BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:icalendar-ruby CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:Europe/Vienna BEGIN:DAYLIGHT DTSTART:20260329T030000 TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 TZOFFSETTO:+0200 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYDAY=-1SU;BYMONTH=3 TZNAME:CEST END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD DTSTART:20261025T020000 TZOFFSETFROM:+0200 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYDAY=-1SU;BYMONTH=10 TZNAME:CET END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260415T072605Z UID:699c104cded21642660514@ist.ac.at DTSTART:20260415T110000 DTEND:20260415T120000 DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Filippo Conforto\nhosted by Andela Saric\nAbstract: Th e activity and organisation of DNA in the cell are highly regulated by sev eral proteins\, such as topoisomerases and Structural Maintenance of Chrom osomes (SMCs)\, which are involved in topological regulation by resolving crossings between DNA strands or creating loops within chromatin. While we have rich knowledge about the impact of these proteins on the cell's func tion\, the rheological\, i.e.\, flow properties\, which affect the capacit y of DNA to reorganise and respond to stimuli\, are still poorly understoo d.In this talk\, I will investigate the viscous and elastic properties of dense DNA solutions under the effect of SMCs and the formation of gels thr ough DNA ligation. Specifically\, I show how SMCs modulate in silico and i n vitro the rheological properties both through the extrusion of loops and the creation of transient crosslinks between DNA strands. Additionally\, I investigate how DNA can be used to create percolating networks of linked rings. These DNA networks\, called "Olympic Gels''\, differ from classic transiently linked gels by the presence of permanent topological links. I show that through progressive ligation it is possible to create materials with tuneable viscoelastic properties\, which can be controlled by choosin g the length of ring and linear DNA strands used in the gel formation. Thi s work contributes to a better understanding of how proteins naturally con tained in the cell affect the topology\, structure\, and rheology of entan gled DNA\, and will help guide the design of new biomaterials inspired by the properties of DNA. LOCATION:Sunstone Bldg / Ground floor / Big Seminar Room A / 27 seats (I23. EG.102)\, ISTA ORGANIZER:mmunozba@ist.ac.at SUMMARY:Filippo Conforto: Modulating the flow of entangled DNA with topolog ically active proteins URL:https://talks-calendar.ista.ac.at/events/6381 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260415T072605Z UID:1776338100@ist.ac.at DTSTART:20260416T131500 DTEND:20260416T150000 DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Isabella Khan\nhosted by Xujia Chen\nAbstract: The Hee gaard Floer d-invariant is a numerical invariant of rational homology sphe res which is analogous to the Frøyshov h-invariant from Instanton theory. In this talk\, we use Zemke’s recent isomorphism between lattice Floer and Heegaard Floer homology to compute the d-invariant for all rational ho mology spheres which arise as negative definite plumbed manifolds\, verify ing a 20 year old conjecture of Némethi.  LOCATION:Office Bldg West / Ground floor / Heinzel Seminar Room (I21.EG.101 )\, ISTA ORGANIZER:Stephanie.Dolot@ist.ac.at SUMMARY:Isabella Khan: The Heegaard Floer d-invariant for rational homology spheres URL:https://talks-calendar.ista.ac.at/events/6403 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260415T072605Z UID:1776672000@ist.ac.at DTSTART:20260420T100000 DTEND:20260420T110000 DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Eugenia Iofinova\nhosted by Samara Ren\nAbstract: As n eural-network-based models grow both in size and popularity\, interest has grown in making the models smaller and more efficient to train. To that e nd\, many methods have been proposed to prune models by reducing their num ber of nonzero parameters. Additionally\, parameter-efficient fine-tuning\ , in which a much smaller number of parameters than the total contained in the model is updated during training\, has become very popular\, especial ly in the space of Large Language Models. At the same time\, the increasin gly routine deployment of machine learning in real-world applications has spurred a drive to make them more trustworthy - in the sense of\, among ot her things\, being unbiased\, interpretable\, and editable. In this thesis \, we examine the interplay between efficiency and trustworthiness.First\, we analyze the effects of model pruning on bias in computer vision models \, demonstrating that increased sparsity leads to greater bias\, largely a s a function of increased model uncertainty in marginal cases. Based on th is observation\, we propose several bias mitigation techniques. Then\, we demonstrate that example-specific model pruning can improve model interpre tation methods while improving pruning efficiency to make example-specific model pruning feasible in real time. Then\, we investigate the effectiven ess of parameter-efficient and data-efficient model personalization via fi ne-tuning\, demonstrating that it is highly feasible with very small compu tational and data resources. Finally\, we consider efficiency in editing m odel knowledge using