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These lectures are free and are scheduled periodically. Each session is delivered via Zoom.
The lectures are primarily designed to learn and explore various disciplines of science and their complementary approach to spirituality and vice versa. All are welcomed to join. Attendance is free, but registration is required. The Zoom link will be sent to you prior to the session. Upcoming Lectures31 October 2025 (Friday) at 07:30 pm IST
Talk: Our Inalienable Links With the Cosmos and Ancient Indian Wisdom
Speaker: Prof. N. Chandra Wickramasinghe Director of the Buckingham Centre for Astrobiology, University of Buckingham; Honorary Professor, University of Buckingham; Visiting Professor, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka; Board Member and Director of Research, Institute for the Study of Panspermia and Astroeconomics 
Chandra Wickramasinghe is a Sri Lankan-born British Mathematician, Astronomer and Astrobiologist.. He is one of the leading expert on interstellar material and the origins of life. He has made many important contributions in these fields, publishing over 350 papers in major scientific journals, over 75 in the journal Nature. In 1974 he first proposed the theory that dust in interstellar space and in comets was largely organic, a theory that has now been vindicated. Jointly with the late Sir Fred Hoyle he was awarded the International Dag Hammarskjold Gold Medal for Science in 1986. He is an award-winning poet and the author or co-author of over 30 books and over 350 scientific papers. In addition to giving many endowed lectures at Universities worldwide, he was the John Snow Memorial Lecturer and John Snow Medallist of the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland in 2004. In 2005 he was named in the first annual Asian Power 100, a list of the most influential Asians living in the UK. Research interests: Interstellar Matter, Infrared Astronomy, Light Scattering Theory, Applications of Solid State Theory to Astronomy, The early Solar System, Comets, Astrochemistry and the Origins of Life, Astrobiology, Panspermia, History of Science Read more on Professor Wickramasinghe’s personal website. 09th April 2025 (Wednesday) at 06:30 pm IST
Talk: My Journey of Discovery
Speaker: Prof. Morten P. Meldal, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry 2022 Universität Kopenhagen Morten P. Meldal (born January 16, 1954, Denmark) is a Danish chemist whose research into the synthesis of peptides and other organic compounds contributed to the development of click chemistry, in which simple, quick, high-yielding reactions are used to make functional biomolecules. For his discoveries, Meldal was awarded a share of the 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, which he shared with Sharpless and American chemist Carolyn R. Bertozzi.
Meldal was also known for having pioneered various techniques and methods to improve peptide synthesis. Notably, his innovations involving polyethylene glycol (PEG)-based resins and fluorescence-based screening contributed to significant advances in combinatorial solid phase technology. He also developed a novel optical encoding technique, known as microparticle matrix (MPM) encoding, in which PEG-based resins were used to facilitate the direct identification of structures in molecular libraries. The technique was especially valuable for the study of relationships between peptide structure and bioactivity. Prof. Meldal shared: “One of the reasons I think Click Chemistry was chosen for the Nobel Prize is because it is so green,” Meldal said. It can be done under very simple conditions, very environmentally friendly, for example, the solvent is water, without too many complicated conditions like what the temperature should be… That's why but I think it is necessary to explore more such clicks, to develop more 'green' chemistry, more environmentally friendly, to solve more problems of life." "Golden" time for young people to approach Chemistry Everything is chemistry Humans are changing the structure and chemical composition of the world we live in at a historically unprecedented rate. .... It is through chemistry that we can understand the changes that are happening and their consequences. Therefore, we should teach chemistry to our young people because it is through chemistry that we gain the self-understanding of man as an integral part of reality here on Earth. Even our emotions, thoughts and behavior are governed by chemistry, chemistry that has existed for hundreds of millions of years. “Everything is chemistry” will be illustrated with examples and prompts for discussion on how we can modernize our old education system to this all-encompassing concept of scientific empathy. And there’s room for a little “Nobel” chemistry too. title 2
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My Journey of Discovery
Prof. Morten P. Meldal , Nobel Laureate in Chemistry
09th April 2025 (Wednesday) at 06:30 pm IST | Online |
