Talk
Cosmic acceleration as a saddle-node bifurcation

Bio
Spiros Cotsakis is a mathematician and theoretical cosmologist whose work spans dynamical systems (bifurcation, singularity, and catastrophe theory) and general relativity (theoretical cosmology, spacetime singularities, black holes). Since 2020, he has been a Research Professor at the Institute of Gravitation and Cosmology, RUDN University (Moscow, RF), and is a Life Member of Clare Hall, University of Cambridge. He previously served as Professor at the University of the Aegean (Samos, Greece), Scientific Associate at CERN (Geneva), and Visiting Fellow at DAMTP, University of Cambridge, as well as a visiting professor at institutions worldwide.

Talk
Astrophysical Implications of Nuclear Symmetry Energy on Neutron Dark Decay in Neutron Stars

Bio
Dr. Charalampos Moustakidis completed his undergraduate and postgraduate studies at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, earning his PhD in 2001. He pursued postdoctoral research at the University of Tübingen, Germany (2002–2003), the University of Ioannina, Greece (2004–2005), and Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (2005–2006). Since 2006, he has been a faculty member in the Department of Physics at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, progressing through the ranks from Lecturer (2006–2013) to Assistant Professor (2013–2018), and Associate Professor (2018–2023), becoming a Full Professor in 2023. He also served as Director of the Masters Program in Computational Physics (2021–2024). Dr. Moustakidis’ research interests span Theoretical Nuclear Physics (nuclear structure of finite nuclei), Nuclear Astrophysics (neutron star structure and evolution, supernovae, and dark matter), and Applications of Information Theory in various physical systems, including compact objects, finite nuclei, and atoms. Since 2006, he has taught Advanced Mathematics (Integral and Differential Calculus, Algebra, and Mathematical Methods in Physics) and Quantum Mechanics in the Physics Department of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

Talk
Axion cooling of neutron stars

Bio
Dr. Armen Sedrakian, born in 1965, received his physics degree from the University of Rostock in 1989 and subsequently obtained his doctorate in Theoretical Physics at the Yerevan State University in Armenia in 1992. From 1993 to 1996 he worked as a postdoc researcher at both the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg and at the University of Rostock, before working as a postdoctoral research associate at the Center for Radiophysics and Space Research at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA for two years. From 1998 to 2001 he also worked as a research associate at the Kernfysisch Versneller Instituut (KVI) at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands and in 2001, undertook a 12-month stay in Orsay, France, for a research visit to the Institut de Physique Nucleaire d'Orsay. In 2002, he returned to Germany to work as a research associate and lecturer at the Institute for Theoretical Physics at the University of Tübingen until 2006, when he habilitated on the subject of "Compact stars: Aspects of nuclear and particle physics". Since 2007, he has taught at Goethe University at the Department of Theoretical Physics and has held a professorship at the Department of Physics at the Yerevan State University in Armenia since 2011. In addition to this, he has been a Fellow at FIAS Since January 1st, 2017.