a custom synthetic data framework\, demonstrating tha t parameter-efficient\, low-rank fine-tuning frequently outperforms full-r ank fine-tuning\, and\, additionally\, restricting fine-tuning to specific model blocks frequently improves results. Together\, the results in this thesis provide new insights and techniques for combining trustworthiness a nd efficiency during neural network inference and training. LOCATION:Office Bldg West / Ground floor / Heinzel Seminar Room (I21.EG.101 ) and Zoom\, ISTA ORGANIZER: SUMMARY:Eugenia Iofinova: Thesis Defense: On the Utility and Effects of Eff iciency in Artificial Neural Networks URL:https://talks-calendar.ista.ac.at/events/6391 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260415T072605Z UID:1776677400@ist.ac.at DTSTART:20260420T113000 DTEND:20260420T123000 DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Daniel Kronauer\nhosted by Lora Sweeney\nAbstract: The colonies of social insects are complex biological systems in which manifo ld interactions between individuals give rise to emergent properties that are adaptive at the group level. However\, most social insects cannot be p ropagated in captivity or genetically manipulated\, severely limiting the scope for experimentation. The Kronauer lab is developing and utilizing th e clonal raider ant\, Ooceraea biroi\, as a new model species that overcom es many of these limitations\, allowing them to study social dynamics and underlying mechanisms under controlled laboratory conditions. Their work h as led to a deeper understanding of how ants within a colony assume distin ct behavioral roles and efficiently divide labor\, how they communicate\, both as adults and across different developmental stages\, and how these i nteractions result in collective behavior. Additionally\, their research h as shed light on how evolution has repurposed and expanded genetic\, neura l\, and physiological mechanisms from solitary ancestors to produce highly social organisms. In this seminar\, Dr. Daniel Kronauer will provide an o verview of this work and discuss future directions in his research program aimed at understanding the evolution and organization of insect societies \, spanning from genes to neural circuits and behavior. LOCATION:Raiffeisen Lecture Hall\, ISTA ORGANIZER:diana.zubcevic@ista.ac.at SUMMARY:Daniel Kronauer: The Social Behavior of Ants URL:https://talks-calendar.ista.ac.at/events/5795 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260415T072605Z UID:1776679200@ist.ac.at DTSTART:20260420T120000 DTEND:20260421T160000 DESCRIPTION:hosted by Ludek Lovicar \nAbstract: 16th ASEM Workshop on Advan ced Electron MicroscopyWe are pleased to invite you to the 16th ASEM Wor kshop on Advanced Electron Microscopy\, the annual meeting of the Austria n Society for Electron Microscopy (ASEM) (https://asem.at/). This workshop serves as a platform for electron microscopists to exchange ideas\, discu ss recent advances\, and foster collaborations across disciplines.Research ers from life sciences\, materials science\, physics\, and chemistry – from both academia and industry – are warmly welcomed to participate an d share their expertise. As in previous years\, we place a strong emphasis on encouraging contributions from students and early-career scientists\, whose active participation is vital to the continued growth and innovatio n of our community.Thanks to the sponsors (https://asem-workshop-2026.pag es.ist.ac.at/sponsors/)\, the workshop is free of charge for all members o f the ASEM!There will be a Poster award (https://asem-workshop-2026.pages .ist.ac.at/registration/) and Image Competition (https://asem-workshop-2 026.pages.ist.ac.at/registration/) at the workshop.The ASEM offers grant to young scientists that cover travel and accommodation costs up to 200 €. More details can be found here (https://asem-workshop-2026.pages.ist .ac.at/wp-content/uploads/sites/352/2025/12/20251205_How-to-obtain-a-refun d-of-travel-costs.pdf).The official language of the ASEM Workshop is Engli sh. LOCATION:Moonstone Seminar Center (indoors and outdoors)\, ISTA ORGANIZER: SUMMARY:ASEM URL:https://talks-calendar.ista.ac.at/events/6325 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260415T072605Z UID:69d4fd9cf30db116400989@ist.ac.at DTSTART:20260423T110000 DTEND:20260423T120000 DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Beate Lichtenberger\nhosted by Florian Schur\nAbstract : Skin fibroblasts are central organizers of tissue architecture\, providi ng the structural framework of theskin while actively regulating its devel opment\, homeostasis\, and repair. Far from being a uniform cellpopulation \, fibroblasts comprise diverse subtypes with distinct spatial identities\ , functional programs\,and interactions with epithelial\, immune\, and vas cular cells. In this talk\, I will discuss how fibroblastdiversity shapes skin structure and physiology\, and how altered fibroblast states drive pa thologicalprocesses such as fibrosis and cancer. These findings position f ibroblasts as dynamic regulators of tissuefunction in both health and dise ase. LOCATION:Moonstone Bldg / Ground floor / Seminar Room F (I24.EG.030f)\, IST A ORGANIZER:jgazsi@ist.ac.at SUMMARY:Beate Lichtenberger: Beyond Structural Support: Skin Fibroblasts as Dynamic Regulators of Tissue and Disease URL:https://talks-calendar.ista.ac.at/events/6404 