UCL Faculty of Mathematical & Physical Sciences

Saturday exhibition tickets are sold out but you can visit us in the North Cloisters on Bloomsbury Campus on Friday 2:00-4:00pm to see the stands showcasing fascinating work by UCL Physics & Astronomy, inc. the planetarium and an immersive image experience! Free and open to public: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/your-universe-festival-friday-afternoon-ucl200-edition-tickets-1991392622942?aff=odcleoeventsincollection

📣 Have you heard? Thanks to incredible minds from every corner of the globe, from curious first-years to Nobel prize-winning researchers, we’re now joint #8 in the QS World University Rankings.

We are University College London. And here, it can happen.

🔗 Learn more about our ranking: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2026/jun/ucl-ranked-8th-best-university-qs-world-rankings

Last few tickets left for Your Universe Physics & Astronomy panel event on Sat 20 Jun - Missions of Discovery! Dive into epic discoveries and mind-blowing missions with our space experts 🛰️ Get your free ticket now: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/your-universe-ucl200-panel-event-missions-of-discovery-tickets-1988554597331?aff=odcleoeventsincollection

Last chance to get your ticket for PandA Day on Weds 17 June, a variety-show style event featuring UCL Physics & Astronomy staff and students packed with music, theatre, gameshows and more! Book now while there's space: https://www.bloomsburytheatre.com/event/2026/06/panda-day-2026

Bookings for the celebration of the Department of Mathematics feat. Professors Hannah Fry, Christina Pagel and Nira Chamberlain close on Tuesday evening! Get your ticket here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/mathematical-physical-sciences/events/2026/jun/200-years-mathematics-ucl

Exactly one week left till we celebrate UCL Mathematics, one of UCL's founding departments 200 years ago! Join us on 11 June in Bloomsbury for a full-day symposium and festival with VIP guests like Professor Hannah Fry, Professor Christina Pagel, Hamid Naderi Yeganeh and more 🤩

All proceeds from ticket sales will go toward supporting UCL students who are encountering financial difficulty from relevant hardship funds.

Complementary food and refreshments will be available (while supplies last).

🗓️ Book now: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/mathematical-physical-sciences/events/2026/jun/200-years-mathematics-ucl

Why did meat-eating dinosaurs like T. rex evolve such tiny arms? 🦖 A new study finds that it was down to their strong, powerful heads.

The study, by Charlie Scherer (UCL Earth Sciences), Professor Paul Upchurch and Dr Elizabeth Steell (Girton College, University of Cambridge), looked at 82 species of theropod (two-legged, mainly meat-eating dinosaurs).

They found smaller arms were closely linked to the development of large, powerful skulls and jaws, more so than to larger overall body size.

Read more: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2026/may/why-meat-eating-dinosaurs-t-rex-evolved-tiny-arms

🔦 Spotlight on Dr Anna Calissano from UCL Dept. of Stats! Learn about her research on statistical and machine learning methods and about new grants focusing on different biological applications:

Dr Anna Calissano Dr Anna Calissano is a Lecturer at the Department of Statistical Science.

The Smile space mission, which will image Earth's magnetic bubble for the first time, has been launched! 🚀

The bubble, or magnetosphere, protects Earth from the solar wind – a continuous stream of charged particles released by the Sun. Without this shield, life on Earth would not survive.

The joint mission from ESA - European Space Agency and the Chinese Academy of Sciences is co-led by Dr Colin Forsyth (UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory).

Read more: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2026/may/spacecraft-lifts-quest-image-earths-shield-first-time