# Event Details - **Event Name**: UCL Engineering Inaugural Lecture Series | PROFESSOR MEHRNOOSH SADRZADEH - **Event Start and End Date**: Wed, 02 Sep, 2026 at 06:00 pm – Wed, 02 Sep, 2026 at 08:30 pm - **Event Description**: Join us to recognise, celebrate and showcase the achievements of PROFESSOR MEHRNOOSH SADRZADEHAbout this EventUCL Engineering Inaugural Lecture Series - Don't miss the opportunity to explore groundbreaking research that is shaping the future and transforming the world! This event is part of our UCL200 bicentenary series.PROFESSOR MEHRNOOSH SADRZADEH | Words, numbers and quantum machines: Computing the semantics of languageDate: Wednesday, 2 September 2026Lecture: 18:00 - 19:00Reception: 19:00 - 20:30Location: UCL Bloomsbury Campus, Gustave Tuck Lecture Theatre. Reception: South Cloisters. Wilkins Building.Abstract:Beginning in the 1930s, the Polish logician Kazimierz Ajdukiewicz, followed later by Yehoshua Bar-Hillel, a pioneer of computational linguistics, showed how the structure of natural language could be described using mathematical rules.In the 1950s, the Canadian mathematician Jim Lambek built on this work to develop a calculus explaining how words combine to form phrases and sentences.In this inaugural lecture, I will trace my own journey through logic, the origins of language and the surprising role of quantum computing in semantics. I will show how linguistic structures can be translated into linear algebra, converted into quantum circuits and tested on quantum hardware. I will also present recent results from vision-and-language tasks.Together, these findings point towards a new generation of AI systems in which quantum computers may prove useful not only for learning from data, but also for learning from the structures through which meaning is created.BioMehrnoosh is Professor of Computer Science and a Royal Academy of Engineering Research Chair. She leads the Quantum Learning Labs.Her fascination with higher-order algebraic structures led her to study category theory and substructural logics, first at Sharif University of Technology in Iran, then at the University of Ottawa and the Université du Québec à Montréal, and later at Oxford.While in Montreal, Mehrnoosh worked with Canadian mathematician Jim Lambek, widely regarded as the father of algebraic linguistics. Her research helped to formalise the grammars of a range of human languages and ultimately provided a solution to the problem of semantics for pregroup grammars. She went on to address the problem of compositionality in statistical natural language processing, helping to establish the field of Compositional Distributional Semantics, also known as DisCoCat.Mehrnoosh has since developed ways to translate these higher-order algebraic structures into tensors and train them on data using quantum machine learning. Today, she tests these models on real quantum hardware.Everyone is welcome!Our Inaugural Lectures are free to attend for all students, staff and members of the public. All under 16s must be attending with an adult who understands the nature of this event and ensures the minor/s are supervised at all times.Lectures are typically one hour long. A reception will follow to which everyone is welcome to join.Booking is essential to secure your space.Live StreamingThis will be an in-person event and open to the public. If you are unable to attend the UCL campus, please register to watch the Live Stream. Livestream link will be sent via email confirmation.Additional information:If you have any questions about the event series, please get in touch: CS Communications: computerscience.comms@ucl.ac.ukAttendeesIf you can no longer attend, please cancel your ticket via Eventbrite or by emailing: computerscience.comms@ucl.ac.ukAccessWe want to make this event as inclusive as possible. Please let us know when registering if you have any requirements you would like us to be made aware of so we can try to make reasonable adjustments.PhotographyThere will be photographs and videos taken during the event. In registering for this event you are agreeing that your image may be used in future UCL promotional material.If you do not wish to be photographed please inform an event organiser. 