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260415T072605Z UID:665dbdca9443e835749719@ist.ac.at DTSTART:20260423T131500 DTEND:20260423T151500 DESCRIPTION:Speaker: David Hernandez\nhosted by Xujia Chen & Tamas Hausel\n Abstract: Shifted quantum groups emerged from the study of quantized Coulo mb branches (which are symplectic duals to quiver varieties). We show that the Grothendieck ring of the category O for the shifted quantum affine al gebras has the structure of a cluster algebra (jt work with Geiss and Lecl erc). This has several applications\, such as geometric character formulas for simple classes corresponding to cluster variables. LOCATION:Office Bldg West / Ground floor / Heinzel Seminar Room (I21.EG.101 )\, ISTA ORGANIZER:boosthui@ist.ac.at SUMMARY:David Hernandez: Shifted quantum groups\, cluster algebras and geom etric character formulas URL:https://talks-calendar.ista.ac.at/events/6363 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260415T072605Z UID:1777017600@ist.ac.at DTSTART:20260424T100000 DTEND:20260424T110000 DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Raffaele Coray\nhosted by Alicia Michael\nAbstract: Cr yo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) enables three-dimensional visualization o f macromolecular complexes in near-native conditions\, but analyzing these datasets remains challenging due to structural heterogeneity and the comp lexity of the sample context. I will present context-aware template matchi ng\, an approach that leverages sample features\, such as membranes and su pporting geometries\, to improve particle identification. I will illustrat e this method using retromer-coated membrane tubules\, showing how templat e matching\, in conjunction with subtomogram averaging\, neighborhood anal ysis\, and heterogeneity analysis\, can reveal distinct classes of arch ar rangements and global coating patterns. This example demonstrates how inco rporating contextual information can enhance structural interpretation\, p roviding a framework for studying complex membrane-associated assemblies i n cryo-ET datasets.  LOCATION:Moonstone Bldg / Ground floor / Seminar Room G\, ISTA ORGANIZER:alicia.michael@ista.ac.at SUMMARY:Raffaele Coray: Context-Aware Template Matching for Structural Anal ysis of Membrane-Assembled Retromer Coats URL:https://talks-calendar.ista.ac.at/events/6405 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260415T072605Z UID:1777042800@ist.ac.at DTSTART:20260424T170000 DTEND:20260424T230000 DESCRIPTION:hosted by Lange Nacht der Forschung\nAbstract: Curious about ho w scientists explore the world around us? Join us from 5:00 to 11:00 pm fo r an evening of discovery during the Long Night of Research. At our campus in Klosterneuburg near Vienna\, visitors of all ages are invited to step inside the world of research and experience science in a welcoming\, open- door atmosphere. Families\, school groups\, and anyone with a curious mind can explore interactive stations\, meet researchers\, and see how scienti fic ideas come to life.Across 14 interactive stations\, guests can enjoy h ands-on experiments\, short talks\, and engaging demonstrations. Highlight s include a lively Science Show filled with exciting chemistry experiments \, the AstroLab\, where visitors can explore stars and galaxies and even b uild a mini spectroscope\, and the colorful Rainbow Liquid Tower\, where l iquids stack to reveal the science of density. You can also test climate s trategies in the Hotspot Earth game\, investigate animal science at CSI Ve tmed\, or discover what birdsong can reveal about the origins of music. At the VISTA Science Experience Center\, explore the exhibition Science in t he Making\, join family activities\, and watch the film Encounters in the Milky Way. You can find more information about the program here: https:// langenachtderforschung.at/ausstellungsstandort/15 Take advantage of the f ree shuttle bus from Vienna Heiligenstadt and Tulln to ISTA\, or the addit ional event shuttle bus with the following times:  LOCATION:Raiffeisen Lecture Hall\, Central Building & VISTA Science Experie nce Center\, ISTA ORGANIZER:events@ista.ac.at SUMMARY:Long Night of Research URL:https://talks-calendar.ista.ac.at/events/6315 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260415T072605Z UID:1777282200@ist.ac.at DTSTART:20260427T113000 DTEND:20260427T123000 DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Carl Goodrich\nhosted by Jérémie Palacci\nAbstract: If the emergence of AI has taught us nothing else\, it is that simple func tions\, connected together at scale\, can lead to extreme emergent behavio r provided the internal settings are adjusted just so. Does this principle apply to material systems as well? Can simple\, well-understood physical interactions enable complex\, maybe even life-like behavior if tuned at sc ale? Unlike most areas of science where we are trained to reduce the param eterization of a problem\, answering such questions forces us to embrace h igh-dimensional spaces in order to understand when and where extreme behav iors emerge. I will discuss efforts within my group to understand the phys ics of highly tunable material systems. First\, I will explain how physics -imposed constraints shape design spaces of self-assembling nanostructures \, leading to a quasi-analytical description