Announcements

Herschel postdoc fellowship on extragalactic astronomy

Herschel postdoctoral position at the Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille

Applications are invited for a Postdoctoral Research Fellow position within the team "Physique des Galaxies" at Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille to work on Herschel Guaranteed and Open Time Key Projects devoted to extragalactic astronomy. The successful applicant will be involved with the reduction and analysis of photometric data obtained with the PACS and SPIRE instruments. She/He will be able to work on the following Herschel Guaranteed and Open Time Key Projects: the Herschel Reference Survey (HRS; Boselli et al. 2010, PASP, 122, 261) and the Herschel Virgo Cluster Survey (HeViCS; Davies et al. 2010, A&A Herschel Special Issue) with possible implications on several other Herschel key projects (HerMES, ATLAS, H-GOODS, VNGS, DGS).

Research experience in extragalactic studies with an emphasis on star-forming galaxies and infrared emission is desired. Experience with the reduction and photometric measurement of space-based data will be appreciated. Candidates should have obtained, by the starting date, a Ph.D. in Astronomy, Physics, Astrophysics, or equivalent.

The appointment is for two years. To apply, please send a resume, publication list, and statement of research to Alessandro.Boselli@oamp.fr and have three letters of reference forwarded to the same address. The deadline for applications is September, 30th 2010.

International Conference 'Evolution of galaxies'

Second Circular

International Conference on

Evolution of galaxies, their central black holes and their large-scale environment

September 20.-24. 2010, in Potsdam, Germany

This five days conference will address recent developments in understanding the time evolution of galaxies in the context of today's standard cosmological model. The conference focuses on galaxy formation and evolution, the central supermassive black holes in the nuclei of galaxies and the origin of the strong correlation between the black hole mass and the host galaxy's properties, as well as the larger-scale environments of these galaxies, such as galaxy groups and clusters. The integrated approach combining the phenomena from small to large scales heralds a new epoch of extragalactic astronomy which is driven by the recent generation of powerful ground- and space-based telescopes as well as advanced theoretical models facilitated by the dramatically increased capacity for astrophysical numerical simulations

Registration is open until June 30, 2010.
The number of participants is limited by the capacity of the venue.

Conference webpage

Nordic Workshop on ALMA First Science Opportunities

Third and final announcement Nordic Workshop on ALMA First Science Opportunities

to be held in Copenhagen, August 26th-27th 2010.

Registration and talks:
The registration deadline for the workshop is approaching in two weeks on June 30th and we are now soliciting suggestions for contributed talks at the workshop. In particular, we would encourage also non submillimeter astronomy/interferometry experts to suggest more general science talks discussing projects at other facilities and/or theoretical models. The aim is to provide a forum for discussion about how ALMA can provide new complementary insights to such observations and models and how to implement ideas with this facility. Should you have any questions - please feel free to contact the organizers, e.g., by reply to this E-mail. For those who have already registered and are interested in giving a talk, please send us an E-mail with your title as well.

Accommodation:
With the location close to the center of Copenhagen plenty of hotel options are available, but we include a few suggestions.

We have arranged a deal with the nearby Hotel Christian IV for DKK 875 per night including breakfast and internet. When booking at the hotel refer to "ALMA workshop / SNM, StarPlan" to obtain this rate. Check the hotelwebsite below.

An alternative is "Hotel 9 smaa hjem" who can offer rooms at their regular rate of DKK 600 per night. Check the hotel website below.

With best regard - and looking forward to seeing you in Copenhagen in August,

Jes Jørgensen, Thomas Greve (Copenhagen)
John Conway, Sebastien Muller, Susanne Aalto (Onsala)
Jorma Harju (Helsinki), Jari Kotilainen (Turku)

Workshop website

Hotel Christian IV website

Hotel 9 Små Hjem website

Two Lectureships in Astrophysics - University of Birmingham

Two tenured academic posts at the Lecturer level, or exceptionally at a higher level, are available at the University of Birmingham as part of the second phase of the Midlands Physics Alliance, a HEFCE-funded initiative which supports collaborative research and graduate teaching across the neighbouring universities of Birmingham, Nottingham and Warwick.

These appointments will build on the existing active research teams at Birmingham working in the fields of asteroseismology, extragalactic astrophysics, and gravitational wave physics and astronomy. Informal enquiries relating to the asteroseismology area may be made to Professor Yvonne Elsworth (email:ype@bison.ph.bham.ac.uk), and in the areas of extragalactic astrophysics and gravitational waves to Professor Trevor Ponman (email: tjp@star.sr.bham.ac.uk).

Application deadline is June 15th.

More information

The Impact of Herschel Surveys on ALMA Early Science

First Announcement of the workshop:

The Impact of Herschel Surveys on ALMA Early Science

Garching, November 17-19, 2010

The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) will allow a great leap forward in the exploration of the 'cool universe' - the earliest evolutionary stages of galaxies, stars and planets. ALMA is currently in its scientific commissioning phase and the current expectation is to start Early Science observations in 2011.

The recently launched Herschel Space Observatory satellite, covering the spectral range from the far infrared to the submillimetre, will complete most of the Key Programme observations by the end of 2010. Herschel's exciting first results on galaxy formation and evolution as well as on the galactic star-formation and the interstellar medium are highly complementary to the science that ALMA will deliver soon. These observatories make a good combination not only in the wavelength regime, providing well sampled Spectral Energy Distributions of galaxies or the galactic young stars, but also in the angular resolution. The high angular resolution that ALMA will provide makes it the perfect resource for follow-up on the science targets observed and identified in the arcminute-sized fields of view of Herschel.

The workshop is designed to explore the powerful combination between Herschel and ALMA, taking advantage of the Herschel's first results to best exploit the ALMA Early Science call for proposals expected towards the end of 2010. We hope to foster collaborations among Herschel users and between the Herschel and ALMA communities, that will provide a coordinated action at the time of the forthcoming ALMA Early Science call for proposals. The potential for deep legacy type surveys with the completed ALMA array will also be discussed.

Registration deadline: July 30, 2010

More information

Postdoc position on E-ELT

This call was issued by an OPTICON consortium member at Porto, Portugal. The successful candidate(s) will work up to 50% of their time under the co-supervision of Paulo Garcia (Porto) and Isobel Hook on E-ELT science case activities, namely on data analysis techniques for e.g. photometry, astrometry or spectroscopy using simulated data. The other 50% remaining free for their science.

Application deadline: June 30, 2010

More information

NOT Strategy Survey - Extension of Deadline

Over the last few days we have been informed that some respondents have had problems filling out and submitting our questionnaire on the future priorities for the use of the NOT and other telescopes at ORM, using Internet Explorer.

Despite our earlier efforts, this had led to the discovery of yet another couple of Explorer idiosyncracies with regard to the form. These have now been fixed, we hope.

Therefore, should you have experienced such problems, we kindly ask for your

understanding and hope you will be willing to make another attempt to fill out the form. Every opinion is important to us!

Should you still have problems, for some as yet unknown reason, please click the "Need help?" button, which will bring you in contact with our systems manager, or try Firefox, which has so far been reported as working flawlessly with the form.

To give you time for this extra attempt, the deadline for replies is hereby extended for another week, i.e. to

Friday, June 11, at 23.00 hours UT.

With best regards again, and our thanks for your patience,

Johannes Andersen
Director, Nordic Optical Telescope Scientific Association

Survey website

Int. Young Astronomer School - High Angular Resolution Technique

November 1-5, 2010
Observatoire de Paris-Meudon, France

The Paris Doctoral School of Astronomy (École Doctorale d’Astronomie et d’Astrophysique d’Île de France) organizes an international school on High Angular Resolution techniques from November 1st to November 5, 2010. Sessions will take place at the Paris Observatory Meudon site near Paris and at the Sèvres CIEP nearby. High Angular Resolution techniques is a very active field at Paris Observatory with recent contributions in various fields : images of stellar surfaces with interferometers, images of extrasolar planetary systems with adaptive optics and coronography, instrumental projects for the future JWST space telescope, for the VLT with SPHERE or for the VLTI with GRAVITY, project studies for the E-ELT. The wealth of HAR novelties will increase in 2010 – 2011 with the upcoming decisions on the E-ELT and the shipping of SPHERE to Paranal. Other such events are also occurring on other continents and other countries with the construction of ELTs, studies for space missions and attempts to image exoplanetary systems with other large telescopes.

Application deadline: July 2, 2010

More information

Second circular 8th INTEGRAL Workshop

SECOND CIRCULAR AND CALL FOR PAPERS

"The Restless Gamma-Ray Universe"

8th INTEGRAL Workshop 27th - 30th September 2010 Dublin Castle, Dublin, Ireland

The registration and payment deadline is 20th August 2010.

