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. 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
Thesis Director: Prof. L. Zdeborová,
\r\nComputer and Communication Sciences doctoral program
\r\nThesis Nr. 11792
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\r\nTo take part in the public defense, please contact directly the speaker
Eine App programmieren? Ein Computerspiel erfinden? Eine Animation gestalten?
\r\nWenn dich eines dieser Dinge interessiert, bist du hier am richtigen Ort! Tausche und teile deine Ideen, lerne zu programmieren und entdecke Informatikberufe.
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\r\nDie Coding Club for Girls Workshops sind für Mädchen im Alter von 11 bis 15 Jahren und die Teilnahme ist kostenlos. Ab der Teilnahme an vier Workshops pro Jahr wird eine Teilnahmebestätigung ausgehändigt.
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\r\nOrt: Benedict Schule, Bern
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\r\nDatum und Zeit:
\r\n05. September 2026 : 09:30 bis 12:00 oder 13:30 bis 16:00 Uhr // Scratch-me
\r\n12. September 2026 : 09:30 bis 12:00 oder 13:30 bis 16:00 Uhr // Minitel
\r\n17. Oktober 2026 : 09:30 bis 12:00 oder 13:30 bis 16:00 Uhr // Snake-it
\r\n24. Oktober 2026 : 09:30 bis 12:00 oder 13:30 bis 16:00 Uhr // Webdesignerin
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\r\nDie Inhalte der Workshops sind untenstehend beschrieben.
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\r\nBedingungen\r\n
Thesis Directors: Prof. W. Gerstner, Dr J. M. Brea
\r\nNeuroscience doctoral program
\r\nThesis Nr. 11317
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\r\nTo take part in the public defense, please contact directly the speaker
The function of many materials, from biological tissues to industrial polymers, depends on how their nanoscale building blocks are arranged and aligned within a macroscopic structure, which is essential to understand but difficult to resolve: established high-resolution techniques typically access only small sample volumes, limiting the ability to capture structural or biological variability across extended, heterogeneous samples.
\r\nSmall-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) imaging probes local nanostructure by raster-scanning a focused synchrotron beam across a sample. This can be extended to resolve nanostructure orientation voxel-by-voxel in three dimensions in a method called SAXS tensor tomography, which we implement in our open-source software package Mumott. In this presentation, I will show how this approach, and its continued development, can be applied across different material systems.
\r\nFor injection-molded polymer packaging, SAXS imaging has resolved the layered anisotropic nanostructure important for its mechanical properties, and, combined with industrial processing simulations, the structure formation during thermal processing. Another example is bone, where resolving structure requires both three-dimensional information and sufficient sampling to capture biological variability. Combining 2D and 3D SAXS imaging, we studied regional differences in the human femoral neck, an anatomical site relevant to hip fractures, and, at higher resolution, resolved alternating chirality between neighboring lamellae within individual osteons, a structural feature proposed on mechanical grounds over a century ago.
\r\nThese examples illustrate how tensor tomography, extended beyond X-ray scattering to wide-angle diffraction and visible-light polarimetry, provides a route to resolving hierarchical structure across a wide range of material systems.
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\r\nBio: Marianne Liebi studied food science at ETH Zurich, where she also completed her PhD in 2013, followed by postdoctoral research at the Paul Scherrer Institute and MAX IV Laboratory, Lund. In 2017, she started her own research group at Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, and was appointed in 2021 as tenure-track Assistant Professor at EPFL, where she heads the Laboratory for X-ray Characterization of Materials (cam-X) within the Institute of Materials, in a joint position with the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI). Her research develops advanced X-ray and optical imaging techniques, centered on small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) in 2D and 3D, to resolve the hierarchical structure of materials ranging from fiber composites to pharmaceutical formulations and bone.
Thesis Director: Prof. P. Scarlino,
\r\nPhysics doctoral program
\r\nThesis Nr. 11553
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\r\nTo take part in the public defense, please contact directly the speaker
Thesis Directors: Prof. M. Seidel, Dr T. Pieloni
\r\nPhysics doctoral program
\r\nThesis Nr. 11803
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\r\nTo take part in the public defense, please contact directly the speaker