Understanding the Universe around us is quite a challenge but poses many interesting questions. How are galaxies able to form while our Universe is expanding? Does dark matter play an important role in shaping our Universe? Is there a super-massive black hole at the centre of every galaxy? In this talk, I will try to convince you that we are now starting to provide answers to questions like these. This is possible because computers have become sufficiently powerful for us to simulate the evolution of a model universe over its 14 billion-year history, from just after the Big Bang to the present day. I will present the key ingredients for building a model universe, and show how we are now capable of building a model with realistic galaxies.

This talk is hosted by Scott Kay