Town Talks

Each summer, Telluride Science brings together some of the world’s brightest minds to tackle the most pressing questions in science and technology. Our Town Talk series opens the doors to these ideas, inviting the public to engage with leading researchers through accessible, thought-provoking lectures and panel discussions. From the latest breakthroughs in medicine, energy, climate and quantum computing,Town Talks make cutting-edge knowledge part of the community conversation.

Doors open at 6 p.m. and talk begins at 6:30 p.m.

2026 Schedule:

• June 9: Can we change the weather (And do we really want to?) by Derek Posselt NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory        
• June 16: Good Vibrations – Water, Proteins, and the Molecular Motions that Make Biology Possible by  Matthias Heyden, Arizona State Univ.                           
• June 23: Small molecule Activation at the Origins of Life  by David Lacy,  University of Buffalo            
• June 30: A Shape-Shifting Protein That May Hold the Key to Early Detection of Brain Diseases by Lukasz Joachimiak  UT Southwestern Medical Center                                     
• July 14: Breakthroughs in RNA Science: From Basic Research to Medicine by Phil Bevilacqua, Penn State University                    
• July 21: Title TBD by Clodagh O’Shea, Salk Institute for Biological Studies           
• July 28: The Dual Challenge: Climate and Energy  by Guy Brasseur, NCAR and Max Planck Institute for Meteorology; Georgina Campell, Greentown Labs; and Jeff Gulder, Arizona Public Service Company and Pinnacle West. This special Town Talk is at the Sheridan Opera House  
• August 4: Single Molecule Views of Nature’s Nanomachines by Taekjip Ha Harvard Medical School, Boston Children’s Hospital                            
• August 11: Title TBD Joonho Lee, Harvard University