Launch of he Leverhulme Centre for Life in the Universe

The Leverhulme Centre for Life in the Universe (LCLU) was officially launched on 27 June 2022 at Clare College, Cambridge.

The Centre seeks to harness simultaneous breakthroughs in astrophysics, planetology, organic chemistry, biology and cognate disciplines to develop a deeper understanding of life, its emergence, and its distribution in the Universe.

Research within the Centre focuses on four themes:

• Identifying the chemical pathways to the origins of life. 
• Characterising the environments on Earth and other planets that could act as the cradle of prebiotic chemistry and life.
• Discovering and characterising habitable exoplanets and signatures of geological and biological evolution.
• Refining our understanding of life through philosophical and mathematical concepts.

The launch event included three sessions highlighting the main research themes of the Centre: (1) Terrestrial Perspectives, (2) Alien Worlds, and (3) What is life? The video recordings of all the talks that were given during the event are listed below.

The LCLU is supported by a £10 million grant from the Leverhulme Trust, and additional co-funding from the University of Cambridge.

Opening speeches from Professor Didier Queloz, Director of the LCLU, Professor Nigel Peake, Head of the School of Physical Sciences at the University of Cambridge, and Professor Nicholas Tosca, Associate Director of the LCLU.

Terrestrial Perspectives

An introduction to "Terrestrial Perspectives" by Dr Oliver Shorttle, Assistant Professor in Earth Sciences and Astronomy, University of Cambridge.

"Assembly and delivery of material to planets"by Mark Wyatt, Professor of Astrophysics, University of Cambridge.

"From Planetesimals to Planets: How accretion, core formation and internal melting control the compositions of terrestrial planet surfaces and atmospheres"by Helen Williams, Professor of Geochemistry, University of Cambridge.

"The Chemical Origins of Life"by Matthew Powner, Professor of Organic Chemistry, University College London.

Alien Worlds

An introduction to "Alien Worlds" by Professor Didier Queloz, Director of the LCLU.

"Planetary Habitability and Climate: From the Solar System to Exoplanets"by Robin Wordsworth, Gordon McKay Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering, Harvard University.

"Atmospheres and Interiors of Habitable-zone Exoplanets" by Nikku Madhusudhan, Professor of Astrophysics and Exoplanetary Science, University of Cambridge.

"Towards the direct detection of Earth analogs around nearby stars" by Dr Sascha Quanz, Associate Professor for Exoplanets and Habitability, ETH Zurich.

What is Life?

An Introduction to "What is Life?" by Dr Paul Rimmer, Assistant Professor of Experimental Astrophysics, University of Cambridge.

"Three Approaches for Searching for Extraterrestrial Microbes" by Carol Cleland, Professor of Philosophy, University of Colorado Boulder.

"What is life on Earth?" by Dr Emily Mitchell, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge.

"The Arts, Humanities, and Sciences in the LCLU" by Dr Oliver Shorttle, Assistant Professor in Earth Sciences and Astronomy, University of Cambridge.

"What is Life? Prospects from Collaborations between Natural Sciences and the Arts and Humanities" by the Revd Dr Andrew Davison, Starbridge Associate Professor in Theology and Natural Sciences, University of Cambridge.