Physics World Weekly Podcast

This episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast features Pat Hanrahan, who studied nuclear engineering and biophysics before becoming a founding employee of Pixar Animation Studios. As well as winning three Academy Awards for his work on computer animation, Hanrahan won the Association for Computing Machinery’s A.M. Turing Award for his contributions to 3D computer graphics, or CGI. Earlier this year, Hanrahan spoke to Physics World's Margaret Harris at the Heidelberg Laureate Forum in Germany. He explains how he was introduced to computer graphics by his need to visualize the results of computer simulations of nervous systems. That initial interest led him to Pixar and his development of physically-based rendering, which uses the principles of physics to create realistic images. Hanrahan explains that light interacts with different materials in very different ways, making detailed animations very challenging. Indeed, he says that creating realistic looking skin is particularly difficult – comparing it to the quest for a grand unified theory in physics. He also talks about how having a background in physics has helped his career – citing his physicist’s knack for creating good models and then using them to solve problems.

This episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast features Guangyu Zhang. Along with his colleagues at the Institute of Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhang has bagged the 2025 Physics World Breakthrough of the Year award for creating the first 2D metals. In a wide-ranging conversation, we chat about the motivation behind the team’s research; the challenges in making 2D metals and how these were overcome; and how 2D metals could be used to boost our understanding of condensed matter physics and create new technologies. I am also joined by my Physics World colleague Matin Durrani to talk about some of the exciting physics that we will be showcasing in 2025. Physics World‘s coverage of the Breakthrough of the Year is supported by Reports on Progress in Physics, which offers unparalleled visibility for your ground-breaking research.

This episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast features a lively discussion about our Top 10 Breakthroughs of 2025, which include important research in quantum sensing, planetary science, medical physics, 2D materials and more. Physics World editors explain why we have made our selections and look at the broader implications of this impressive body of research. The top 10 serves as the shortlist for the Physics World Breakthrough of the Year award, the winner of which will be announced on 18 December. Links to all the nominees, more about their research and the selection criteria can be found here. Physics World‘s coverage of the Breakthrough of the Year is supported by Reports on Progress in Physics, which offers unparalleled visibility for your ground-breaking research.

This episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast features Tim Hsieh of Canada's Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. We explore some of today's hottest topics in quantum science and technology – including topological phases of matter; quantum error correction and quantum simulation. Our conversation begins with an exploration of the quirky properties quantum matter and how these can be exploited to create quantum technologies. We look at the challenges that must be overcome to create large-scale quantum computers; and Hsieh reveals which problem he would solve first if he had access to a powerful quantum processor. This interview was recorded earlier this autumn when I had the pleasure of visiting the Perimeter Institute and speaking to four physicists about their research. This is the third of those conversations to appear on the podcast. The first interview in this series from the Perimeter Institute was with Javier Toledo-Marín, “Quantum computing and AI join forces for particle physics”; and the second was with Bianca Dittrich, “Quantum gravity: we explore spin foams and other potential solutions to this enduring challenge“. This episode is supported by the APS Global Physics Summit, which takes place on 15–20 March, 2026, in Denver, Colorado, and online.

Bianca Dittrich of the Perimeter Institute is our podcast guest

Do Aliens Speak Physics? author Daniel Whiteson is our podcast guest

The author of Physics Around the Clock is our podcast guest

We report from the Heidelberg Laureate Forum

This podcast features Antonio Rossi at the Italian Institute of Technology

Our podcast guests are a physicist and a sculptor

We explore how new computing technologies could guide future LHC experiments

A solution to microgravity-related vision problems is the topic of this week's podcast

Quantum physicist and entrepreneur Ilana Wisby on the legacy of this year's laureates

In this podcast we also make predictions for this year's physics award

Keith Cooper chats about has new book in this podcast

Global survey of reviewers reveals a growing polarization about the use of AI

PI Scott Bolton talks about the mission's discoveries and endurance in this podcast

This podcast explains what happens when 66,000 research papers are used as training data  

This podcast explores a career in science writing and broadcasting

Our podcast guest is a Kavli Prize in Astrophysics laureate

Our podcast guests are Preeti Chalsani and David Awschalom

Our podcast guest is Kirsty McGhee of the quantum software company Qruise

Our podcast guest is Michael Albrow, scientist emeritus at Fermilab

A conversation about theoretical ecology with physicists Ada Altieri and Silvia De Monte

This podcast features Oak Ridge's Travis Humble

This podcast also looks at the high-luminosity upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider

This podcast features Francesca Doddato, co-author of “Towards a fully inclusive environment for disabled people in STEMM”

Hannah Earley of Vaire Computing is our podcast guest

This podcast comes from the birthplace of modern quantum mechanics

Meet two early-career medical physicists in this podcast

Our podcasts guests are the 2025 Shaw Prize in Astronomy winners

We talk about a new way of describing quantum mechanics

Physics World editors talk about what's new in physics  

James Wootton of Moth Quantum is our podcast guest

Our podcast guests are Nadya Mason and Jeffrey Spangenberger

Nobel laureate also talks about science education for children displaced by war

This podcast features the director of Swansea's Centre for Integrative Semiconductor Materials

This podcast is sponsored by Elekta

 Panicos Kyriacou of UK-based Crainio is our podcast guest

Laser-cooling expert looks to the future of quantum technologies

Manu jumping and Majorana zero modes feature in this podcast

Our podcast guest is the theoretical crypto-physicist Artur Ekert

Our podcast guests are NPL's Ileana Silvestre Patallo and Ruth McLauchlan of the NHS

NPL's Daniel Sarno and IIT Bombay's Bhaskaran Muralidharan are our guests

Margaret Harris reports back about LHC upgrades, antimatter advances and future colliders

The theoretical physicist and media personality is our podcast guest

In this podcast Physics World's Matin Durrani describes the gala event

Climate scientist Sushovan Ghosh is our podcast guest

CERN's next director-general is our podcast guest

Our podcast guest is Colm O'Dwyer, president of the Electrochemical Society

Biomedical engineer Stuart Plant and physicist Ashok Chauhan are our podcast guests