After this deadline the registration fee will be 350 Euro.

Abstract submission deadline: 30th June 2010.

Workshop web page

Winter School on Asteroseismology

First Announcement:

XXII Canary Islands Winter School of Astrophysics on Asteroseismology
November 15-26, 2010

The XXII Canary Islands Winter School (WS) of Astrophysics, organized by the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (IAC), will focus on the new advances and challenges that Asteroseismology provides in the domains of stellar structure, dynamics, and evolution. The following topics will be covered: Theory of Stellar Structure and Pulsations; Observations of Stellar Pulsations and Data Analysis Techniques; Seismological Inferences and Modelling Methods; Instrumentation and Data Processing; ?Hands-on? Experiences with Data and Models. The WS welcomes a maximum of 60 PhD students and young Post-Docs.

This year's WS will take place in La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain, from November 15th to 26th, 2010. The various topics will be delivered by each of the WS Professors (T. Appourchaux, S. Basu, T. Bedding, W. Chaplin, J. Christensen-Dalsgaard, S. Kawaler, D. Kurtz, and M. Monteiro) in a series of four lectures each and in English. The Lectures will be subsequently published in a Cambridge University Press dedicated monograph series. Strong emphasis will be given to interaction between speakers and students through discussion sessions, coffee breaks, and excursions: visits to the IAC's Headquarter, the Teide Observatory in Tenerife, and the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory in La Palma.

The deadline for applications is July 10th.

More information

WALLABY postdoc positions

ASKAP will carry out a series of ambitious surveys that will fundamentally change our view of the Universe. The "Widefield ASKAP L-band Legacy All-sky Blind surveY" (WALLABY) is the highest ranked ASKAP spectral line survey and aims to examine the HI content of galaxies and large scale structure out to a redshift of z = 0.26. WALLABY will be 20 times more sensitive, with a 900 times smaller beam area than the best current product, the HI Parkes All-Sky Survey (HIPASS), and is expected to spectroscopically detect 0.5 million galaxies.

We are looking for highly motivated ** Super Science Fellows ** to engage in research related to the WALLABY project, which is led by B. Koribalski and L. Staveley-Smith. One SSF will be primarily based at ATNF in Sydney and the other SSF at ICRAR/UWA in Perth. Both will regularly visit the other organisation (UWA and ATNF, respectively) which act as host institutions for up to one of the three years of the fellowship.

Application deadline: July 15, 2010

For further information you may contact Baerbel Koribalski: baerbel.koribalski@csiro.au, or Tamara Davis: tamarad@physics.uq.du.au.

"WALLABY site"

Positions available at the Finnish Centre for Astronomy with ESO

The newly formed Finnish Centre for Astronomy with ESO (FINCA) invites applications for a number of fixed-term post-doctoral and university researcher positions. The earliest starting date for these positions is 1.1.2011.

The mandate of FINCA is: to take care of Finnish co-operation with ESO; to practise and promote research in astronomy, and ESO-related technological development work; to participate in researcher training in astronomy; and to foster and implement ESO-related co-operation of Finnish universities in astronomy.

The closing date for receipt of applications is: June 15, 2010.

More information

Associate Professor in Observational Stellar Astrophysics

The Department of Physics and Astronomy at Aarhus University invites applications for a permanent position in Astrophysics at the Associate Professor level. The position is open from 1. October 2010.

The Department wishes to strengthen its activities in observational stellar astrophysics and seeks a candidate with a track record of excellent and independent research. The candidate is expected to develop a strong research programme at the forefront of this field of research.

All applications must be made online and received by: 15/08/2010

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THE FUTURE OF THE NORDIC OPTICAL TELESCOPE

Currently we make great effort to define a community-based strategy for the NOT in a period of potentially large changes in the way European astronomy will use its 2-4m telescopes (for more detail, see http://www.not.iac.es/news/reports/ETSRC_Strategy.pdf).

Input from our current and future users is the indispensable basis for this effort. Therefore, if you have not already done so, PLEASE take a few moments to answer our questionnaire at the NOT webpages.

Questionnaire deadline by Monday, June 7, 2010.

More information

Nordic Workshop on ALMA First Science Opportunities

Registration is now open for:

Nordic Workshop on ALMA First Science Opportunities

Copenhagen, August 26th-27th 2010

Co-Hosts: Initiative for Danish Far-IR and Submillimeter Astronomy (DFSA), and the Nordic ALMA Regional Centre node at Onsala Space Observatory.

Registration deadline: June 30, 2010

More information

The First Year of Science with X-shooter

First Announcement

Workshop on "The first year of science with X-shooter"

Como (Italy), October 19-22, 2010

SOC: S. Covino (Co-Chair), S. D'Odorico, J. Fynbo, P. Groot, F. Hammer, J. Hjorth, L. Kaper, S. Randich (Co-Chair), P. Rasmussen, F. Zerbi

The workshop will bring together specialists with expertise in different scientific areas, who will highlight key results from the first year of observations with X-shooter. The workshop is also intended to be a forum to discuss and share common experience in the reduction and analysis of X-shooter spectra.

The workshop will be dedicated to the memory of Roberto Pallavicini, one of the most active promoters of X-shooter from the very beginning and a prominent figure of the Italian and international astronomical community.

The format of the workshop would allow for invited reviews, invited talks and contributed talks in approximately equal number. In addition, there will be very short contributions, instead of the more standard poster session. Total attendance will be limited to about 80 participants.

More information

Recommended A&A article

Birgitta Nordström recommends the following article of Astronomy and Astrophysics to you.

Title: A&A makes the transition to article numbering Author(s): C. Bertout, K. S. de Boer, G. Meynet and M. Walmsley /10.1051/0004-6361/200913865

IMPORTANT From now on articles in A&A are numbered differently i.e. by article number and not by page number. Please read this article.

Full article link

Postdoctoral position - Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux

The « Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Bordeaux » (LAB) carries out observational, interpretative and theoretical research in various fields of astrophysics including the interstellar medium, planet and star formation, and stellar populations. The LAB has also been involved in the technical development and commissioning of several major sub-systems for the Herschel satellite and ground-based millimeter interferometer ALMA, along with preparation of the astrometric space mission Gaia. In this context, applications are invited for a postdoctoral fellow to work on one of the following research topics :

- T1: Measuring magnetic fields in proto-planetary discs: a high resolution search for polarized emission in the millimeter domain

- T2: Complex molecules in Orion KL - A high resolution interferometric study

- T3: Herschel M33 Extended Survey - A study of molecular cloud and star formation in M33

- T4: Astrometry and spectroscopy of open clusters and young associations for probing the galactic disc in the perspective of Gaia

To be considered, applicants must have a Ph. D. in astrophysics and substantial background in the relevant field. The initial appointment will be available from September 1, 2010, and will be for one year, with the possibility of extending for a second year (subject to satisfactory performance). The gross salary will be 31200 Euros per year (net salary: 25800 Euros).

Applicants should submit a brief summary of past scientific research, curriculum vitae, bibliography and a cover letter to charlot@obs.u-bordeaux1.fr before June 1, 2010. Applicants should indicate which topic (T1 to T4) is concerned and have two reference letters sent to the above address by the same deadline.

More information

Two Lectureships in Astrophysics, University of Birmingham

These appointments will build on the existing active research teams at Birmingham working in the fields of asteroseismology, extragalactic astrophysics, and gravitational wave physics and astronomy. Informal enquiries relating to the asteroseismology area may be made to Professor Yvonne Elsworth (email: ype@bison.ph.bham.ac.uk), and in the areas of extragalactic astrophysics and gravitational waves to Professor Trevor Ponman (email: tjp@star.sr.bham.ac.uk).

Please include a CV and a statement of your research and teaching interests with your application, and quote post numbers 43538.

The closing date for applications is June 15th.

More information

Input to future role of NOT

The recent review report on future scientific strategies for the European 2-4m telescopes by the European Telescope Strategy Review Committee has come up with a number of recommendations. In order to implement these, your input for the future of the Nordic Optical Telescope is requested.

Web-form for input

Call for proposals for national research infrastructure

Forsknings- og Innovationsstyrelsen has issued a call for research infrastructures of national importance. Proposals should be submitted no later than 7 June 2010.

Call at FI's web site

Official Opening of Centre for Star and Planet Formation

Monday May 10, 2010

Main Auditorium, Geological Museum Natural History Museum of Denmark

More information

PhD scolarships at Lund Observatory

Lund Observatory invites applications for three postgraduate scolarships in astronomy and astrophysics.