of the system’s expressiven ess. Then\, I will discuss how tunable materials can contain a physical me mory of their past. While I will initially present the concept of a physic al memory in the context of tuned disordered solids\, the resulting theory provides a general framework for predicting and understanding memory in a range of tunable systems\, and I will speculate on such connections\, fro m evolution to cellular structure\, and from machine learning to the brain . Together\, these results provide critical foundational structure for the emerging interdisciplinary field of tunable matter. LOCATION:ISTA | Central Building | Raiffeisen Lecture Hall\, ISTA ORGANIZER:diana.zubcevic@ista.ac.at SUMMARY:Carl Goodrich: Tunable Matter URL:https://talks-calendar.ista.ac.at/events/6384 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260415T072605Z UID:1777366800@ist.ac.at DTSTART:20260428T110000 DTEND:20260428T120000 DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Jean-Philippe Brantut\nhosted by Julian Leonard\nAbstr act: Abstract:Cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED) is one of the most powe rful framework to observe and leverage quantum phenomena. While it has bee n thoroughly studied for simple quantum systems such as two-level systems or harmonic oscillators\, it has recently become available for complex\, c orrelated quantum many-body systems. In the last years\, we have developed systems combining cavity QED with cold Fermi gases. In such a system\, v irtual photon exchanges between atoms yield a long-range interaction leadi ng to emergent phenomena. I will describe how it induces charge-density wa ve ordering\, and the deep insights on this transition provided by real-ti me measurements and high spatial resolution. I will then discuss the inter play of pairing\, Pauli blocking and light-matter interactions in this sys tem\, the status of our understanding and some open questions. Last\, I wi ll outline the perspective open for quantum simulations in this platform\, both from the conceptual and technological point of view.  LOCATION:Office Building West/Ground Floor/Heinzel Seminar Room\, ISTA ORGANIZER: SUMMARY:Jean-Philippe Brantut: Quantum Simulations with Atoms and Photons URL:https://talks-calendar.ista.ac.at/events/6210 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260415T072605Z UID:6687bf08e3e87989250506@ist.ac.at DTSTART:20260428T161500 DTEND:20260428T171500 DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Jacob Shapiro\nhosted by Laszlo Erdös\nAbstract: The index of a pair of projections on a Hilbert space was introduced in 1973 b y Brown-Douglas-Filmore and connected to the integer quantum Hall effect b y Avron-Seiler-Simon in 1994. For two orthogonal projections P\,Q such tha t P-Q is compact\, index(P\,Q)=dimimPkerQ-dimimQkerP. It is manifestly an integer\, and enjoys norm and compactness stability\, much like the relate d Fredholm index. Such indices played a pivotal role in describing the qua ntization and stability properties in the quantum Hall effect\; ASS94 rela ted the Hall conductance to the index of a Fermi projection P and its Laug hlin-flux-inserted projection U*PU.What becomes of this story in the prese nce of interactions? To describe infinitely-many interacting electrons in infinite-volume\, the Hilbert space is replaced by a unital C-* algebra A (a CAR algebra)\, but there is no obvious notion of a Fredholm index. We i ntroduce a new notion\, the index of a pair of pure states (on A)\, prove its quantization\, invariance and stability properties\, and relate it to the (possibly fractional) Hall conductance. We further show that Kitaevs i nvertible states always have integer conductance. Joint with Bachmann and Tauber. LOCATION:Office Bldg West / Ground floor / Heinzel Seminar Room (I21.EG.101 )\, ISTA ORGANIZER:boosthui@ist.ac.at SUMMARY:Jacob Shapiro: The index of a pair of pure states and the quantum H all effect URL:https://talks-calendar.ista.ac.at/events/6368 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260415T072605Z UID:68776eaf380dd057014767@ist.ac.at DTSTART:20260430T110000 DTEND:20260430T120000 DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Justin C. Burton\nhosted by Scott Waitukaitis\nAbstrac t: Airborne microbes critically impact our lives\, from the spread of dise ases to rainfall and food production. Yet the survival of microbes during aerosolization and atmospheric transport is not well understood. Although bacteria have been found in the atmosphere\, even larger organisms such as nematodes and spiders can drift in the air for many kilometers. In this t alk\, I will discuss two research projects where we investigate how the at mosphere plays a crucial role in micro- and meso-scale ecology. I will sho w how salt and humidity help bacteria survive during desiccation. In dried droplets on flat surfaces\, the spatial structure generated by the dried film can trap water to facilitate survival. 