Petra Ritter

Donna Strickland is one of the recipients of the Nobel Prize in Physics 2018 for developing chirped pulse amplification-which is the current state-of-the-art technique used by most of the highest-power lasers in the world. In her talk, Strickland was talking about the relevance of lasers, the relationship between light and…

Metin Sitti is working on wireless miniature medical robots that can be used for local on-demand drug delivery, fluid pumping, biopsy, and vessel clogging. At Falling Walls, Sitti gave insights into his research, explained how these tiny robots function, and presented them live.

Bakkers and Fadaly have made a revolutionary breakthrough by creating a silicon-based material that proved to be capable of emitting light efficiently and can thus be used for laser devices and high-speed communication. At Falling Walls, they were focussing on how changing the molecular structure of silicon allows data to…

Clare Greys work aims to reduce charging times of robots, electric vehicles and other devices that power our modern lives. At Falling Walls, Grey was discussing the importance of this kind of fundamental research in laying the groundwork for rethinking how our society is structured and powered.

Günther Hasinger is one of the leading experts in astrophysical deep X-ray surveys and is currently focusing on the formation of the earliest black holes. He was speaking about planetary exploration, especially the missions that ESA are doing with NASA and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency).

Francesca Santoro is trying to find out how electronic microchip-based devices are coupled to biological tissues. She and her team developed a biohybrid synapse through the coupling of an artificial neuron and biological neuronal cells that spontaneously release the neurotransmitter dopamine.

Jóse-Alain Sahel elaborated one patient’s journey from having sight, losing it and slowly regaining it after 20 years. He was sharing insights on the process that involves an innovative use of gene therapy, stimulating goggles and lots of training to restore vision for retinal regression.

Gerhard Widmer talked about what makes music come alive, what it means for a computer to learn fundamental principles of expressive (piano) performance, and how, by using this learned knowledge, it can contribute to expressive music making – not as a replacement for human pianists, but as a musical companion.

Michèle Lamont explained how destigmatization happens on a societal level and how particular strategies may help marginalized groups to achieve greater inclusivity. At the same time, she asked all of us to broaden our conception of how inclusion is created and to participate in making spaces for more inclusion.

Dilip Menon was talking about creating a paracolonial framework that goes beyond the nation state, and that looks at the ways in which humanity’s destiny is framed by shared heritages through oceanic connections. In a time of global warming, the rising waters, and vast human migrations, we need a politics…