wanted to be a particle physicist by the age of 12, drawn in by the mysteries of the Large Electron Collider. But at university, while studying atoms and materials, she discovered a new fascination: how we model the world across all scales, and how machine learning might help.

Her advice? Research has ups and downs — it’s okay to step away and live a life outside of it. Dance, the gym, or whatever brings you joy. And most importantly, don’t be afraid to think differently: your perspective is essential, because big problems need many ways of seeing.