3D Bacterial suspensions dried under acoustic levitation survive even better. In a separate project\, I will discuss how jumping\, parasitic nematodes rely on electrostatic force s to infect their insect hosts. A model combining electrostatics\, aerodyn amics\, and Bayesian inference indicates that the electrostatic charge on jumping nematodes is ~ 0.1 pC\, which aligns with theoretical predictions for electrostatic induction. In fact\, we show that infection through jump ing may necessitate electrostatic forces as a successful evolutionary stra tegy. LOCATION:Office Bldg West / Ground floor / Heinzel Seminar Room (I21.EG.101 )\, ISTA ORGANIZER:cpetz@ist.ac.at SUMMARY:Justin C. Burton: Biology in the air: from hitchhiking microbes to jumping electrified nematodes URL:https://talks-calendar.ista.ac.at/events/6407 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260415T072605Z UID:1777874400@ist.ac.at DTSTART:20260504T080000 DTEND:20260505T180000 DESCRIPTION: LOCATION:\, ISTA ORGANIZER: SUMMARY:MPS Retreat 2026 URL:https://talks-calendar.ista.ac.at/events/5916 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260415T072605Z UID:684800150f201048290295@ist.ac.at DTSTART:20260506T153000 DTEND:20260506T163000 DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Hong Wang\nhosted by Laszlo Erdös & Uli Wagner\nAbstr act: A Kakeya set is a compact subset of R^n that contains a unit line seg ment pointing in every direction. Kakeya set conjecture asserts that every Kakeya set has Minkowski and Hausdorff dimension n. We prove this conject ure in R^3 as a consequence of a more general statement about union of tub es.This is joint work with Josh Zahl. LOCATION:Raiffeisen Lecture Hall\, Central Building\, ISTA ORGANIZER:boosthui@ist.ac.at SUMMARY:Hong Wang: Kakeya sets in R^3 URL:https://talks-calendar.ista.ac.at/events/6400 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260415T072605Z UID:68776f9104d40763009008@ist.ac.at DTSTART:20260507T110000 DTEND:20260507T120000 DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Nachi Stern\nhosted by Carl Goodrich\nAbstract: From e lectrically responsive neuronal networks to immune repertoires\, biologica l systems can learn to perform complex tasks. In this seminar\, we explore physical learning\, a framework inspired by computational learning theory and biological systems\, where networks physically adapt to applied force s to adopt desired functions. Unlike traditional engineering approaches or artificial intelligence\, physical learning is facilitated by physically realizable learning rules\, requiring only local responses and no explicit information about the desired functionality. Our research shows that such local learning rules can be derived for broad classes of physical network s and that physical learning is indeed physically realizable\, without com puter aid\, through laboratory experiments. We take further inspiration fr om learning in the brain and demonstrate the success of physical learning beyond the quasi-equilibrium regime\, enabling physical systems to adapt c omplex dynamical functions. By leveraging the advances of statistical lear ning theory in physical machines\, we propose physical learning as a promi sing bridge between computational machine learning and biology\, with the potential to enable the development of power-efficient AI platforms\, and new classes of smart metamaterials that adapt in-situ to users needs. LOCATION:Mondi Seminar Room 2\, Central Building\, ISTA ORGANIZER:cpetz@ist.ac.at SUMMARY:Nachi Stern: Learning without neurons in physical systems URL:https://talks-calendar.ista.ac.at/events/6287 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260415T072605Z UID:1778491800@ist.ac.at DTSTART:20260511T113000 DTEND:20260511T123000 DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Veronika Sunko & Xujia Chen\nhosted by Mikhail Lemeshk o LOCATION:Raiffeisen Lecture Hall\, ISTA ORGANIZER:diana.gruber@ista.ac.at SUMMARY:Veronika Sunko & Xujia Chen: Inaugural Lecture | Veronika Sunko & X ujia Chen URL:https://talks-calendar.ista.ac.at/events/6094 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260415T072605Z UID:686bce5b41e34965306073@ist.ac.at DTSTART:20260512T110000 DTEND:20260512T120000 DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Benjamin Sacépé\nhosted by Georgios Katsaros\nAbstra ct: Topological superconductivity has attracted considerable attention due to its great promise for fault-tolerant quantum computing. Conventional a pproaches rely on intricate hybrid systems combining topological insulator s and superconductors\, requiring precise material engineering and fine-tu ned conditions\, yet a clear experimental demonstration remains absent to this day. In this colloquium\, I will introduce a novel type of topologica l insulator state emerging from the physics of the quantum Hall effect. Th is state leverages the unique properties of the zeroth Landau level in gra phenea remarkable\, strongly interacting flat band where electron-electron interactions give rise to diverse broken-symmetry phases\, characterized by distinct topological and lattice-scale orders. These phases can be iden tified through transport measurements [1] and directly visualized using sc anning tunneling spectroscopy [2]. I will also demonstrate how superconduc tivity can be induced in quantum Hall edge channels to create robust Josep hson junctions\, despite the presence of a strong perpendicular magnetic f ield [3]\, thus opening a new path toward the realization of topological s uperconductivity in quantum Hall Josephson junctions.