Deadline for applications: May 31, 2010

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IAU Symposium No. 277

Second Announcement

IAU Symposium No. 277 - Tracing the Ancestry of Galaxies on the land of our Ancestors)

December 13-17, 2010 - Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Deadline for early registration and application for an IAU grant: June 15, 2010

Conference webpage

Science with the Hubble Space Telescope

Registration open for the following conference:

Science with the Hubble Space Telescope - III:
Two Decades and Counting
October 11-14, 2010
Palazzo Cavalli-Franchetti, Venice, Italy

Sponsored by ESA and NASA
Organised by ST-ECF, STScI and Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti

The conference venue offers places for about 220 participants. Starting on the 14th May the SOC will, in the case of oversubscription, select participants based on the proposed contributions. We advise registration without delay.

Conference webpage

Conference on Evolution of Galaxies

First Circular

International Conference on

Evolution of galaxies, their central black holes and their large-scale environment

September 20.--24., 2010, in Potsdam, Germany

Registration is open from now until June 30, 2010. The number of participants is limited by the capacity of the venue.

Conference webpage

Summer School

Summer School on

Evolution of galaxies and their large-scale environment

5.-9.7.2010 at the Physikzentrum in Bad Honnef

The School is aimed towards students in upper level university classes or in their beginning years of graduate studies who have an education in astrophysics.

Deadline for registration: May 31, 2010

More information

5th Heidelberg Summer School

First Announcement and Call for Applications

The "International Max Planck Research School for Astronomy & Cosmic Physics at the University of Heidelberg" (IMPRS-HD) in collaboration with the Landesstiftung Baden-Wuerttemberg announces the

--> 5th Heidelberg Summer School:

--> First Stars and Cosmic Reionization

--> September 6-10, 2010

IMPRS Heidelberg and the Landesstiftung BW invites graduate students and postdocs to its 5th Heidelberg Summer School. This year's school is centered on physical processes in the early universe and the question how the first stars and galaxies termineated the cosmic dark ages through the process of reionization.

Deadline for registration: July 1, 2010

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Ph.D. Fellowships available in Oslo

A fellowship for a Ph.D. student for 4 years in solar physics. The selected candidate is required to spend 25% of her/his time on teaching or other obligations. The Ph.D. student must start her/his studies at the Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics before 1st October, 2010.

Application deadline: 15th May, 2010.

More information

A fellowship for a Ph.D. student for 4 years in cosmology. The Ph.D. project will be on data analysis for the QUIET CMB polarization experiment. The selected candidate is required to spend 25% of her/his time on teaching or other obligations. The Ph.D. student must start her/his studies at the Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics before 1st October, 2010.

Application deadline: 15th May, 2010.

More information

A fellowship for a Ph.D. student for 4 years in cosmology. The Ph.D. project will be on structure formation within dark energy theories. The selected candidate is required to spend 25% of her/his time on teaching or other obligations. The Ph.D. student must start her/his studies at the Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics before 1st October, 2010.

Application deadline: 15th May, 2010.

More information

A fellowship for a Ph.D. student for three years in cosmology. The selected candidate will work on the Research Council funded project "Cosmological Probes of Modified Gravity", led by Dr. David F. Mota. The Ph.D. student must start his/her studies at the Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics in the autumn semester, 2010.

More information

Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Oslo

A postdoctoral research fellowship for 3 years within either solar physics or cosmology. The selected candidate must start in the position before 1st October, 2010.

Application deadline: 31st May.

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ASTRONS2010

SECOND CIRCULAR

ASTROPHYSICS OF NEUTRON STARS 2010

A Conference in honor of M. Ali Alpar

2 - 6 August 2010
Cesme, Izmir - Turkey

Deadline for abstract submission is May 15, 2010.

Conference webpage

Conference in Corsica

10th School of Cosmology

5-10 July 2010
at IESC, Cargése, Corsica

The Cosmic Microwave Background at High Angular Resolution.

This school is intended for researchers, postdocs and PhD students, primarily those working in or associated units CNRS.

Deadline for registration: June 27, 2010

Conference website

Postdoc Position at University of Queensland

UQ is advertising for a new WiggleZ postdoc at University of Queensland.

WiggleZ is the galaxy redshift survey, using 2dF on the Anglo Australian telescope and measuring 250,000 galaxies out to z<1. The highest redshift galaxy redshift survey to date. We're going to be able to measure the baryon acoustic oscillations in at least four redshift bins, and are also constraining cosmology using other tests such as growth of structure through redshift space distortions and the Alcock-Paczynski test (sphericity of spheres!)

The observations are in their final year and we're looking for someone to come join us on the analysis.

Visit the website with the job ad or feel free to contact Tamara Davis, tamarad@physics.uq.edu.au, for further information.

Applications due the end of April.

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Observing Time at the NOT in Period 42

NORDIC OPTICAL TELESCOPE

CALL FOR PROPOSALS

PERIOD 42: OCTOBER 1, 2010 – APRIL 1, 2011

The Nordic Optical Telescope (NOT) invites applications for observing time in Period 42, October 1, 2010 – April 1, 2011.

The deadline for receipt of the applications is:

Tuesday, May 4, 2010, at UT 12.00 noon.

Note: Late applications are not accepted. However, proposals for short programmes (< 4 hours) using fixed instrument setups are welcome at any time (see http://www.not.iac.es/observing/service/).

More information

Postdoc Position in Oslo

A position as postdoctoral research fellow is available at the Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics of the University of Oslo. The fellowship period is 3 years. The selected candidate must be able to start in the posititon before October 1, 2010.

Deadline for applications: May 31, 2010

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Dark Matter 2010 Workshop CIAS Meudon

Ecole Internationale d'Astrophysique Daniel Chalonge

Workshop CIAS Meudon 2010 "Dark Matter in the Universe and Universal Properties of Galaxies: Theory and Observations"

at the Meudon campus of Observatoire de Paris, CIAS, in the historic Château building,

8-11 June 2010

The Workshop addresses the problem of Dark Matter in the Universe and the Universal properties of Galaxies, with an effort of clarification and synthesis by combining in a conceptual framework, theory, analytical, observational and numerical simulation results. The subject will be approached in a threefold way:

(I) Conceptual context: Dark Matter in cosmology and astrophysics: current status, perspective and prospective of the research in the subject: theory and observations

(II) Astronomical observations linked to the galaxy structural properties and especially to the universal properties of galaxies: high quality rotation curves, kinematics, density profiles, gravitational lensing, small and large structures.

(III) Numerical simulations, large structures, structures and substructures.

Deadline for registration: May 1, 2010

More information

Accretion Processes in X-rays: From White Dwarfs to Quasars

Registration and abstract submission is now open for the Chandra-sponsored Science Workshop entitled

ACCRETION PROCESSES IN X-RAYS: FROM WHITE DWARFS TO QUASARS

to be held
July 13-15, 2010
at the DoubleTree Guest Suites in Boston, MA.

Please check the workshop website for full information, including invited speakers, accommodation information, and a workshop poster suitable for, well, posting on your hallway!

DEADLINES

Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Final deadline for contributed talk abstract submission

Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Final deadline for general registration and poster abstract submission

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MGADS meeting in Strassbourg

Modified Gravity Approaches to the Dark Sector

An international 4-day workshop

June 28-July 1, 2010

held at the Observatoire Astronomique de Strasbourg France:

There are no registration fees but the number of participants will be limited. If you are interested, please register by sending an e-mail before April 30 with your suggested title of contribution and abstract.

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GAIA Research for European Astronomy Training

Announcing GREAT

(Gaia Research for European Astronomy Training)
supporting Gaia-related networking events

The next ESA 'Cornerstone' mission Gaia is scheduled for launch in 2012. It is designed to map over one billion stars with three instruments to collect astrometric, photometric and spectroscopic data on stars in the Milky Way and in galaxies belonging to the Local Group, distant galaxies, quasars and solar system objects.

The objective of GREAT is to provide opportunities to the wider science community in the exploitation of the Gaia mission by supporting a science-oriented network addressing the scientific issues in which Gaia will have a major impact.

The newly launched ESF funded GREAT research network, which will run until February 2015, will fund a wide range of community networking events.

The first open round of calls, for workshops, conferences, exchange visits and training schools, will be released in early March 2010 - with deadlines of 4 June 2010. Proposals to support networking events in science areas where Gaia will have a significant impact, will be welcome.

More information

The 14th Paris Cosmology Colloquium 2010

Ecole Internationale d'Astrophysique Daniel Chalonge

THE STANDARD MODEL OF THE UNIVERSE: THEORY AND OBSERVATIONS

George Smoot Nobel Prize of Physics and Daniel Chalonge Medal

Thursday 22, Friday 23 and Saturday 24 JULY 2010

at the parisian campus of Paris Observatory HQ), in the historic Perrault building.

