Are you a GCSE or A-Level student interested in physics? Join us here at King's for our annual physics schools lecture! Professor Malcolm Fairbairn will be unpacking some of the deepest mysteries yet to be uncovered in our universe.

Talk title

Cosmic detectives: black holes, dark matter and the first stars

Talk description

Join Professor Malcolm Fairbairn to journey inside some of the exciting research we’re doing at King’s College London, using ripples in space-time from gravitational wave detectors and spectacular views from the James Webb Space Telescope to explore the Universe’s biggest mysteries: How did black holes grow into giants billions of times heavier than the Sun? What is dark matter—the invisible substance that helps hold galaxies together? When did the first stars light up the Universe?

These new windows onto the cosmos are revealing surprises—and giving us fresh clues to questions scientists have been asking for decades.

About the speaker

Professor Malcolm Fairbairn is head of the Theoretical Particle Physics and Cosmology Group in the Physics department of King’s College London. His research lies at the interface of particle physics, Astrophysics and Dark Matter.

Hear from a PhD student

Before Malcolm's keynote talk will be a shorter talk from a Physics PhD Student studing here at King's, Davina Nwachukwu. Davina Nwachukwu is a PhD student within the Theoretical Particle Physics & Cosmology Group under the supervision of Dr Lionel London. She completed an integrated master’s degree in Physics with Astrophysics at the University of Warwick in 2025. Davina was also shortlisted for the Bell Burnell Graduate Scholarship Fund 2025. 

Her research explores Gravitational Waves, waveform modelling and perturbation theory.

 Schedule

Please arrive in time for the talks, starting at 16:30.

16:15 - Theatre doors open

16:30-16:40 - Event starts; welcome and housekeeping

16:40-17:00 - Research talk from King's Physics PhD student Davina Nwachukwu

17:00-18:00 - Professor Malcolm Fairbairn talk and Q&A

18:00 - Event finishes

Important information

Attendance
This event is aimed at those aged 16+. Younger attendees are welcome, but please note that attendees under the age of 14 must be accompanied by a responsible adult. For school groups, tickets are limited to 20 students per booking, to ensure a larger number of schools can attend. If you are aged 14–18 and booking for yourself, please check with a parent or guardian before booking your place.

Registration for this event will take place in reception in the main entrance to the Franklin Wilkins Building. The address is 150 Stamford Street London, SE1 9NH.

This event is organised by the Department of Physics at King’s College London, together with the Faculty Outreach Team. If you have any questions or would like any further details, please email nmes-outreach@kcl.ac.uk.

For in-person events we operate a policy of overbooking, to help manage on the day drop-out rates. Please ensure you arrive in good time to avoid disappointment on the day.

Accessibility
This talk will take place in the B5 Lecture theatre, on the ground floor of the Franklin Wilkins Building. There is step free access to this lecture theatre, with dedicate spaces for wheelchair users. Read more about accessibility for this space. The lab tours will take place on the fifth floor of the building, which is accessible via lift. The nearest step-free underground station is Waterloo, which is also the closest station to this building.

Photography and privacy notice
The event you will be attending will have photography and/or videography. If you do not wish to appear in any recordings or photographs, please approach our registration team on the day of the event or email nmes-outreach@kcl.ac.uk beforehand. Photographs and recordings taken may feature in our publications or on the King’s website and social media channels. All personal data will be processed in accordance with King’s privacy policy available here.

We collect and process your personal information to help us manage and run the event. In accordance with the King’s College London Data Retention Schedule, we will keep your information until the completion of the event. To find out more about how the university deals with your personal information, including your rights, please see the university’s core privacy notice. Your personal information will be transferred to the United States via Eventbrite. Please read this article where you can find out more on how Eventbrite protects your data.