[1] L. Veyrat et al. Science 367\, 781 (2020)[2] A. Coissard et al. Nature 605\, 51 (2022)[3] H . Vignaud et al. Nature 624\, 545 (2023) LOCATION:Office Bldg West / Ground floor / Heinzel Seminar Room (I21.EG.101 )\, ISTA ORGANIZER:sandra.widdmann@ist.ac.at SUMMARY:Benjamin Sacépé: Exploring Quantum Hall Edge Channels in Graphene as a Path to Topological Superconductivity URL:https://talks-calendar.ista.ac.at/events/6303 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260415T072605Z UID:69c104cda01c7847075710@ist.ac.at DTSTART:20260512T140000 DTEND:20260512T150000 DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Sashi Weerawarana\nhosted by Florian Schur\nAbstract: All living beings must package and compact their DNA to protect genetic ma terial and regulate genome access. In my thesis work\, I investigate genom e organization in mitochondria\, bacteria\, and viruses. Mitochondria util ize the HMG-box protein TFAM to fulfill this vital role\, whereas bacteria and viruses employ histone proteins that adopt different binding modes. T he central focus of this talk is TFAM-mediated DNA compaction. Using a wid e array of biochemical methods and structural biology approaches\, I show that TFAM compacts DNA into homogenous higher-order complexes that exhibit continuous conformational dynamics. The talk also presents cryo EM data r evealing distinct strategies utilized by bacterial histones from Bdellovib rio bacteriovorus and Leptospira interrogans to compact DNA and highlights unique structural features of the Medusavirus medusae nucleosome. Togethe r\, this work reveals diverse mechanisms of genome compaction across organ elles and domains of life. LOCATION:Mondi Seminar Room 2\, Central Building\, ISTA ORGANIZER:jgazsi@ist.ac.at SUMMARY:Sashi Weerawarana: Genome organization in mitochondria\, bacteria\, and viruses URL:https://talks-calendar.ista.ac.at/events/6371 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260415T072605Z UID:1779096600@ist.ac.at DTSTART:20260518T113000 DTEND:20260518T123000 DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Alexander Schier\nhosted by Edouard Hannezo LOCATION:Raiffeisen Lecture Hall\, ISTA ORGANIZER:diana.gruber@ista.ac.at SUMMARY:Alexander Schier: Institute Colloquium | Alexander Schier URL:https://talks-calendar.ista.ac.at/events/5796 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260415T072605Z UID:1779181200@ist.ac.at DTSTART:20260519T110000 DTEND:20260519T120000 DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Jonathan Home\nhosted by Julian Léonard\nAbstract: A bstract: The development of useful quantum computers will rely on the abil ity to suppress errors which occur both naturally and through the erroneou s application of gate operations. Error-correction typically comes with si gnificant resource overheads\, which motivates the search for implementati ons which can naturally provide error correction in a compact manner. One approach is to use bosonic degrees of freedom to encode information redund antly\, allowing to perform feedback which suppresses errors. I will descr ibe two sets of experiments in which we perform operations and bosonic err or correction using mechanical oscillations of a single trapped ion. In th e first\, we demonstrate the entanglement and subsequent error-correction of logical qubits encoded using superposed displaced squeezed states formi ng periodic structures in phase space. This “GKP” encoding is particul arly well suited to diffusive errors in the oscillator phase space. Then\, using a novel non-linear regime of control\, I will show how we realize n on-linear reservoir engineering to perform confinement of states into fini te-dimensional subspaces which have discrete rotational symmetry\, and whi ch protect from dephasing errors. Alongside coverage of the state-of-the-a rt\, I will provide perspectives as to how these approaches could be embed ded in larger systems.” LOCATION:Office Bldg West / Ground floor / Heinzel Seminar Room (I21.EG.101 )\, ISTA ORGANIZER:Stephanie.Dolot@ist.ac.at SUMMARY:Jonathan Home: Bosonic error-correction codes with trapped ions URL:https://talks-calendar.ista.ac.at/events/6406 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260415T072605Z UID:1779786000@ist.ac.at DTSTART:20260526T110000 DTEND:20260526T120000 DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Jie Ren\nhosted by Maksym Serbyn\nAbstract: Abstract: Understanding how complex systems transition between order and chaos is a central challenge of nonequilibrium physics. While weak perturbations of c lassical integrable systems give rise to a mixed phase space of coexisting regular and chaotic trajectories\, analogous behavior in interacting quan tum many-body systems has remained elusive. Here we develop and experiment ally implement a hybrid quantum–classical feedback protocol that autonom ously discovers and stabilizes long-lived regular trajectories in a superc onducting quantum processor. Each iteration combines short-time quantum ev olution with classical optimization that projects the dynamics back onto a low-entanglement variational manifold\, effectively distilling coherence from chaotic evolution. The stabilized trajectories reveal a quantum many- body mixed phase space emerging from nonlinear variational dynamics\, with out a direct analogue in classical or few-body quantum systems. Our result s establish a versatile framework for algorithmic discovery and control of coherent dynamics previously inaccessible to experiment.  