Colloquium
Alternatives to cold dark matter
Dr. Benoit Famaey
Abstract
In this talk, I will explore the possibility that some of the most salient challenges of galaxy formation might have a fundamental origin, rather than simply indicate a problem in our understanding of the modeling of baryons within the LambdaCDM cosmological model. I will thus present how alternatives to cold dark matter can help (or not) to solve some of these riddles, going all the way from warm, mixed, fuzzy or self-interacting dark matter to more radical alternatives such as modified gravity.
About the talk
Alternatives to cold dark matter
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Dr. Benoit Famaey
Observatoire Astronomique de Strasbourg
Observatoire Astronomique de Strasbourg
Monday March 16, 2026 - 10:30 GMT (Aula)
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About the speaker
Benoit Famaey is a CNRS Research Director in Galactic astrophysics at Strasbourg astronomical Obvservatory. He is also currently the president of the "Specialised Commission for Astronomy and Astrophysics" in France. His background includes a PhD obtained at Brussels University (ULB) in 2004, followed by postdoctoral positions at the Rudolf Peierls Centre for Theoretical Physics in Oxford, at ULB again, and at the Argelander-Institute for Astronomy in Bonn as a Humlboldt fellow, before joining Strasbourg astronomical Obvservatory at the end of 2009. Over his career, he has made various contributions to galaxy modeling, both in the Milky Way in the context of the Gaia Mission and its precursors, and in external galaxies, where he is an expert in testing and exploring the merits and drawbacks of alternatives to the standard cosmological model.