Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute
Published on 22 September 2026
Steven Goldfarb, a particle physicist from the University of Melbourne working on the ATLAS Experiment on the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN and Co-Chair of the International Particle Physics Outreach Group, visited the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute (KPI) to dialogue with students about the fascinating world of modern physics, experimental research, and fundamental science.
He delivered a lecture entitled “Universal Questions: How do we measure what we can’t see” to the Kyiv Polytechnic community.
The dialogue ranged over a wide variety of subjects. In particular, it explored a journey from initial observations and simple experiments to large-scale international research; the LHC, ultra-precise measurements, and work with vast data-lakes; technologies emerging from fundamental science; artificial intelligence as a tool for modern research; critical thinking, and the role of experimental data; questions to which physics is still seeking answers – dark matter, dark energy, the asymmetry between matter and antimatter, and the true nature of gravity; and the young scientists who will develop next-generation technologies.
A separate subject was how Ukrainian students can get involved in global science while still pursuing their studies. CERN unites universities and research institutions from various countries, and the path to major experiments can commence with a research project, working with a research group, or participating in an international programme. “What impressed me most was the way Steven shares science — with curiosity, humour, openness and an incredible ability to make even the most complex ideas understandable and exciting,” Andrii Shysholin, Vice-Rector for International Relations, wrote on LinkedIn.
The lecture was followed by a Q&A session that gave undergraduates, postgraduates, early career researchers and lecturers a chance to speak directly with Steven Goldfarb and put their questions to him.
To watch an 83-minute video of the full lecture, visit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fITNK756Q1Y&t=540s