LOCATION:Office Bldg West / Ground floor / Heinzel Seminar Room (I21.EG.101 )\, ISTA ORGANIZER:Stephanie.Dolot@ist.ac.at SUMMARY:Jie Ren: “Quantum many-body mixed phase space revealed by hybrid feedback control" URL:https://talks-calendar.ista.ac.at/events/6345 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260415T072605Z UID:1779951600@ist.ac.at DTSTART:20260528T090000 DTEND:20260529T170000 DESCRIPTION: LOCATION:\, ISTA ORGANIZER:lilla.kukor@ista.ac.at SUMMARY:ISS Area Retreat 2026 URL:https://talks-calendar.ista.ac.at/events/5689 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260415T072605Z UID:1779958800@ist.ac.at DTSTART:20260528T110000 DTEND:20260528T120000 DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Federica Surace\nhosted by Maksym Serbyn\nAbstract: TB A LOCATION:Central Bldg / O1 / Mondi 2a\, ISTA ORGANIZER:Stephanie.Dolot@ist.ac.at SUMMARY:Federica Surace: "Slow dynamics in quantum many-body systems" URL:https://talks-calendar.ista.ac.at/events/6217 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260415T072605Z UID:68776ee57aa4b682558249@ist.ac.at DTSTART:20260528T110000 DTEND:20260528T120000 DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Mitja Drab\nhosted by Andela Saric\nAbstract: Biologic al membranes are active\, multicomponent systems whose shape emerges from a complex interplay between curvature-inducing inclusions\, in-plane order ing\, and cytoskeletal forces. In this talk\, I present a numerical framew ork for modeling closed membranes populated by curved anisotropic componen ts that interact via nematic alignment and couple to active forces. Our si mulations reveal a rich landscape of membrane morphologies arising from th e competition between intrinsic curvature\, nematic interactions\, and act ive stresses. We show how nematic alignment organizes curved inclusions in to defect structures that localize in regions of high curvature\, thereby guiding membrane remodeling and stabilizing complex shapes such as tubules \, necks\, and pearled structures . Active forces further drive the system out of equilibrium\, enabling transitions to morphologies that are inacce ssible in passive systems\, including flattened\, protrusive\, and dynamic ally fluctuating states. These results provide a unified physical picture of how curvature\, orientational order\, and active forces cooperate to co ntrol membrane shape\, with implications for processes ranging from endocy tosis and phagocytosis to cell spreading and motility. LOCATION:Office Bldg West / Ground floor / Heinzel Seminar Room (I21.EG.101 )\, ISTA ORGANIZER:cpetz@ist.ac.at SUMMARY:Mitja Drab: Numerical Modeling of Nematic Membranes with Active Cur ved Anisotropic Inclusions URL:https://talks-calendar.ista.ac.at/events/6382 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260415T072605Z UID:1780390800@ist.ac.at DTSTART:20260602T110000 DTEND:20260602T120000 DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Hannes Bernien\nhosted by Maksym Serbyn\nAbstract: Rec onfigurable arrays of neutral atoms have emerged as a leading platform for quantum science. Their excellent coherence properties combined with progr ammable Rydberg interactions have led to intriguing observations such as q uantum phase transitions\, the discovery of quantum many-body scars\, and novel quantum computing architectures. Here\, I am introducing a dual-spe cies Rydberg array that naturally lends itself for measurement-based proto cols [1] such as quantum error correction\, long-range entangled state pre paration\, and measurement-altered many-body dynamics. Furthermore\, Rydbe rg interactions between the two species then lead to novel regimes\, inclu ding greatly enhanced resonant dipole interactions\, that we use to demons trate a two-qubit gate and quantum non-demolition readout [2]. I will pre sent our current experiments on implementing quantum cellular automata in a dual-species array. Cellular automata are famous for producing complex b ehavior as well as universal computation based on simple initial states an d update rules. Here we investigate this paradigm by implementing an updat e rule based on dual species Rydberg blockade and periodic driving. [1] S ingh\, Bradley\, Anand\, Ramesh\, White\, Bernien\, Science 380\, 1265 (20 23).[2] Anand\, Bradley\, White\, Ramesh\, Singh\, Bernien\, Nature Physic s 20\, 1744 (2024). LOCATION:Office Bldg West / Ground floor / Heinzel Seminar Room (I21.EG.101 )\, ISTA ORGANIZER:Stephanie.Dolot@ist.ac.at SUMMARY:Hannes Bernien: Dual-Species Atom Array Quantum Processors and Quan tum Networks URL:https://talks-calendar.ista.ac.at/events/6208 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260415T072605Z UID:1780911000@ist.ac.at DTSTART:20260608T113000 DTEND:20260608T123000 DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Roberto di Leonardo\nhosted by Jérémie Palacci LOCATION:Raiffeisen Lecture Hall\, ISTA ORGANIZER:diana.gruber@ista.ac.at SUMMARY:Roberto di Leonardo: Institute Colloquium | Roberto di Leonardo URL:https://talks-calendar.ista.ac.at/events/5793 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260415T072605Z UID:1781600400@ist.ac.at DTSTART:20260616T110000 DTEND:20260616T120000 DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Michael Buchhold\nhosted by Maksym Serbyn\nAbstract: T BA LOCATION:Office Building West/Ground Floor/Heinzel Seminar Room\, ISTA ORGANIZER:Stephanie.Dolot@ist.ac.at