Deadline for registration: June 1st, 2010

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Annual DFS/Astronomy + Women in Physics meetings 22-23+21 June

Registration is now open for the annual Danish Physical Society / Astronomy meeting. It will take place 22 - 23 June at Nyborg Strand and as usual the annual meeting for Women in Physics will take place the day before, 21 June, also at Nyborg Strand.

You can find more information about both meetings as well as register at the meeting web site.

Deadline for registration and submission of abstracts is 15 May.

This year's astronomy plenum talk "Gas dynamics, galaxy assembly, and star formation in the early Universe" is given by Dr. Linda Tacconi, Max-Planck-Institut für Extraterrestrische Physik, Garching. She is a leading authority in the field of the early stages of galaxy assembly in the young Universe, and a prominent member of the MPE group using near-infrared integral-field spectroscopy and adaptive optics at the ESO VLT to study the dynamics of high-redshift galaxies.

This year also features a special session, organized by Thomas R. Greve and Jes K. Jørgensen:

Submillimeter astronomy in Denmark in the ALMA era

The Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) promises to make important contributions to many fields of astronomy, ranging from studies of the formation of stars and planets to high redshift galaxies - topics, which fall within the fields of interest for Danish astronomers. In this session at the astronomy section of the annual meeting of the Danish Physical Society we will present an effort to promote and stimulate research in submillimeter astronomy in Denmark in the ALMA era. The session will be structured around a series of short talks on topics relevant for high angular resolution far-infrared and submillimeter astronomy. We will furthermore present a brief update on ALMA and efforts of interests for the Danish community. We will aim to put together a varied program of science talks and therefore encourage people to submit their abstracts through the general submission facility for the DFS meeting - and at the same time send us an E-mail at danish.fir.submm.astronomy@gmail.com with the title and abstract for the talk and an indication that you would like it to be considered for the submillimeter session.

The meeting is organized by the Danish Physical Society, notably the chairman of the astrophysics section, Johannes Andersen.

Participation (registration + travel) of Masters students (and other students presenting their work) is funded by IDA. Students should just mail a request for funding to ida@astro.ku.dk by 15 May.

Participation of PhD students is funded by the Danish Astrophysics Research School. Request for funding should be sent to the DARS secretary, Anette Skovgaard, as@phys.au.dk, by 15 May.

Hipparcos og Gaia - foredrag på Kroppedal Museum

Kroppedal Museum torsdag den 6. maj 2010 kl. 19:30

Dansk Datahistorisk Forening og Kroppedal byder velkommen til en foredragsaften om to satellitter: Hipparcos som blev opsendt i 1989, og Gaia som skal opsendes i 2012.

Foredragsholderne er astronomer, der begge har været dybt involveret i projekterne. Foredragene er gratis og foregår fortrinsvis på engelsk. Tilmelding sker på info@kroppedal.dk

Hipparcos og Gaia - to satellitter med dansk og svensk indsats gennem 85 år

Astrometriske og databehandlingsmæssige udfordringer gennem tiderne belyses gennem to foredrag af førende forskere på området (se http://www.kroppedal.dk/astronomi/gaia.html og http://www.astro.lu.se/~lennart/Astrometry/). Tankevækkende at GIER blev konstrueret for 50 år siden med henblik på at løse 104 lineære ligninger med lige så mange ubekendte – nu handler det om med dagens computerteknologi at løse ulineære ligninger med en milliard ubekendte !

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Nordic Workshop on ALMA First Science Opportunities

FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT

Copenhagen, August 26th/27th 2010

Co-Hosts: Initiative for Danish Far-IR and Submillimeter Astronomy (DFSA), and the Nordic ALMA Regional Centre node at Onsala Space Observatory.

With construction of the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) well-underway in Chile and a call for early science observations expected late this year, time is ripe for a workshop to discuss the opportunities offered by this groundbreaking instrument. ALMA promises to make important contributions to many fields of astronomy, including studies of nearby and high red-shift galaxies, star and planet formation, evolved stars and the solar system - all topics of interest to scientists in the Nordic countries. The workshop will discuss ALMA capabilities and user support. There will also be a number keynote talks from experts reviewing the contribution of ALMA to different areas of astrophysics - especially highlighting opportunities in the early science phase.

ALMA is designed to be easily used by astronomers without previous experience in radio or millimetre observations. To facilitate this a unique feature of the workshop will be sessions of contributed talks on science topics followed by discussions moderated by experts on how ALMA can contribute. Optionally this discussion will be prepared in advance by interaction between contributors and the conference organisers after abstract submission. It is the hope that a number of new skeleton ALMA Early Science proposals will emerge from the workshop.

Organizing committee:

Jes Jørgensen, Thomas Greve (Copenhagen)
John Conway, Sebastien Muller, Susanne Aalto (Onsala)
Jorma Harju (Helsinki), Jari Kotilainen (Tuorla)
)

Postdoc Fellowship at Uppsala

The Division of Astronomy and space Physics at Uppsala University invites applications for the Schönberg post-doctoral research fellowship in stellar astrophysics.

Deadline for applications: April 15, 2010.

More information

ASTROPHYSICS OF NEUTRON STARS 2010

FIRST CIRCULAR

A Conference in honor of M. Ali Alpar

2 - 6 August 2010
Cesme, Izmir - Turkey

The 4th ASTRONS Workshop will take place as a conference that will cover a broad range of topics on neutron star studies, including:

2010 will mark the 60th birth year of M. Ali Alpar who has been making significant contribution to our understanding of neutron star interiors and pulsar glitch mechanisms, LMXB – ms PSR connections, QPOs and fallback disks.

Pre-registration:

You can pre-register through the website in order to receive the upcoming circulars of the conference.

Registration Fee:

250 Euros (150 Euros for students) if paid before June 15th, 2010
300 Euros (200 Euros for students) if paid after June 15th, 2010

Conference website

IAU Symposium No. 277

Tracing the Ancestry of Galaxies
(on the land of our Ancestors)

December 13-17, 2010 - Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

This Symposium will be the opportunity to examine the possible links between nearby, mature galaxies and the distant objects that our deepest extragalactic surveys now routinely uncover. Major open questions pertaining to the evolution of these objects into the galaxies we see today will be addressed and confronted to theoretical models of galaxy formation and evolution. In recent years, the multi-wavelength mapping of galaxies has enabled a new vision of their structure and composition that may, or may not, be compatible with theoretical precepts.

The Symposium will bring together theorists and observers in an attempt to reach a common understanding of the puzzles that our research has recently unfolded, largely through the study of galaxy dynamics and their stellar populations at low and high redshifts. With MeerKAT (Karoo Array Telescope) and SALT (South African Large Telescope) in operation in South Africa and Astrophysics being developed in Burkina Faso, it seems timely to hold such a meeting in Africa, especially following the IYA and the resolution of the 2009 IAU General Assembly asking to support the development of Astronomy in emerging countries.

Deadline for early registration: June 15, 2010

Symposium website

ASTROPHYSICS OF NEUTRON STARS 2010

ASTROPHYSICS OF NEUTRON STARS 2010
FIRST CIRCULAR

A Conference in honor of M. Ali Alpar

2 - 6 August 2010

The 4th ASTRONS Workshop will take place as a conference that will cover a broad range of topics on neutron star studies, including:

- neutron star structure & dynamics
- spectral properties from multi-wavelength observations
- timing (periodic, quasi-periodic & aperiodic) properties
- neutron star emission properties
- supernovae and supernova remnants
- evolution of different classes of neutron stars
- future prospects

2010 will mark the 60th birth year of M. Ali Alpar who has been making significant contribution to our understanding of neutron star interiors and pulsar glitch mechanisms, LMXB – ms PSR connections, QPOs and fallback disks.

Further information

OPTICON Trans-National Access Programme

Call for Proposals for the OPTICON Trans-National Access Programme

Deadline March 1, 2010.

Please note that as of this call, applications for time under the OPTICON programme MUST be submitted via the common proposal tool for ALL telescopes under the programme. Please also note the rules for formal eligibility; e.g. Nordic P.I.s cannot apply for time at the NOT, but to most or all of the other telescopes. Further information is available at the OPTICON website.

The site is also linked from the NOT home page http://www.not.iac.es

OPTICON website

Theoretical Astrophysics Fellowships, Santa Cruz, CA

TASC International Graduate Fellowships: we are pleased to announce special funding for international students, who have formerly been obliged to pay UC out-of-state tuition amounting to $15,000 per year because they cannot qualify for state residency. These new TASC fellowships will cover all additional out-of-state fees for a period of up to five years.

Further information

UC Santa Cruz graduation program

The Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz offers unparalleled opportunities for world-class graduate study.

Further information

New polarimetric capability for ALFOSC available in Period 41

To NOT users planning to apply for time in Period 41:

By arrangement with Asiago Observatory, Padova, Italy, a "Wedged Double Wollaston" prism for one-shot polarimetric observations with ALFOSC will be on loan to the NOT for a three-year period, starting April 1, 2010 (i.e. in Period 41).

The capabilities of the prism are described in Padova/Asiago Technical Report no. 18.

The Asiago prism has been tested earlier at the NOT, and actual performance here is expected to be very close to that described in the Asiago report. Current plans are to offer the prism as a standard option in the ALFOSC imaging mode.

Padova/Asiago Technical Report no. 18

CLJ2010: from Massive Galaxy Formation to Dark Energy

CLJ2010: from Massive Galaxy Formation to Dark Energy
- an IPMU/DENET international conference on galaxy clusters

The Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (IPMU) at the University of Tokyo will host a conference on galaxy clusters entitled "CL J2010: from Massive Galaxy Formation to Dark Energy", in Kashiwa, Japan on 6/28-7/2, 2010. The conference will focus on the following topics: (1) cluster galaxy formation and evolution, (2) galaxy-intracluster medium interaction, (3) cosmology with clusters, and (4) synergy with other cosmology probes.

Our goal is to provide an opportunity for discussing how we can use multi-wavelength data to address these topics and to identify the important outstanding theoretical/observational issues that may limit our ability to fully exploit the upcoming large cluster data sets.

Deadline for pre-registration: December 31, 2009

More information

Nordita Winter School on Dynamos

Nordita Winter School on Dynamos (Stockholm 11-22 January 2010)

Below is a link to the school web page for electronic registration, where you may also download additional posters.

Travel and local expenses for all accepted students from the Nordic countries will be reimbursed by us through a grant from NordForsk.

There is no fee. Letters of acceptance will be emailed after 15 Nov.

School webpage

ICSU Grants Programme for 2010

Call for Applications for the ICSU Grants Programme 2010

The Programme Statement and Schedule, as well as the Application Form, are available in the Member Zone of the ICSU web site. The deadline for receipt of applications is 1 December 2009. The ICSU Grants Programme is reserved for ICSU Members and we request that you do not pass the information and the Application Form to individuals or institutions outside the ICSU family.

Please note that Lead Applicants must be ICSU Scientific Unions, Interdisciplinary Bodies, or Joint Initiatives, and can be lead on no more than one application.

In addition, applications are only valid if they are actively supported by one or more ICSU bodies (i.e., Scientific Unions, Interdisciplinary Bodies, Joint Initiatives, ICSU Regional Offices, ICSU National Scientific Members, or International or National Scientific Associates). The roles of Supporting Applicants and any other partners in preparing and carrying out the proposed work must be made clear in the application.

If you have any questions about the validity of an application, or any questions in general about the Grants Programme, please consult Maureen Brennan at the ICSU Secretariat (maureen@icsu.org ) well ahead of the submission deadline.

The total funding available for grants in 2010 is Euro 280,000. To ensure that a reasonable number of grants can be funded in 2010, applications for up to a maximum of Euro 30,000 will be considered.

All applications must be submitted by email to maureen@icsu.org . Only the electronic application format is acceptable and applications received in other formats will not be considered.

A Work Plan of the project, including detailed estimates on the planned use of the ICSU grant, must accompany the Application Form. Applicants are also advised to check that they have met all of the specified requirements prior to formal submission.

The Programme Statement and Schedule (in the ICSU Member Zone) provides guidance on the required focus of proposals. In general, proposals should target themes in the ICSU Strategic Plan 2006-2011. In particular, we encourage applications for collaborative work with the ICSU Regional Offices focusing on their priority areas.

More information

Max-Planck Research School on Astrophysics - PhD program

* The Max-Planck Institute for extraterrestrial Physics (MPE)
* The Observatory of the University of Munich (LMU/USM)
* The Max-Planck Institute for Astrophysics (MPA)
* The European Southern Observatory (ESO)

IMPRS offers a highly competitive PhD program, including lectures, seminars and a research project supervised by scientists at one of the participating institutions. Course language is English. Students have access to ground and spaced based observatories and instrumentation operated by the participating institutes as well as supercomputers for advanced numerical simulations and theoretical studies.

Successful completion of the IMPRS program will be honored with an IMPRS certificate which supplements the doctoral degree (PhD) document awarded by the Ludwig-Maximilians University (or another university to be agreed upon before enrollment).

Applications for the program are open to students from all countries. More details on the IMPRS program and the admission requirements can be found on the IMPRS website.

IMPRS website

Winter School in Cosmology - Italy - December 2009

3rd TRR33 WINTER SCHOOL ON COSMOLOGY "THEORY FOR OBSERVERS - OBSERVATIONS FOR THEORISTS"
Passo del Tonale - Italy
6-11 December 2009

The Transregional Collaborative Research Centre TRR33 is glad to announce the Third TRR33 Winter School on Cosmology. The school is meant to be for PhD students and Postdocs and aims to join theoretical and observational aspects of modern cosmology.

Registration is now OPEN, with deadline on 1st November 2009.

Please register online on the School website.

Please note that we will accept a maximum of 60 participants.

School website

Open Positions at IPMU, University of Tokyo

* Postdoctoral Fellows
* Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellows
* Assistant Professors
* Associate and Full Professors
* Visiting Professorships

The "Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe" (IPMU) is a new international research institute with English as its official language established in October 2007. The goal of the institute is to discover the fundamental laws of nature and to understand the universe from the synergistic perspectives of mathematics, statistics, theoretical and experimental physics, and astronomy. We are particularly interested in candidates with broad interests to interact with people from other subfields.

IPMU is on the Kashiwa campus of the University of Tokyo. More than half of its full-time scientific members come from outside Japan. Its annual budget is approximately $15M. IPMU has a satellite in Kamioka to maintain close connection with experimental groups.

The applications should include a CV, research statement, publication list, and at least three letters of recommendation. They should be uploaded at the IMPU website/job-opportunities.

The search is open until filled, but for full considerations please submit the applications and letters by Dec 1, 2009.

More information

Galaxy Clusters Conference, Garching 2010

MPA/ESO/MPE/USM Joint Astronomy Conference

"Galaxy clusters: observations, physics and cosmology"

to be held in Garching, Germany

July 26 - July 30, 2010

The purpose of conference is to select several broad topics and bring together experts in i) physical mechanisms ii) simulations and iii) observations.

Deadline for registration: April 1, 2010

Conference website

JENAM 2010 - Call for symposia and special sessions

1. Announcement

JENAM is the Joint European and National Astronomy Meeting organized each year in one of the European countries jointly by the European Astronomical Society and one of the national astronomical societies. JENAM 2010 will take place in Lisbon, Portugal during the week of Sep 6-10 2010. It will be the 18th Annual Meeting of the European Astronomical Society and the 20th Annual Meeting of the Portuguese Astronomical Society.

JENAM 2010 will host a number of Mini-Symposia, plenary sessions and Special Sessions on various aspects of modern astronomy. It will also include the European Astronomical Society (EAS) general assembly and board meetings.

We would like to invite the community to submit proposals for the organization of Mini-Symposia. These Mini-Symposia will have a duration equivalent to 2.5 days or less, split in morning and afternoon sessions. Each proposal should include a Rationale, a Scientific Organizing Committee, contacts and other information found relevant by the proposers. The proposers must identify the editors of the symposium's proceedings.

We also wish to invite the community to propose special sessions. These typically last half a day and are mainly intended for organizational meetings (eg. JAD, OPTICON, RadioNET). However, proposals for other meetings, such as kick-off activities are also encouraged.

Proposals should be submitted before Nov 30 2009 using the webform at http://www.jenam2010.org/ Under the link "Symposia submissions"

2. Committees

*Scientific Organizing Committee - SOC

Andre Moitinho (Chair; U. Lisbon, Portugal)
Jan Palous (Co-chair;Astronomical Institute, Czech Republic)
Joao Alves (Calar Alto Obs, Germany/Spain)
Johannes Andersen (U. Copenhagen, Denmark; NOT, Spain)
Miguel Avillez (U. Evora, Portugal)
Orfeu Bertolami (IST, Portugal)
Dieter Breitschwerdt (TUB, Germany)
Mark Casali (ESO)
Pierre Cox (IRAM, France)
Ann Dutrey (LAB, France)
João Fernandes (U. Coimbra, Portugal)
Pedro G. Ferreira (U. Oxford, UK)
Isabel Marquez (IAA-CSIC, Spain)
António Pedrosa (CME, Portugal)
Timo Prusti (ESA)
Nuno Santos (CAUP, Portugal)

Local Organizing Committee - LOC
Eduardo Amores (UL)
Sónia Antón (U. Porto)
Angela Antunes (UL)
Vladan Arsenijevic (UL)
Pedro Carvas (UL)
André Moitinho (UL, Chair)

* Note: Both the SOC and LOC will have an extra Co-chair appointed by the new board of the Portuguese Astronomical Society that will be elected on Nov 4, 2009.

