Biermann lectures 2026: Cosmology and AI

by Prof. Benjamin D. Wandelt, Bloomberg Distinguished Professor at Johns Hopkins University 

As a world leader in the statistical analyses of cosmological and astrophysical data, Prof. Wandelt and his group have played and continue to play a leading role in the application of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) tools to cosmology and astrophysics. He has invented new powerful and innovative methods for interpreting complex data from cosmological survey observations of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) and the large-scale structure (LSS) of the Universe, such as the “pseudo-Cl method”, the Gibbs sampling method and the BORG (Bayesian Origin Reconstruction from Galaxies) algorithm. More recently, he has pioneered the development of ML inference, generative modeling, and AI for scientific discovery for astrophysics and cosmology.

All of these techniques are well known and widely used in the community and are considered breakthroughs in cosmological research. It would be difficult to find an AI/ML application in cosmology that has not been influenced by his ideas. For example, these methods underlay nearly all recent applications of ML to parameter inference in the context of high-performance computational physics models in cosmology.

Since 2021 Prof. Wandelt has played a leading role in the Simons Collaboration on “Learning the Universe,” that brings together astrophysicists (studying black holes, the interstellar medium, and galaxy formation), cosmologists (studying the entire observable universe), and machine learners through the methods he has pioneered. These methods enable the quantitative confrontation of cosmological data with the full power of computational models.

It is clear that the impact of the research using AI/ML will continue to flourish in the future, and Prof. Wandelt will explore several avenues in this year’s Biermann lectures at MPA. Established in 1997, the Biermann Lecture series is one of the MPA’s flagship scientific events. The aim is to stimulate scientific activity throughout the Munich-Garching community by bringing a prominent external scientist to Garching for a month. This gives them ample time to interact scientifically with our staff, postdocs and students at coffee, lunch, institute seminars and other events.

Prof. Wandelt received his Ph.D. in Physics from Imperial College London in 2000 and has held research associate positions at the Theoretical Astrophysics Center in Copenhagen, Denmark and Princeton University in the USA. He joined the faculty of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2001 and was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in 2006. In 2010 he joined the Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris (IAP) as Professor, Classe exceptionnelle, International Chair of Theoretical Cosmology, where he co-founded and then directed the Laboratoire d’Excellence Lagrange Institute until 2022. He moved to his current position as the Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Cosmology and Scientific AI at the Johns Hopkins University in 2024. He has co-authored more than 350 papers in refereed journals, many of which have had high impact in the field.

Prof. Wandelt was awarded the Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award in 2006 by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. In 2015, he was elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS) for his “leading role in the development of the algorithms and tools used in the analysis and interpretation of cosmic microwave background data and for his development of novel approaches to cosmological analyses”. In 2019, he was also elected a Fellow of the International Astrostatistics Association, which was founded in 2012 to foster collaboration between statisticians and astrophysicists. He was awarded the Gruber Cosmology Prize in 2016, and the Giuseppe and Vanna Cocconi Prize of the European Physical Society in 2019, jointly with the Planck Science Team. He has also received the NASA Group Achievement Awards (2009 and 2010) and the Royal Astronomical Society Group Achievement Award (2018) for his contributions to the Planck mission. In 2011, he was awarded the Senior ANR Chaire d’Excellence, a program that aimed to attract the best researchers and professors to France by providing substantial means to set up a team and undertake an ambitious research project with a visible impact.

Overall title: Cosmology and AI: From the Origins of Everything to the Future of Science

All lectures take place in the MPA Large Seminar Room E.0.11

 

Wednesday, 24th June 15:30

"Let There Be Noise"

 

Wednesday, 1st July 15:30

"Learning the Universe"  

 

Wednesday, 8th July 15:30

“A New Dawn of Science”