SUMMARY:Michael Buchhold: Quantum Colloquium | Michael Buchhold URL:https://talks-calendar.ista.ac.at/events/6211 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260415T072605Z UID:665dbdca9d01d401146589@ist.ac.at DTSTART:20260618T130000 DTEND:20260618T150000 DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Jianrong Li\nhosted by Tamas Hausel\nAbstract: Frenkel and Reshetikhin introduced q-characters for finite-dimensional representa tions of quantum affine algebras\, providing a fundamental tool in their r epresentation theory. Together with Tomasz Przezdziecki\, we defined bound ary q-characters for finite dimensional representations of quantum affine symmetric pairs of split and quasi-split types. In this talk\, I will pres ent a new joint work Tomasz Przezdziecki on evaluation modules for split q uantum affine symmetric pairs. By computing the action of generators in Lu and Wangs Drinfeld-type presentation on GelfandTsetlin bases\, we determi ne the spectrum of a large commutative subalgebra arising from this presen tation. This leads to an explicit formula for boundary analogues of q-char acters\, which we interpret combinatorially in terms of semistandard Young tableaux. Our results show that boundary q-characters share familiar feat ures with ordinary q-characters\, while also exhibiting new phenomena\, in cluding an additional symmetry. LOCATION:Office Bldg West / Ground floor / Heinzel Seminar Room (I21.EG.101 )\, ISTA ORGANIZER:boosthui@ist.ac.at SUMMARY:Jianrong Li: Boundary q-characters of finite-dimensional representa tions of quantum affine symmetric pairs URL:https://talks-calendar.ista.ac.at/events/6284 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260415T072605Z UID:1781787600@ist.ac.at DTSTART:20260618T150000 DTEND:20260618T193000 DESCRIPTION: LOCATION:Moonstone Seminar Center\, ISTA ORGANIZER:events@ista.ac.at SUMMARY:Graduate Ceremony 2026 URL:https://talks-calendar.ista.ac.at/events/6273 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260415T072605Z UID:1782725400@ist.ac.at DTSTART:20260629T113000 DTEND:20260629T123000 DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Julia Reisenbauer & Charles Roques-Carmes\nhosted by M ikhail Lemeshko LOCATION:ISTA | Central Building | Raiffeisen Lecture Hall\, ISTA ORGANIZER:diana.zubcevic@ista.ac.at SUMMARY:Julia Reisenbauer & Charles Roques-Carmes: Inaugural Lecture | Juli a Reisenbauer & Charles Roques-Carmes URL:https://talks-calendar.ista.ac.at/events/6385 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260415T072605Z UID:1785740400@ist.ac.at DTSTART:20260803T090000 DTEND:20260807T140000 DESCRIPTION: LOCATION:Moonstone Seminar Center\, ISTA ORGANIZER:eurowd-2026@ista.ac.at SUMMARY:24th European Workshop on White Dwarfs URL:https://talks-calendar.ista.ac.at/events/6292 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260415T072605Z UID:1789983000@ist.ac.at DTSTART:20260921T113000 DTEND:20260921T123000 DESCRIPTION: LOCATION:ISTA | Central Building | Raiffeisen Lecture Hall\, ISTA ORGANIZER:diana.zubcevic@ista.ac.at SUMMARY:ISTA PostDoc Award URL:https://talks-calendar.ista.ac.at/events/6386 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260415T072605Z UID:1790089200@ist.ac.at DTSTART:20260922T170000 DTEND:20260922T180000 DESCRIPTION: LOCATION:Dr. Ignaz Seipel-Platz 2\, 1010 Vienna\, Austria\, ISTA ORGANIZER: SUMMARY:ÖAW-ISTA Lecture Prof. Klaus Robert Müller URL:https://talks-calendar.ista.ac.at/events/6288 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260415T072605Z UID:1791192600@ist.ac.at DTSTART:20261005T113000 DTEND:20261005T123000 DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Friedrich Stricker & Yuval Wigderson\nhosted by Mikhai l Lemeshko LOCATION:ISTA | Central Building | Raiffeisen Lecture Hall\, ISTA ORGANIZER:diana.zubcevic@ista.ac.at SUMMARY:Friedrich Stricker & Yuval Wigderson: Inaugural Lecture | Friedrich Stricker & Yuval Wigderson URL:https://talks-calendar.ista.ac.at/events/6357 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260415T072605Z UID:1792402200@ist.ac.at DTSTART:20261019T113000 DTEND:20261019T123000 DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Lora Sweeney\nhosted by Mario de Bono LOCATION:ISTA | Central Building | Raiffeisen Lecture Hall\, ISTA ORGANIZER:diana.zubcevic@ista.ac.at SUMMARY:Lora Sweeney: Tenure Talk | Lora Sweeney URL:https://talks-calendar.ista.ac.at/events/6387 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260415T072605Z UID:1794825000@ist.ac.at DTSTART:20261116T113000 DTEND:20261116T123000 DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Vivian Kuperberg & Carla Fernandez-Rico\nhosted by Mik hail Lemeshko LOCATION:ISTA | Central Building | Raiffeisen Lecture Hall\, ISTA ORGANIZER:diana.zubcevic@ista.ac.at SUMMARY:Vivian Kuperberg & Carla Fernandez-Rico: Inaugural Lecture | Vivian Kuperberg & Carla Fernandez-Rico URL:https://talks-calendar.ista.ac.at/events/6389 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260415T072605Z UID:1795429800@ist.ac.at DTSTART:20261123T113000 DTEND:20261123T123000 DESCRIPTION:Speaker: Kim Modic\nhosted by Mikhail Lemeshko LOCATION:ISTA | Central Building | Raiffeisen Lecture Hall\, ISTA ORGANIZER:diana.zubcevic@ista.ac.at SUMMARY:Kim Modic: Tenure Talk | Kim Modic URL:https://talks-calendar.ista.ac.at/events/6390 END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR