Steven Koonin, theoretical physicist and former U.S. Under Secretary for Science argues that much of modern science has drifted away from direct empirical testing and toward conclusions shaped by assumptions embedded in models. In his view, the growing authority granted to simulations risks blurring the line between what is observed in the real world and what is inferred from computational representations of it.

In this opening interview, Koonin will explore how simulation-based science fits into the core methodology of scientific inquiry at a time when experiments are increasingly replaced by models. Do simulations offer genuine insight into reality, or do they reflect the perspectives and biases built into them? And when predictions from models guide research priorities and public policy on a global scale, how should uncertainty, validation, and trust be handled? Join Steven Koonin to discuss what it means for science, truth, and decision-making when models increasingly stand in for reality.

This event has replaced Jürgen Schmidhuber's interview.