In understanding how the Universe began and grew up, we find ourselves in the dark ages, both literally and figuratively. Empty of life and structure, space suddenly illuminated with the light of the first stars, as they roared to life 200 million years after the Big Bang. This time represents the start of the diverse and crowded cosmos we experience today… but there is a missing billion years in our understanding. What did these first stars look like? How are they different from our Sun, and are they now an extinct species? Dr. Emma Chapman has taken on the challenge of exploring the Era of the First Stars using radio telescopes and stellar archaeology. In this lecture, she will tell the story of these first, lonely, and gigantic stars. We will together find out how first stars enabled the creation of galaxies, planets, and even us.

Dr. Emma Chapman is a Royal Society research fellow based at the University of Nottingham. She is among the world's leading researchers in search of the first stars to light up our Universe 13 billion years ago. Emma released her first popular science book in 2020, ‘First Light,’ and she has been the recipient of multiple commendations and prizes, including the Royal Society Athena Medal. Emma is a respected public commentator on astrophysical matters and gender equality issues in the sciences, regularly speaking at public events and via the media.