Ri Science Podcast

The PLATO mission from the European Space Agency is set to launch next year, and is hoping to identify thousands of exoplanets in our galaxy which could have the right conditions to support life.
Lead project scientist for the mission Ana Heras, and engineer Alistair Winton, join the podcast this month to explain the scientific aims of this mission. Discover the different methods that are used by astronomers to discover exoplanets, the role of the 26 cameras onboard the PLATO telescope, and what the data we obtain from PLATO will teach us.

Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
Book tickets to upcoming talks on our website
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Follow us: @ri_science on Instagram and TikTok

Producer and presenter: Lia Hale
Assistant producer: Teni Gomez
Music: Joseph Sandy
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For this month's From the Theatre episode, we explore how AI could actually be a force for good in the world of batteries. In collaboration with the Faraday Institution, we hear from three experts to understand how artificial intelligence could optimise the performance of batteries at every scale.
Aaron Walsh (CuspAI / Imperial College London) explains how AI acts as a "digital alchemist" — simulating billions of possible crystal structures to discover battery materials that don't exist yet.
Mona Faraji Niri (WMG, University of Warwick) shows how AI acts as a forensic investigator, decoding sensor data to detect hidden faults and predict a battery's remaining lifespan — sometimes before it's even been used.
Sam Cooper (Imperial College London) reveals how machine learning is used to reverse-engineer the perfect internal "microstructure" of a battery electrode — the missing link between atoms and real-world performance.
This talk was recorded at the Ri on 15 June 2026.

Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
Book tickets to upcoming talks on our website
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Follow us: @ri_science on Instagram and TikTok
Producer and presenter: Lia Hale
Music: Joseph Sandy

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why have so many people died during the heatwaves spread across Europe this summer, and is it a direct result of climate change?
And what technology is being developed to help us prevent damage from wildfires as they become more prevalent?
Statisticians Clair Barnes and Gary Konstantinoudis, and entrepreneur Alisha Fuller-Armah feature on this month's episode to explore the science behind heatwaves and wildfires, and what can be done about them.
Read more about Clair and Gary's research here.
Find out more about the World Weather Attribution.
Find out more about Draconite™.

Producer and presenter: Lia Hale
Assistant producers: Emily Sanderson and Teni Gomez
Music: Joseph Sandy

Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
Book tickets to upcoming talks on our website
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Follow us: @ri_science on Instagram and TikTok
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is a solar eclipse? How is it safe to watch? And what other types of eclipses are there?

This month, we revisit Frank Close's talk from the theatre where he explored what causes solar eclipses, and ahead of the first total solar eclipse visible from the UK since 1999.
Frank Close a particle physicist, author and speaker. He is Professor of Physics at the University of Oxford. He was formerly vice president of the British Association for Advancement of Science, Head of the Theoretical Physics Division at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and Head of Communications and Public Education at CERN.

This talk was recorded at the Ri on 25 July 2017.
Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
•Book tickets to upcoming talks on our website
•Subscribe to our YouTube channel
•Follow us: @ri_science on Instagram and TikTok
Producer: Emily Sanderson
Executive Producer: Lia Hale
Music: Joseph Sandy
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Quantum physics has gone through two major revolutions over the past century, which has transformed how we understand and practise theoretical physics. But what has still been left unanswered through these revolutions?
Theoretical physicist Ross Jenkinson joins us this month to explain the impact of both of these revolutions on quantum science, and specifically how quantum field theory and quantum computing could help to explain one of the biggest obstacles in quantum physics: gravity. Ross also uncovers the realities of working with quantum computers and how these underground labs actually work.

Ri Science Podcast episodes are released on the last Wednesday of every month, and our new ‘From the Theatre’ episodes are released on the second Wednesday of the month. Subscribe to be notified as soon as the next episode is released!
Book tickets to upcoming talks on our website
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Follow us: @ri_science on Instagram and TikTok
Producer and presenter: Lia Hale
Music: Joseph Sandy
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.