The Master's Lecture Series 2026

We are delighted that Professor Timothy Leighton (1982), Honorary Fellow, will be delivering the inaugural lecture on ‘The impact of bubble acoustics on climate change, spaceships, dolphins and the antibiotic apocalypse’

Small air-filled bubbles, submerged in water, are perhaps the most powerful objects in the natural world when it comes to interacting with sound fields. Their ability to generate sound, when trapped under waterfalls or breaking ocean waves, has allowed us to quantify key parameters required for forecasting climate change, and for predicting how other worlds will sound. Their ability to scatter sound has been used by whales and dolphins to hunt. Today, we can use sound to make such bubbles dance on the surface of incurable or difficult-to-heal wounds, in order to offer a cure that requires no antibiotics, and so does not fuel the oncoming antibiotic apocalypse.

Programme

Date: Wednesday 11th March 2026

Time: 
5.45pm: Lecture followed by Q&A, The Humphrey Cripps Auditorium, Cripps Court
6.45pm: Post lecture drinks reception, The Denis Murphy Gallery, Cripps Court

*Please note, this lecture is taking place at Cripps Court on Chesterton Road and not the main Magdalene College site. Please see the map below for details*

Dress Code: There is no dress code for this event.

Cost: The lecture is free to attend.

Booking: Booking is not required for this event and seats will be allocated on a first-come-first served basis. Doors will open from 5.00pm, and the lecture will start at 5.30pm prompt. Should you have any questions or problems, please contact alumni@magd.cam.ac.uk.

Professor Timothy Leighton FRS FREng FMedSci (1982)

Honorary Fellow

Professor Leighton is a distinguished British physicist and inventor renowned for his pioneering work in ultrasonics and underwater acoustics, sonoluminescence and medical ultrasound safety. He authored the influential monograph The Acoustic Bubble and has published over 600 scientific works. After a long academic career at the University of Southampton and the University of Cambridge, he now serves as Executive General Director and Inventor-in-Chief of Sloan Water Technology Ltd., a company based on his innovations. Leighton’s multidisciplinary research spans acoustical oceanography, biomedical ultrasound, environmental monitoring, and antimicrobial resistance, with numerous real-world applications from medical devices to sonar systems. Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, Royal Academy of Engineering, and Academy of Medical Sciences, he has received multiple international awards. He is also active in public engagement, outreach, and leadership of international research networks. Professor Leighton was elected as an Honorary Fellow at Magdalene in 2024.

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Alumni Events Contact

Please contact us if you have any questions or would like to book to attend a Magdalene Alumni event.

Alumni Events Team
Mrs Emma Tunbridge-Hibbert
Miss Sarah Rodwell

events@magd.cam.ac.uk
01223 32104