Lovell Lecture Series 2026
19.30 – 21.00

Beneath the Franco-Swiss border, the Large Hadron Collider at CERN recreates conditions that last existed moments after the Big Bang, allowing us to probe some of the deepest questions we can ask about the nature of our Universe.

At the heart of this endeavour is a fundamental mystery: why does anything exist at all? When the Universe began, equal amounts of matter and antimatter should have been created. Had they been perfectly matched, they would have annihilated one another leaving nothing behind. The answer lies in a subtle but profound asymmetry between the two.

The Large Hadron Collider beauty experiment, LHCb, is dedicated to exploring precisely this asymmetry. In its first chapter, the experiment transformed our understanding of particle physics, delivering hundreds of scientific papers, discovering more than seventy new particles, and uncovering new forms of matter and antimatter difference. Now, with the installation of LHCb Upgrade I, a new era has begun, recording collisions with unprecedented precision and capturing the rarest, most revealing events ever observed.

As part of Jodrell’s new Curious Universe series, exploring the weird and wonderful world of quantum physics, Prof Chris Parkes shares why antimatter matters and what the world’s most powerful particle accelerator is teaching us about the origins of everything.

About Chris Parkes

Professor Chris Parkes is a former leader of the LHCb experiment and Head of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Manchester. An author of more than 1,000 scientific papers, his public engagement work includes a permanent exhibition at CERN, a UK touring exhibition on matter and antimatter, and talks at New Scientist Live and bluedot.

Guests also have the option to book a pre-lecture meal at our fantastic First Light Café, choosing from the options below:

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Pie, Mash, Peas & Gravy £14.95

• • Cheese & Onion – Packed with gooey mature cheddar cheese, sautéed onions, and potato (v, halal) 2022 SILVER: The British Pie Awards.
  • Steak & Stout Flank Steak – bathed in Guinness stout for 24 hours, braised and slow-cooked with carrots, garlic, onions, bay leaf, and thyme, with a rich stout gravy.
  • Aloo Saag Spinach & Sweet Potato – cooked in our own blend of spices with a spicy tomato curry sauce (v, vegan, halal).

The café will be open from 18.00 – 19.15, with the last sitting at 18.50.