Inaugural Lecture: Project Projection Operator - How to be an average scientist (Michael te Vrugt)

One of the main goals of nonequilibrium statistical mechanics is to obtain averaged descriptions of many-particle systems starting from known microscopic laws. In this talk, I will illustrate this general problem using two examples. The first is a fundamental problem in the foundations of physics: explaining the emergence of thermodynamic irreversibility from the reversible microscopic laws of physics. The second is a modern research topic of broad practical relevance: understanding the organisation of biological cells and the origin of neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer's disease or ALS using the tools of statistical physics. The talk will thus provide some ideas on why there is a difference between past and future and on how quantum field theory may be relevant for medical applications.