To infinity and beyond!

Join us on a cosmic journey to explore the hidden gems of the Universe - dwarf galaxies. These small but mighty galaxies hold the key to unlocking the secrets of galaxy formation and evolution. Through the innovative "Engineering Dwarfs at Galaxy formation’s Edge" (EDGE) project, we delve into the intricate world of dwarf galaxies, studying their structural properties, star formation processes, and feedback mechanisms. By harnessing the power of high-resolution simulations, EDGE unravels the mysteries of individual supernova explosions and their impact on these cosmic dwarfs. Join us as we unravel the stellar mass-metallicity relation and compare simulation results with observations in the Local Group, advancing our understanding of the cosmos one dwarf galaxy at a time.

Since its discovery by the Swiss astronomer Fritz Zwicky in the 1930's, dark matter has continued to capture the public imagination. It raises the velocity of stars and gas in galaxies, bends light around massive galaxy clusters and promotes the growth of structure in the Universe. In this talk, I will explain the key evidences for dark matter, and our latest theories for what it is. In particular, I will focus on new results from our group in Surrey that show that dark matter can be "heated up" and moved around at the centres of tiny "dwarf" galaxies. I show that this points to dark matter comprising a new particle of nature that remains to be found. I conclude with a discussion of the latest experiments that are trying to detect or create such a particle in the laboratory.