Rene Bellwied on Winning the 2025 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics

Hello everyone, welcome to season 2 of the Knowmads podcast. Since Season 2 was long overdue, we had to start with someone who’s not just had a remarkable academic journey in physics, but also someone who’s been a great mentor to all his students and really, to everyone who walks into his office. So in this episode, we’re sitting in the office of Professor René Bellwied — a leading experimental physicist and a core member of the ALICE collaboration — which stands for A Large Ion Collider Experiment — one of the major experiments at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider or the LHC. A few days ago, along with his colleges, he recieved the 2025 breakthrough prize in fundamental physics, which is one of the most prestigious award in science. We talk about the early universe, the beauty and chaos of large-scale collaborations, and what the future of physics might hold. Whether you're someone who thinks deeply about the universe or someone who just loves hearing how big science gets done, there's something for everyone.