STFC Introduction to Astronomy Summer School 2024

The Astrophysics Research Centre at Keele University is hosting the 2024 STFC Introduction to Astronomy Summer School from 2nd to 6th September 2024, with a welcome reception on the evening of Sunday 1st September.

The Summer School is open to (but not restricted to) all new PhD students in astrophysics. The Summer School will include lectures on a broad range of topics from Solar Physics to Planetary, Stellar and Galactic Evolution, all the way to Gravitational Waves. There will also be sessions on programming, public engagement, careers, wellness, PhD tips and tricks, as well as on the carbon footprint of astronomy!

Sunday 1 September

Time Title Speaker
Evening Welcome BBQ on Keele Hall Lawn  

Monday 2 September

Time Title Speaker
09.00 Welcome & Introduction Dr Nick Wright (Keele)
09.15 Careers in Astrophysics & PhD Tips Dr Nick Wright (Keele)
10.30 Coffee Break  
11.00 Star Formation and Young Stars Dr John Ilee (Leeds)
12.00 Transients and Time Domain Astrophysics Dr Joe Lyman (Warwick)
13.00 Lunch  
14.00 Galaxy Formation and Evolution Prof. Nina Hatch (Nottingham)
15.00 Coffee Break  
15.30 Star Formation on Galactic Scales Dr Ana Duarte Cabral (Cardiff University)
16.30 Brown Dwarfs Dr Sarah Casewell (Leicester)
17.30 Close  

Tuesday 3 September

Time Title Speaker
09.00 Python Workshop Prof. Rob Jeffries (Keele) & Dr Barry Smalley (Keele)
11.00 Coffee Break  
11.30 Dark Matter Dr David Marsh
(King’s College London)
12.30 Lunch  
14.00 Helioseismology Dr Rachel Howe (Birmingham)
15.00 Coffee Break  
15.30 Carbon Footprint of Astronomy and Astrophysics Dr Beatriz Mingo (OU)
16.30 Tour of Keele’s Renewable Energy Plant Matthew Dean (Keele)
17.30 Close  
Evening Social Event at the Keele Postgraduate Association (KPA) Clubhouse  

Wednesday 4 September

Time Title Speaker
09.00 Active Galactic Nuclei Dr Leah Morabito (Durham)
10.00 Astrobiology Dr Louisa Preston
(UCL Mullard)
11.00 Coffee Break  
11.30 The Galactic Centre Prof. Steve Longmore (LJMU)
12.30 Lunch  
14.00 Public Engagement Dr Becky Smethurst (Oxford)
15.00 Coffee Break  
15.30 Open Research  Dr Masi Noor (Keele) 
16.30 Dark Energy Dr Tom Collett (Portsmouth)
17.30 Close  

Thursday 5 September

Time Title Speaker
09.00 Binary Systems Dr John Southworth (Keele)
10.00 Exoplanet Detection Dr Annelies Mortier (Birmingham)
11.00 Coffee Break  
11.30 Exoplanet Atmospheres Prof. Nikku Madhusudhan (Cambridge)
12.30 Lunch  
14.00 Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Astrophysics Dr Sheila Kanani
(RAS / Lancaster)
15.00 Coffee Break  
15.30 Wellness and Imposter Phenomenon Dr Órla Murray (Northumbria)
16.30 The First Stars and Galaxies Eloy de Lera Acedo (Cambridge)
17.30 Close  
Evening Conference Dinner at Keele Hall  

Friday 6 September

Time Title Speaker
09.00 The Solar System Dr Meg Schwamb (Queen’s Uni. Belfast)
10.00 Careers in Industry Dr Mick Salt (TÜV SÜD Nuclear Technologies)
11.00 Coffee Break  
11.30 Gravitational Waves and Compact Objects Prof. Alberto Vecchio (Birmingham)
12.30 Close  

Participants

TBC

Registration

Summer School registration form >

Registration deadline: 5pm Friday 16th August.

STFC Studentship holders and Self-Funded Postgraduates can register free-of-charge. Travel & subsistence can be claimed back using the Claim Form which will be provided on arrival, please keep all receipts.

Those in receipt of non-STFC funded studentships, postdoctoral research associates or employees of universities or other organisations can also register for a flat fee of £670 (to cover registration, accommodation for 5 nights, breakfasts, lunch, coffee breaks, and dinners each day, as well as social events and the conference dinner).

Travel and Accomodation

The Summer School will be held in the Chancellor’s Building on the main Keele University campus, with accommodation provided on campus as well. For information on how to get to Keele, please visit this webpage.

Contact

For any enquiries, please contact Dr Nick Wright (n.j.wright@keele.ac.uk).