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For further details, please see:Eventbrite Eventbrite The UCL Faculty of Engineering will remain responsible for your personal data as data controller and all queries should be directed to faceng.events@ucl.ac.ukAgenda?: 05:30 PMArrival ?: 06:00 PM - 07:00 PMInaugural Lecture: Computing the semantics of language - Mehrnoosh SadrzadehInfo: Introduction from Professor Daniel Alexander (Head of Department of Comuter Science, UCL) .Vote of Thanks from Shalom Lappin (Professor of Natural Language Processing at Queen Mary University of London)?: 07:00 PM - 08:30 PMReceptionInfo: Drinks reception and buffet in South Cloisters - **Event URL**: https://allevents.in/london/ucl-engineering-inaugural-lecture-series-professor-mehrnoosh-sadrzadeh/100001997701408690 - **Event Categories**: it, science-fair, art, theatre, virtual - **Interested Audience**: - total_interested_count: 0 - **Event Highlights**: - Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes - Location: Gustave Tuck Lecture Theatre, Wilkins Building, UCL - Languages: English ## Ticket Details - **Ticket Price Range**: min: 0, max: 0, currency: GBP ## Event venue details - **city**: London - **state**: EN - **country**: United Kingdom - **location**: Gustave Tuck Lecture Theatre, Wilkins Building, UCL - **lat**: 51.523707 - **long**: -0.1329786 - **full address**: Gustave Tuck Lecture Theatre, Wilkins Building, UCL, Second floor, South Junction, London, United Kingdom ## Event gallery - **Alt text**: UCL Engineering Inaugural Lecture Series | PROFESSOR MEHRNOOSH SADRZADEH - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events8/banners/5ebdfde9b48649dcec34ab5d4f71f8fbd987d8810f577dfd97922b23e8dd051a-rimg-w1200-h600-dc381858-gmir.jpg?v=1787094725 ## FAQs - **Q**: When and where is UCL Engineering Inaugural Lecture Series | PROFESSOR MEHRNOOSH SADRZADEH being held? - **A:** UCL Engineering Inaugural Lecture Series | PROFESSOR MEHRNOOSH SADRZADEH takes place on Wed, 02 Sep, 2026 at 06:00 pm to Wed, 02 Sep, 2026 at 08:30 pm at Gustave Tuck Lecture Theatre, Wilkins Building, UCL, Second floor, South Junction, London, United Kingdom. - **Q**: Who is organizing UCL Engineering Inaugural Lecture Series | PROFESSOR MEHRNOOSH SADRZADEH? - **A:** UCL Engineering Inaugural Lecture Series | PROFESSOR MEHRNOOSH SADRZADEH is organized by UCL Engineering. - **Q**: Who is this event for? Is it right for me? - **A:** UCL Engineering Inaugural Lecture Series | PROFESSOR MEHRNOOSH SADRZADEH is ideal for art lovers, collectors, creatives, and anyone inspired by visual arts, installations, and exhibitions. Whether you're a first-time attendee or a longtime enthusiast in London, this event is thoughtfully curated to deliver a standout experience worth every moment. 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Whether they are improving medical treatments, houses or transportation, the products, processes and students we produce change the world. Independent studies rate UCL a top university for research - engineering is no exception. Our work saves money, energy and lives, as well as adding to the body of human knowledge.Biochemical EngineeringThe UCL Department of Biochemical Engineering is at the forefront of bioprocess research and is the largest centre in the UK. In the 2014 REF, 75% of academic staff were rated as 'world-leading' or 'internationally excellent'. Our interdisciplinary Advanced Centre for Biochemical Engineering (ACBE) coordinates bioprocess research and training collaborations with more than a dozen UCL departments, a similar number of external university partners and over 60 international companies.  Our research aims continually to innovate towards the sustainable biomanufacturing of chemicals, materials, medicines, vaccines and therapies, by harnessing biological systems and biotechnology. Chemical EngineeringThe Department of Chemical Engineering is routinely recognised among the top chemical engineering departments in Europe and was ranked 24th globally in the 2021 QS World University Subject Rankings. Research is a major departmental activity with 90% of staff rated as world leading or of internationally excellent quality in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF2014). At the heart of chemical engineering are chemical transformations, by which raw materials are converted to products such as fuels, commodity and specialty chemicals, pharmaceuticals, advanced materials and consumer products. Civil, Environmental and Geomatic EngineeringThe 21st century presents us with a complex world of continuous change. Turbulence in our environment, economic and societal structures challenge our ingenuity as engineers. CEGE is famous for its innovative problem-based learning approach to education and its interdisciplinary research breadth and reach with constant reference to the human needs which drive the requirement for engineering solutions. Computer ScienceUCL Computer Science is a world-leading centre for research, impact and innovation. We are one of the UK’s major centres for Computer Science research, and internationally one of the leaders in the field. As of 2021, the department has 103 academic staff (51 professors), 96 research staff, and 220 PhD students. Our research is motivated