Tony Leggett: Reflections

11 Mar 2026
Seminars and colloquia
Time
-
Venue
Simpkins Lee Seminar Room
Beecroft Building, Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PU
Speaker(s)

Professor Shivaji Sondhi, FRS, University of Oxford

Professor J. C. Séamus Davis, University of Oxford

For more information contact

Siddharth A. Parameswaran, sid.parameswaran@physics.ox.ac.uk

Abstract

Sir Anthony Leggett (1938-2026) was among of the most distinguished alumni of this department, earning undergraduate and DPhil degrees here (remarkably, after a first degree in classics!) He went on do pioneering work at Sussex and Urbana-Champaign, most notably in developing the theoretical understanding of superfluid helium for which he received a share of the 2003 Nobel Prize in Physics. Later, his interests shifted to understanding the emergence of macroscopic quantum coherence, where his ideas helped inspire the study of superconducting qubits that were the subject of last year’s Nobel Prize. 

In this informal memorial seminar, Profs Shivaji Sondhi and Séamus Davis will give an account of Prof Leggett’s life and science, including some reflections on their personal interactions with him.

Since the room is relatively small, please arrive early to ensure a space.