• 18:30 - 19:30
• Bristol-Myers Squibb Lecture Theatre

Mathematical models have been much in the news recently They have been used to make predictions of the growth of Covid-19,  to work out what is happening in climate change, and even to ‘predict’ A-level results.  But how do these models work, how reliable are they, and can we trust them enough to advise government policy. In this talk I will talk about how mathematical models are constructed and tested, how they can be applied and what their limitations are. The talk will focus on the application of mathematical models to Covid-19 and Climate prediction, and will include a practical demonstration of chaos. 

• 18:30 - 19:30
• Bristol-Myers Squibb Lecture Theatre

The talk will describe the properties of neurons in the brain’s reward systems and how their action contributes to economic decision-making. Each of several reward systems, including the dopamine neurons, striatum, amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex, play a unique role in these processes. The details of this function are currently being investigated using designs based on behavioral theories, such as animal learning theory, machine learning and economic utility theory.