Signature Lectures

Take a deep-dive into the groundbreaking research and scientific breakthroughs at Caltech and JPL with these free virtual lectures.

Watson Lectures

Named for the late Earnest C. Watson, who founded the series in 1922, these lectures feature speakers from Caltech speaking on their cutting-edge research.

von Kármán Lectures

JPL's Theodore von Kármán Lectures bring the excitement of JPL's missions to an audience of both Caltech/JPL employees and the general public.

This new series, with events presented at 10:00 a.m. PST, features Caltech graduate students and postdocs presenting their areas of research in an engaging manner intended to appeal to audiences of all ages.

Upcoming Lectures

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December 9, 2020 5:00 pm

Watson Lecture - The Inner Life of the Brain: Fear, Sex, and Violence

David J. Anderson, Seymour Benzer Professor of Biology; Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience Leadership Chair; Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Director, Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience, Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, Caltech,

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December 11, 2020 10:00 am

Science Journey: "From Pencil Lead to Skyscrapers: Building the Future with Carbon Nanomaterials"

Michael Mazza, Graduate Student, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Caltech,

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January 13, 2021 5:00 pm

Watson Lecture - Artificial Intelligence: How it Works and What it Means for the Future

Yisong Yue, Professor of Computing and Mathematical Sciences, Division of Engineering and Applied Science, Caltech,

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January 15, 2021 10:00 am

Science Journey: "Snowballs in the Desert: Studying Climate Transitions in Earth's Deep Past"

Dustin Morris, Graduate Student, Geological and Planetary Sciences, Caltech,

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February 5, 2021 10:00 am

Science Journey: "Beyond Bones: Reading the Fossil Record of Earth and Other Worlds"

Cecilia Sanders, Graduate Student, Geological and Planetary Sciences, Caltech,

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February 17, 2021 5:00 pm

Watson Lecture - What Cosmic Fireworks Unveil About the Universe

Mansi Kasliwal, Assistant Professor of Astronomy, Division of Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy, Caltech,

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March 10, 2021 5:00 pm

Watson Lecture - Perseverance on Mars

Kenneth A. Farley, W.M. Keck Foundation Professor of Geochemistry, Division of Geological and Planetary Science, Caltech,

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April 21, 2021 5:00 pm

Watson Lecture - Sunlight to Everything: Catalyzing a Sustainable Future

Jonas Peters, Bren Professor of Chemistry and Director of the Resnick Sustainability Institute, Division of the Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Caltech,

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May 12, 2021 5:00 pm

Watson Lecture - From the Soil to the Clinic: How Infection-Causing Microbes Thrive Without Oxygen

Dianne K. Newman, Gordon M. Binder/Amgen Professor of Biology and Geobiology and Executive Officer for Molecular Biology, Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, Caltech,

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