by an ambitious intellectual and practice-oriented mission and underpinned by external funding from a variety of sources. We collaborate on projects and initiatives with a wide range of bio-medical, banking, technology and governmental organisations in a range of countries and cities and have a breadth of interdisciplinary activity.Electronic and Electrical EngineeringThe Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering (EEE) has a strategic research focus on Information. Research topics include: information sensing (from nerve impulses to radar); information processing (from specialised analogue and digital signal processing to quantum information processing and neuromorphic systems); information transmission (coding, advanced wireless systems, optical communications, and networks); and information output (from nerve amplifiers to advanced display modelling). Our research areas comprise the following five Research Groups: Communications and Information Systems;Electronic Materials and Devices;Photonics;Optical Networks;Sensors, Systems and Circuits.Since 2014, long-term support for our research included an RCUK Basic Technology Programme and four EPSRC Programme Grants, with a total value of £18M. Mechanical EngineeringThe Department of Mechanical Engineering consists of some 42 FTE research active academics, 40 researchers mainly at the postdoctoral level, and 140 PhD students across four major research areas: The ‘Biomechanical Research Division; ‘Materials, Structures and Manufacturing Research Division’; the ‘Energy & Environment Research Division’, and the ‘Marine Research Division’. We have research income in excess of £12M per annum. We continue to expand our research with new activities at UCL East Campus.Medical Physics and Biomedical EngineeringWe are a research-intensive department. The majority of our research sits within UCL’s Institute of Healthcare Engineering and covers the entire research pathway from basic science through proof of principle to translation to healthcare and industry. Exemplars of our priority research areas include interventional & surgical sciences, phase contrast x-ray imaging, photoacoustic imaging, and proton therapy. We prioritise the development of early career researchers as evidenced by our outstanding success at attracting externally funded 5-year Fellowships. School of ManagementThe UCL School of Management conducts theoretical, empirical and experimental analyses of managerial, organisational, and operational dynamics in innovation-intensive organisations. The School has 78 faculty members (42 academic staff, 36 education-focussed staff), 6 research fellows and 24 MRes/PhD students. In the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF), the latest assessment of the quality of research performed by UK universities, 55% of the research outputs of the UCL School of Management were rated as world-leading (4*), placing us in joint first place among UK business schools.Science, Technology, Engineering and Public PolicyThe Department of STEaPP is a centre of fundamental and applied research expertise, working at the intersection of science, technology, engineering and public policy to change the world for the better. STEaPP strives to generate, mobilise and integrate different types of knowledge to enhance the capacity of public decision‐makers to address complex societal issues. STEaPP researchers have an explicit mandate to bring together national and international networks of academic, policy, civil society and industry partners to co-develop and deliver impactful and evidence-informed solutions to global challenges. Security and Crime ScienceThe Department of Security and Crime Science (SCS) is devoted to reducing crime and other risks to personal and national security. It does so by producing cutting-edge research and translating this into practice and policy through active engagement with research end-users. The term ‘crime science’ was coined to describe the empirically-based approach taken and the location of the Department within the Faculty of Engineering Sciences reinforces the problem-oriented underpinnings of crime science and facilitates the goal of integrating the social, physical and engineering sciences in the quest for community safety. The Department has six research priority research areas (crime analysis, crime reduction policy and practice, emerging technology, forensic science, policing practice, and terrorism, serious and organised crime), which shapes its mission, and is home to five research Institutes and Centres. These coordinate research activities and help to deliver large scale projects, facilitating collaboration across UCL, with other universities, and with stakeholders and end-users. " } ] } ] ```