The Data Challenge behind the Einstein Telescope
09.04.2026
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Kris Peeters & Tjonnie Li
Tjonnie Li explains gravitational waves, the Einstein Telescope, and why the future of science depends on data engineering.
What does it take to listen to the universe?
In this episode of The Data Playbook, Kris Peeters talks with Tjonnie Li, Professor at KU Leuven, about gravitational waves, black hole collisions, and the massive data challenge behind the Einstein Telescope.
They explore how modern science is becoming deeply data-driven, why the next generation of research infrastructure will need to operate like a science factory, and how AI, automation, and large-scale compute could become essential for turning petabytes of raw data into scientific discovery.
This episode covers:
what gravitational waves are and why they matter
how black hole collisions are measured
why the Einstein Telescope could transform European science
the data, compute, and storage challenge behind next-gen physics
what academia can learn from industry about automation and orchestration
how AI agents could support future scientific discovery
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