More information

Postdoctoral Fellowships at DARK

The Dark Cosmology Centre (DARK) announces several postdoctoral fellowships.

Located at the Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, DARK has recently added to its faculty associate professors Sune Toft and Marianne Vestergaard, and is expanding into the areas of high-redshift galaxy evolution, and the field of quasars, supermassive black holes, and quasar-host galaxy evolution, in addition to the Centre's existing areas of interest: reionization, gamma-ray bursts, dark matter, cosmic dust, clusters of galaxies and gravitational lensing.

Several DARK fellowships are now available with a starting date in 2010. DARK fellows will pursue their own independent research programs with selection preference given to those working in areas of interest to the Centre.

Deadline for application is 15 December 2009.

More information

Postdoctoral position at LAM

Postdoctoral Position in Extragalactic Astrophysics and Cosmology at LAM to work on the Herschel Guaranteed time Key Projects HerMES and HRS.

The deadline for applications is november 1, 2009

More information

Two astronomy positions at the AAO

The Anglo-Australian Observatory is currently advertising for an AAO Research Astronomer (5 year appointment) and an AAO Research Fellow (3 year appointment) within the Astronomy Workgroup:

The closing date for applications to both positions is Friday 11 Dec 2009.

Details of the roles and responsibilities of the positions, as well as the application procedure, can be found on the AAO webpage.

More information

Postdoc position in Stockholm

Postdoc opening in extragalactic astronomy in Stockholm.

Application deadline is 1st Nov.

More information

ESO Vacancy Notices

Recently released vacancies to be filled with the European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere (ESO)

- Operation Staff Astronomer
- Mechanical / Structural Engineer

Deadline for applications: October 30, 2009

- Commissioning Scientist

Deadline for applications: December 15, 2009

More information

Postdoc position at the University of Oslo

A 3-year position as post-doctoral research fellow (or researcher) is available at the Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics, University of Oslo, to work on the project "Studying the early universe with non-Gaussianities"

Application deadline: November 1, 2009

Further information

Ph.D Positions in Astronomy - IMPRS Bonn/Cologne

INTERNATIONAL MAX PLANCK RESEARCH SCHOOL (IMPRS)
FOR ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
AT THE UNIVERSITIES OF BONN AND COLOGNE

PhD Positions in Astronomy

Call for Applications

Deadline: November 15, 2009

Further information

Heidelberg Astronomy PhD School

Applications are invited for the doctoral program of the

International Max Planck Research School for Astronomy & Cosmic Physics

at the University of Heidelberg (IMPRS-HD)

starting summer/autumn 2010.

Deadline for applications: December 13, 2009

Further information

Observing Time at the NOT in Period 41

NORDIC OPTICAL TELESCOPE

CALL FOR PROPOSALS

PERIOD 41: APRIL 1 - OCTOBER 1, 2010

The Nordic Optical Telescope (NOT) invites applications for observing time in Period 41, April 1 - October 1, 2010.

The deadline for receipt of the applications is:

Monday, November 2, 2009, at UT 12.00 noon.

Further information

Postdoctoral Researcher in Extragalactic Astronomy

Postdoctoral Researcher in Extragalactic Astronomy (Supernovae, Observational Cosmology, Galaxy evolution)

The Oskar Klein Centre, Stockholm University

Closing date for receipt of applications: November 1, 2009

More information

Amelia Earhart Fellowships

The Amelia Earhart Fellowship program invites applications for the 2010 academic year from qualified women for fellowships of US $10,000 each for graduate study in aerospace-related sciences and aerospace-related engineering. Please post it so that interested students may apply. Please visit the Zonta International Web site for a poster.

The Fellowships memorialize famed air pioneer and Zontian, Amelia Earhart, who disappeared over the Pacific in 1937. By remembering Amelia Earhart through this fellowship, Zonta International encourages and supports women to expand their horizons by pursuing aerospace-related sciences and aerospace engineering. There have been 1,262 Amelia Earhart Fellowships totaling over US $7 million awarded to 880 fellows worldwide. It is anticipated that 35 grants will be made for the 2010 academic year.

The application can also be downloaded from the Zonta International Web site. The application, recommendations, transcripts, and letter of current standing must be received or post-marked by 15 November to be considered.

More information

COSPAR 2010 Event E12 - Probing the High Redshift Universe

FIRST CIRCULAR

38th COSPAR Scientific Assembly

Bremen (Germany), 18-25 July 2010

Event E12: PROBING THE HIGH REDSHIFT UNIVERSE

This is a 2-day event held during the week of the COSPAR Scientific Assembly, which will be held in Bremen, Germany, from 18 to 25 July 2010.

Deadline for submitting abstracts is February 19, 2010.

Conference website

The Origin of Galaxies - ESF-FWF-LFUI Conference - Final call

Final Reminder

ESF-FWF Conference in Partnership with LFUI

The Origin of Galaxies: Lessons from the Distant Universe

Universitätszentrum Obergurgl, Obergurgl, Austria

12-17 December 2009

Chaired by: Eelco van Kampen, LFUI, Innsbruck, AT; Jim Dunlop & John Peacock, University of Edinburgh, UK

Closing date for applications/papers:

12 September 2009

Conference website

Conference on Cosmological Reionization

First announcement of the conference

Cosmological Reionization

to be held at the Harish-Chandra Research Institute, Allahabad, India

February 16-20, 2010.

The scientific rationale, list of SOC members, invited speakers and other information can be found on the conference website.

Deadline for registration and abstract submission:

September 20, 2009.

Unfortunately, because of space restrictions, we are able accept only a limited number (about 60) of outstation applicants. Participants will therefore be selected by the SOC from the registered applicants and contacted shortly after the registration deadline.

Conference website

The Origin of Galaxies: Lessons from the Distant Universe

Conference - closing date: August 31, 2009

Universitätszentrum Obergurgl, Obergurgl, Austria

12-17 December 2009

See earlier announcement on IDA webpages.

More information

Postdoc position at Bonn University

The Institute of Physics at the University Bonn, Germany, invites applications for the position as postdoctoral researcher.

Applicants shall be interested to carry out research in the newly established experimental Astroparticle Physics and Cosmology group at the Institute of Physics of Bonn University. The group is active in experimental cosmology, using Type 1a Supernova to study the properties of Dark Energy.

Deadline for applications: August 31, 2009.

Further information

GALAXY CLUSTERS IN THE EARLY UNIVERSE

November 9-12, 2009
Pucón, Chile

The "Galaxy Clusters in the Early Universe" conference that will take place 9-12 November 2009 in the beautiful resort town of Pucón in southern Chile. The goal of this ESO-sponsored workshop is to bring together theorists and observers to review our progress in finding, studying and understanding galaxy clusters at high redshifts. Among the topics that will be discussed are x-ray, optical, infrared and radio searches for distant galaxy clusters, cluster populations at high redshifts, cosmological constraints from clusters, and cluster evolution over a Hubble time.

Attendance will be limited to 100 participants. Presently, the confirmed or tentatively confirmed invited speakers include Stefano Borgani, Mark Brodwin, Emanuele Daddi, Gus Evrard, Mike Gladders, Bianca Poggianti and Kathy Romer.

Please note the following important deadlines:

30 September 2009: registration and abstract deadline (including payment of registration fee);

1 October 2009: deadline to make room reservations at the Gran Hotel Pucón at the reduced conference price.

Conference webpage

Staff Position in Extragalactic Astrophysics/Cosmology at MPA

The MPA has an opening at tenure-track or tenured level for a numerical astrophysicist interested in galactic or extragalactic astrophysics and physical cosmology. We are looking for a creative and energetic candidate who will be able to set up an independent research programme which reinforces and extends the institute's existing internal and collaborative activities in these areas.

The MPA is an independent institute within the Max Planck Society and carries out a broad programme of theory and data analysis covering much of astrophysics. It has a particularly strong tradition in numerical astrophysics. Areas of concentration in extragalactic astrophysics include: galaxy structure; galactic dynamics; galaxy formation and evolution; galaxy clusters; large–scale structure; gravitational lensing; the intergalactic medium; microwave background studies; AGN formation and evolution; physical cosmology. These are supported by active participation in ESA’s Planck mission, in the Sloan Digital Sky Sur-vey, in the LOFAR Project, in the Virgo Supercomputing Consortium and in a number of European research networks. Further information about MPA and its research programmes can be found at http://www.mpa-garching.mpg.de.

