The Mary Ann Mansigh Conversation series focuses of non-strictly technical topics of cultural interest for the simulation and modelling community. The format reflects the informative and informal nature of these sessions, with talks introducing the subject followed by a conversation between the speakers and the audience.
\r\nThe lecture series \"Mary Ann Mansigh Conversation series\" is co-organized by CECAM (https://www.cecam.org) and MARVEL (http://nccr-marvel.ch/) at EPFL.
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\r\nTuesday October 27, 2026, 15:00-18:00 CET
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\r\nArtificial intelligence is changing how algorithms are conceived, how software is written, and how its outputs are verified. This conversation takes stock of where the field of simulation and modelling stands today and opens a discussion on future directions and best practices — how to safeguard reliability and scientific creativity, how to adapt notions of authorship and ownership for AI-assisted code, and how to preserve and ideally enhance the rich commercial and academic software ecosystem that has driven the growth of computational science in research and development.
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\r\nWe invite submissions for contributed talks. If you would like to propose a contribution, please submit your abstract using this form. Deadline October 13, 2026.
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\r\nThe conversation will take place at EPFL, in room BCH 2103 and online.
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\r\nZoom link https://epfl.zoom.us/j/68443642155?pwd=ZPjdZw2KmHzeQ9Pu376iLb0OyMXCV8.1
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\r\nTentative program
\r\n15:00 Welcome and introduction
\r\n15:10 Georg Kresse, University of Vienna, Austria
\r\n15:30 Miguel Marques Ruhr, University Bochum, Germany
\r\n15:50 Michele Ceriotti, EPFL, Switzerland
\r\n16:10 Short break
\r\n16:20 Contributed speaker 1
\r\n16:35 Contributed speaker 2
\r\n16:50 Contributed speaker 3
\r\n17:05 Discussion
\r\n17:30 Apero for in person participants
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\r\nPrevious CECAM and MARVEL lectures can be found at
\r\nhttps://www.materialscloud.org/learn/sections/Btmngu/marvel-events
\r\nhttps://www.cecam.org/lectures
Thesis Director: Prof. N. Kavokine,
\r\nPhysics doctoral program
\r\nThesis Nr. 13424
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\r\nTo take part in the public defense, please contact directly the speaker
Thesis Directors: Prof. K. A. J. Mulleners, Prof. A. Ijspeert
\r\nMechanics doctoral program
\r\nThesis Nr. 11364
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\r\nTo take part in the public defense, please contact directly the speaker
Prof. Emilio Carlos de Lucca Junior - Associate Professor at Institute of Chemistry – University of Campinas
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\r\nOnce again, an interesting and varied programme has been created for the coming semester. The selected topics promise stimulating insights into the wide range of research and teaching at ETH Zurich.
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\r\nAll lectures are published in the ETH events calendar.
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\r\nID Multimedia Production offers live streaming from the AudiMax:
\r\nhttps://event.swisscom.ch/v/eth-live-1
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\r\nThe inaugural and farewell lectures will also be recorded and can be accessed here:
\r\nhttps://video.ethz.ch/speakers/lecture.html
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Thesis Director: Prof. K. Severin,
\r\nChemistry and Chemical Engineering doctoral program
\r\nThesis Nr. 11719
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\r\nTo take part in the public defense, please contact directly the speaker
Atomically precise carbon nanostructures offer a new route to quantum systems built from the bottom up. By combining molecular design, on-surface synthesis and scanning probe microscopy, we can control atomic structure, electronic states and magnetic interactions within the same platform.
\r\nIn this talk, I will follow the path from bottom-up synthesized graphene nanoribbons [1,2] to open-shell nanographenes [3] and designer quantum spin systems [4]. I will discuss how atomic structure can determine electronic topology and how molecular spins can be coupled into well-defined quantum chains. Recent examples include Haldane chains [4], alternating-exchange spin chains [5] and antiferromagnetic Heisenberg chains [6], where collective and fractional excitations can be probed directly at the atomic scale.
\r\nMore broadly, this work illustrates a materials-science strategy in which structure, functionality and interactions are programmed at the level of molecular building blocks. Rather than optimizing properties in an existing material, the aim is to design the material and its quantum behavior together. Atomically precise carbon nanostructures therefore provide a model platform for exploring how synthesis, structure and emergent functionality can be linked in a predictive way, with implications for the future design of low-dimensional electronic, magnetic and quantum materials.\r\n