Watson Lecture - Katie Bouman: Illuminating the Hidden Universe with Physics and AI

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About the Talk

Some of the most iconic images in modern science were never captured by a camera in the traditional sense. Instead, they were inferred from indirect and incomplete measurements, using a careful combination of physics, prior knowledge, and computation. In this talk, Katie Bouman, professor of computing and mathematical sciences, electrical engineering and astronomy; Rosenberg Scholar; and Heritage Medical Research Institute Investigator; will explore how physics and artificial intelligence (AI) are working together to illuminate parts of the universe that are difficult—or even fundamentally impossible—to observe directly. It begins with the story of black hole imaging, where theory long predicted what we should see, and where confidence came not from a single image, but from the consistency of features across many reconstructions of the same data. This kind of inference is not unique to extreme astrophysics, but it also underlies how researchers form images in familiar technologies they rely on every day. In this talk, Bouman will demonstrate how simple assumptions can take us far, but she will also explain where these assumptions begin to limit what we can learn, and how modern AI methods provide new ways to explore richer possibilities while still respecting physical laws. More broadly, this talk explores a shift in scientific imaging: As we push the boundaries of observation, images are increasingly constructed rather than simply captured, and understanding how they are made is essential to interpreting what they show.

Evening Schedule

6 p.m. — Activities and music. Food, drinks, and books available for purchase.
7 p.m. — Doors open.
7:30 p.m. — Talk and Q&A.
8:30 p.m. — Post-talk concessions and conversation.

The live event is in-person and a recording will be made available on our Youtube channel.

About the Series

For more than 100 years, the Watson Lectures have brought the wonder of Caltech research and discovery to the public.

Free and open to the public, the Watson Lecture Series offers a unique and accessible opportunity to learn more about cutting-edge science directly from Caltech's premier researchers. Come early to mingle with your neighbors over food, drink and music, as well as interactive displays related to the evening's topic. Then head inside to hear a stimulating talk and stay to ask your burning questions.

Many past Watson Lectures are available on Caltech's YouTube channel.