The present post will be ﬁlled at tenure-track or at tenured level depending on the qualiﬁcation of the candidate. Applicants should provide a CV, a publication list, and a one–page research plan. All material should be sent in electronic form(pdf) to staﬀad@mpa-garching.mpg.de. The applicant should also ask 3 referees to send letters to the same email address.

The deadline is 15 September 2009, but late applications will be accepted until the post is ﬁlled. Interested candidates seeking further information are encouraged to contact Simon White at swhite@mpa-garching.mpg.de.

Conference on The Origin of Galaxies

ESF-FWF Conference in Partnership with LFUI

The Origin of Galaxies:
Lessons from the Distant Universe

Universitätszentrum Obergurgl, Obergurgl, Austria

12-17 December 2009

Chaired by: Eelco van Kampen, LFUI, Innsbruck, AT; Jim Dunlop & John Peacock, University of Edinburgh, UK ESF Contact: Alessandra Piccolotto - apiccolotto@esf.org

Closing date for applications: 31 August 2009

Full conference program and application form

Astrophysics at very high energies

ASTROPHYSICS AT VERY HIGH ENERGIES

40th Saas-Fee Advanced Course of the Swiss Society of Astrophysics and Astronomy

15-20 March 2010, Les Diablerets, Switzerland

LECTURERS

- Prof. Felix Aharonian: The sky at very high energies
- Prof. Lars Bergstrom: Multi-messenger astronomy and dark matter
- Dr. Charles Dermer: Sources of GeV photons and Fermi results

MOTIVATION

The course will review the state of knowledge, open questions and forecasts in high and very-high energy gamma-ray astrophysics, a field that has encountered a revolution in the last years with the success of Cherenkov astronomy and more recently with the launch of NASA's Fermi mission. Impact of gamma-ray observations on our knowledge of particle acceleration in galactic and extragalactic sources will be reviewed. Prospects for dark matter detection and from the multi-messenger approaches will be covered as well.

The current and planned instruments will soon detect thousands of very-high energy sources and hopefully solve the question on the origin of cosmic rays. The topics covered by the 40th Saas-Fee Course will gather students, researchers and specialists. The lectures given by three outstanding experts in the field will encourage the participants to become users of Fermi, Cherenkov telescope arrays and multi-messenger detectors.

REGISTRATION

The number of participants is limited to about one hundred. Registrations will be accepted on a "first come first served" basis.

Full announcement

ESO Vacancy Notices - July 2009

- Site Safety Engineer
- IT Infrastructure Specialist - Windows

Deadline for applications: August 31, 2009

- User Support Astronomer

Deadline for applications: September 20, 2009

Further information

Ph.D position on the Galactic Population of Open Clusters

The Department of Astrophysics of the Radboud University Nijmegen, the Astronomical Institute of Utrecht University, and Leiden Observatory invite applications for a PhD position on:

'The Galactic population of open clusters'

The Department of Astrophysics of the Radboud University Nijmegen, the Astronomical Institute of Utrecht University, and Leiden Observatory invite applications for a PhD position on:

`The Galactic population of open clusters'

funded by the Netherlands Research School for Astronomy (NOVA), the confederation of the five university astronomy departments in the Netherlands. The aim of the project is to use optical data from the European Galactic Plane Surveys and infrared data from the UKIRT Galactic Plane Survey and the VISTA VVV survey to investigate the population of open clusters in our Milky Way Galaxy and to understand the formation, evolution and survival/dissipation of open clusters in the Galactic environment. Special attention will be paid to the distribution of open clusters as a function of galactocentric radius and metallicity. The project will allow to a) obtain deeper and more homogeneous coverage of known Galactic open clusters, b) study the effect of Galactic position on cluster evolution, both observationally as well as numerically and c) effectively search for new open clusters.

The PhD project will be supervised by prof.dr. Paul Groot (RU Nijmegen), dr. Soeren Larsen (UU) and prof.dr. Simon Portegies Zwart (UL). Considerable time will be be spent at each university, with a start period in Nijmegen.

The candidate must hold a Master's degree in (astro)physics at the start of the PhD project. Salaries are according to the collective labor agreement for Dutch universities and start at Euro 2042 gross/month. End-of-year and holiday allowances will additionally be paid.

Selection of candidates commences on September 15, 2009. A start date not later than 1 January, 2010 is expected. Applications should include two letters of references, which can be sent with the application or separately to the address below. We also request a brief (at most 1 page) statement of research interests.

Application letters can be sent to:

Secretariat
Department of Astrophysics
Radboud University Nijmegen
P.O. Box 9010, 6500 GL Nijmegen
The Netherlands

or by email to

secr@astro.ru.nl

quoting job description: 'NOVA Cross-Network Clusters'.

Email inquiries can be directed to prof. Paul Groot (p.groot@astro.ru.nl) and/or dr. Soeren Larsen (s.s.larsen@uu.nl).

International Fermi Symposium

First Bulletin 2-5 November 2009, Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill, Washington, DC, USA This is the second meeting in the series of International GLAST (now Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope) Symposia. Fermi is a mission to discover and study cosmic gamma-ray sources in the energy range 20 MeV to >300 GeV, with supporting measurements for gamma-ray bursts and other bright sources from 8 keV to 30 MeV. With its successful launch on June 11, 2008 and start of science operations in August, Fermi has opened up new and important opportunities to study a wide variety of high-energy phenomena, including black holes and active galactic nuclei; gamma-ray bursts; pulsars; the origins, propagation, and fluxes of cosmic rays; magnetars; probes of the optical-UV extragalactic background light; diffuse emissions; new source classes; solar physics; and searches for signals of hypothetical new phenomena such as dark matter particle annihilations. In addition to the many published results, fast transient alerts and monitored fluxes have been routinely released, the first LAT Bright Source List and mission science tools were released on schedule in February 2009, and the continuous release of gamma-ray event data will start later this summer, as planned. Following the very successful first symposium held at Stanford in February 2007, this meeting will focus on the new scientific investigations enabled by Fermi, the mission and instrument characteristics, opportunities for guest investigators, and coordinated observations and analyses. As at the Stanford meeting, we expect this will be a great opportunity to think about the gamma-ray data in new ways and for individuals to cross over into new areas of investigation.

The Symposium registration fee is $395 until 1 October. After that time, the registration fee will be $450. To help us plan, please visit the announcements sign-up page (http://fermi.gsfc.nasa.gov/science/symposium/2009/signup.php ) to register your interest in the symposium, if you have not done so already.

The abstract submission deadline is 1 October.

Conference webpage

Ph.D elite course in statistics

Advanced Methods in Statistical Data Analysis

October 19-23, 2009

at the Niels Bohr Institute, Copenhagen

Guest teachers:
Dr. Wouter Verkerke (Nikhef, Amsterdam)
Prof. Andrew Liddle (Sussex University, UK)

For students showing active participation to the course, 5 ECTS points will be assigned.

For further information and registration, please contact Stefania Xella at xella@nbi.dk or Steen Hansen at hansen@dark-cosmology.dk.

Registration deadline: September 19, 2009.

Ph.d. student positions in Oslo

The Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics of the University of Oslo has advertised three Ph.D. Research Fellow positions for people (holding a master degree or at least 4-year undergraduate degree) wanting to start studying at its Ph.D. programme in the autumn of 2009.

There is one fellowship in solar physics and two fellowships in cosmology.
Application deadlines are 25th and 30th June, 2009.

Further information

Input to the ASTRONET review of European 2-4m telescopes

The ASTRONET/OPTICON European Telescope Strategy Review Commitee has begun to map the ASTRONET science vision goals onto a suite of capabilities which might be available on telescopes in the 2-4m range in the near future.

Since the panel's expertise is not complete, the ideas collected so far are recognised as a starting point only. The intention is that, having created a series of examples, the panel will now seek community input to flesh out and expand on these requirements, particularly for those topics not yet covered by the panel (for example our Sun and the planets). The documents drafted so far and a form for input are available via the ETSRC homepage.

The panel will now attempt to raise awareness of this opportunity for input via the usual means, e.g. by sending messages to national mailing lists, EAS members etc. However, in order to get the maximum value out of the process it wants to hear from as many interested colleagues as possible, so the ETSRC has asked the participating telescope groups to help it in reaching their user communities.

