Until not so long ago we had to rely on our five senses to observe and understand the world around us.  But today modern science tells us that there are billions of neutrinos passing through our bodies every second. Yet we feel or see nothing.

Dr Christophe Galford, a theoretical physicist who completed his PhD under the supervision of the world-famous Stephen Hawking, will talk about the world and the Universe as seen through the eyes of modern scientific understanding.

Dr Galfard is visiting South Africa on the invitation of Willem and Makkie Joubert, friends and donors of Stellenbosch University. The couple is passionate about quantum physics and keen to promote public understanding of the subject in South Africa. Their support showcases the value of public private partnerships in advancing knowledge creation.

More about Dr Galfard

Christophe Galfard holds a Ph.D. in theoretical physics from Cambridge University, where he was Stephen Hawking's graduate student from 2000 to 2006. Alongside Hawking and his daughter, he was the co-author on their first young adult novel. Galfard is also the author of a YA trilogy, Le Prince des Nuages (Pocket Jeunesse), which has been translated into eight territories. Galfard devotes his time to spreading modern scientific knowledge to the general public and has given talks to more than 50,000 people of all ages and backgrounds. He is a regular contributor to TV and radio shows. In September 2013, he wrote a live pyrotechnic and 3D-mapping show about the history of the Universe, performed in La Défense in Paris, which was attended by 60,000 people on one night, and spoke at TEDx Paris. Christophe's first book of non-fiction, The Universe in your hand, was published in the UK by Macmillan in 2015. The book is now being published in 19 different territories, and was a top 10 bestseller in France, Sweden and Spain.

Light refreshments will be served after the lecture.