Colloquium Series

Current colloquium schedule

Fall 2026 Schedule

Sept. 9 – Barry Frank Memorial Lecture

Dr. N. Peter Armitage, Johns Hopkins University

On Ising's model of ferromagnetism

The 1D Ising model is a classical model of great historical significance for both classical and quantum statistical mechanics. Developments in the understanding of the Ising model have fundamentally impacted our knowledge of thermodynamics, critical phenomena, magnetism, conformal quantum field theories, particle physics, and emergence in many-body systems.

Despite the theoretical impact of the Ising model there have been very few good 1D realizations of it in actual real material systems. However, it has been pointed out recently, that the material CoNb₂O₆ has a number of features that may make it the most ideal realization we have of the Ising model in one dimension. In this talk I will discuss the surprisingly complex physics resulting in this simple model and review the history of "Ising's model" from both a scientific and human perspective. In the modern context I will review recent experiments by my group and others on CoNb₂O₆. In particular, I will show how low frequency light in the THz range gives unique insight into the tremendous zoo of phenomena arising in this simple model system.

Sept. 16 - Dr. Salini Karuvade, Concordia University

One Hundred and One Years of Quantum Physics

Last year marked 100 years since Werner Heisenberg wrote down the equations that would become quantum mechanics. In the century since, that framework has been tested to extraordinary precision, reinterpreted countless times, and transformed from a source of philosophical discourse into the engine of a technological revolution. This talk tells the story of how it all began. The desperate acts, the lucky accidents, and the reluctant revolutionaries who built a theory none of them fully believed.

Sept. 23 - Dr. Anan Chen, Canada Research Chair Tier II Biochemistry of Infectious Disease, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Concordia University

Decoding the Molecular Pore: Function, Structure and Antiviral Discovery Against Plus-Strand RNA Viruses

 Plus-strand RNA viruses constitute the largest genetic class of eukaryotic viruses, including SARS-CoV2, tumor-inducing HCV, debilitating CHIKV,  ethal encephalitis viruses and many other emerging  pathogens. A major target for understanding and thus controlling +RNA viruses is their genome replication complex, which rewires host endomembranes to form replication organelles—the central site of viral genome replication. Recent progress in cryo-electron tomography and structural modeling tools has shed light onto “crown”-like viral replication complexes, which assemble into pore-like structures on the membrane of replication organelles in different +RNA viruses. Our research reveals the function and mechanism of coronaviral molecular pore, which links viral RNA synthesis with export from the double-membrane vesicles. By integrating membrane biochemical analysis with cell-based assays, we determined the molecular composition and topology of the molecular pore-replicase complex. We developed new methods in isolating double-membrane vesicles and molecular pores, establishing a platform to study viral-host interaction and the pore structure among different +RNA viruses. A conserved ring of residues in the pore lining was also identified, forming a constraint for viral RNA transit through the pore. Leveraging this data, we are testing the concept of a new class of pore-targeting  antivirals, which can be broadly effective against +RNA virus infection.