The Nordic Optical Telescope Scientific Association strongly supports the review by the ETSRC and wants the voice of its user community to be heard in this process, which is of vital importance for your future. Please take a moment to reflect on your needs for 2-4m telescope capabilities in the future and send your thoughts to the panel. Note also that the opportunity to comment will remain open as the process proceeds during the rest of this year.

With best regards,

Johannes Andersen
Director, Nordic Optical Telescope Scientific Association

ETSRC homepage

SPARTAN short-term fellowship

The Department's Centre of Excellence for Space, Planetary and Astrophysics Research Training and Networking (SPARTAN) can fund a 3-month fellowship until end of September 2009.

If you wish to re-apply with a new project and are still are eligible to apply your applications are very welcome.

However, the application procedure and obtaining work permits and visas for non-EU applicants must be completed by 30 June at the latest. If your application is approved your fellowship must start officially on 1 July 2009.

Further information

The Origin of Galaxies: Lessons from the Distant Universe

ESF-FWF Conference in Partnership with LFUI

Universitätszentrum Obergurgl, Obergurgl, Austria 12-17 December 2009

Chaired by: Eelco van Kampen, LFUI, Innsbruck, AT; Jim Dunlop & John Peacock, University of Edinburgh, UK

ESF Contact: Alessandra Piccolotto - apiccolotto@esf.org

Closing date for applications: 31 August 2009

Conference website

"Reionization with Multi-frequency Datasets"

Stockholm - August 17-21, 2009

Second announcement

The website contains new information including a preliminary programme with the speakers who have agreed to give an invited review. The conference is looking to become an interesting meeting place of radio, optical, CMB as well as theoretical astronomers interested in reionization. We still have room for more contributed talks and we encourage those who have not done so already to register and submit an abstract for a contributed talk. The deadline for registration and abstract submission is July 1st.

More information

Ph.d. position at Leiden University

A graduate position is available at the Astronomy Department of Leiden University, in collaboration with the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy, ASTRON, for an observational Ph.d. thesis project on Cosmic Magnetism.

Review of applications will start on July 15, 2009 and continue until the position is filled.

Requests for further information and applications, by mail or e-mail, can be sent to: dr. M. Haverkorn, ASTRON, P.O.Box 2, 7990 AA Dwingeloo, The Netherlands, email: haverkorn@astron.nl

Further information

Two new positions open at the ISDC

A senior high-energy astrophysicist position and a software engineer position for data processing in high energy astrophysics are open at the INTEGRAL Science Data Center, ISDC.

Further information

The Schocking Universe Conference in Venice

THE SHOCKING UNIVERSE - Gamma-Ray Bursts and High Energy Shock phenomena
******************************************
Conference in San Servolo, Venice, Italy
September 14-18, 2009

Abstract submission and early payment of the conference fee is delayed until June 29, 2009.

Further information

ESO Vacancies - June 2009

- Operation Staff Astronomer (VLTI)
- Operation Staff Astronomer
- Software Engineer
- Mechanical Engineer

Full announcement

EAS list of schools

An invitation to the community to help shape the future use of Europe's 2-4m telescopes:

More information

"LUCKY" iMAGING OPPORTUNITIES AT THE NOT

The instrument offered is a new version of "LuckyCam" featuring a 4000 x 1000-pixel L3CCD detector; its performance is described in detail at the NOT web site.

Proposals can be sent as simple e-mails outlining the science case and specifying the object(s) to be observed (coordinates, brightness, field, availability of reference source). They should reach the undersigned

*** by Monday, June 29, 2009 ***

at the latest, with copies to Craig Mackay (cdm@ast.cam.ac.uk) and to Thomas Augusteijn (tau@not.iac.es).

Further information

IPAC Visiting Grad Fellowship Program

IPAC announces the availability of four visiting graduate student fellowships this year starting in the fall of 2009. The program, which is in its third year, allows a graduate student from institutions outside of Caltech to work with an IPAC/NExScI scientist for 6-months on a research project at NExScI or other IPAC projects. The deadline for applications is July 15, 2009, for a fall start. Instructions about the application process and a list of possible projects can be found here:

Further information

A national ALMA initiative - call for proposals

The Instrument Center for Danish Astrophysics (IDA) is launching a national initiative in sub-mm astronomy. The aim is to establish a coordinated and sustainable science activity, which can exploit the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), starting with the first call for proposals in 2010. The activity must be broadly based around the existing research groups in Denmark, should address key scientific questions with ALMA, and be sufficiently strong to ensure long-term existence, e.g., by attracting external funding. IDA can fund 8-10 FTEs for the initiative, starting as soon as possible and running through 2011.

IDA hereby invites applications for programs according to the strategy outlined above. In the period until ALMA becomes operational, projects with other sub-mm astrophysics facilities (e.g. APEX, Planck, Herschel) or projects within radio interferometry are acceptable provided they lead up to ALMA use. Applicants are encouraged to submit proposals for whatever type of IDA support is deemed more suitable for the proposed activity, e.g., funding for individual or groups of postdocs and/or PhD students. Co-funding in support of the initiative is welcome, but not required. Based on the submitted proposals IDA will set up a national initiative in consultation with the involved parties.

Proposals will be assessed on the basis of scientific excellence, feasibility within the planned time span, vision and ambition, and contribution to creating a national ALMA science activity. They must include a well-defined timetable and a task breakdown, including a publication plan, if relevant. The most competitive applicants will be supported, irrespective of current employment status. Applications will be assessed by IDA’s standing scientific committee, supplemented by a sub-mm expert. All scientists to be funded by IDA must be based at a Danish astrophysics institution for the duration of the initiative.

Applications must be based on the Word or LaTeX templates provided at IDAs’ website (see below) and should include:

Cover page: Project title, name of PI, name(s) of CoI(s), name(s) of candidate(s) to be funded by IDA (if available), co-financing from other sources, and abstract (max. 10 lines)

Project description: Outline of the general science context (importance for astrophysics) and explanation of how the proposed project will advance sub-mm astrophysics and exploitation of ALMA in Denmark (max. 3 pages, 2 pages recommended)

Task break-down and timeline for the project (max. 1 page)

Full budget for the project (max. 1 page)

CV of PI (max. 1 page)

CV(s) of named scientist(s) to be funded by IDA (max. 1 page for each candidate)

Report on previous projects for which the PI has received IDA funding since 2004 (max. 1 page)

Applications will be considered at any time, but applications submitted before 20 July 2009 will be favoured.

Applications should be written in English and addressed to the IDA head, Jens Hjorth, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Juliane Maries Vej 30, DK-2100 Copenhagen. Applications must be submitted by e-mail to ida@astro.ku.dk as one attached PDF file. Any potential applicant is invited to apply irrespective of gender, nationality, race, religion, or ethnic background.

Template proposals are available at
www.astrofysik.dk/content/docs/IDA_ALMA.doc
and
www.astrofysik.dk/content/docs/IDA_ALMA.tex
Applications not complying with the format and page constraints of the templates will be given lower priority.

Call for proposal in .pdf format

3 PER.40 GT nights at the NOT

URGENT *** DEADLINE June 15, 2009 ***

NORDIC OPTICAL TELESCOPE

As part of an agreement between (former) AO, NOTSA and IAA Granada, three nights are available for you at the NOT during

PERIOD 40: OCTOBER 1, 2009 - APRIL 1, 2010

We intend to allocate all three nights to one project.

To make things easy, please just use the short NOT Fast-Track form (NB! here not restricted to service mode) and email the corresponding .pdf file to me NO LATER THAN June 15, 2009.

DO NOT SUBMIT THE FORM TO THE NOT - send the .pdf file to me.

If you prefer to use the normal NOT application form, this is also ok.

You can apply for time at all instruments available at the NOT. All necessary information on the available instrumentation is at your disposal at the NOT web page.

Service mode observations and target of opportunity time are not specified in the agreement and will have to be negotiated with the NOT Director (by me).

The proposals will be evaluated by an independent ad hoc committee.

With respect to travel and lodging expenses, please notice that you will have to arrange the funding yourself.

Application form

PhD position at DARK in high redshift galaxy evolution

Dark Cosmology Centre, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen

The Dark Cosmology Centre (DARK) is offering a paid PhD student fellowship for an outstanding, highly motivated candidate interested in high redshift galaxy evolution. The successful candidate will be part of a research area led by Dr. Sune Toft dedicated to unveiling the nature of a newly discovered population of extremely dense, “dead” massive galaxies in the early universe, and will be enrolled as a PhD student at the Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen.

Deadline for applications: 15 July 2009

More information

Niels Bohr International Academy Summer School 2009

Summer School on Stellar Collapse, Compact Objects, Supernovae, and Gamma-Ray Bursts

August 17-21, 2009

Niels Bohr Institute
University of Copenhagen

Registration deadline: July 1, 2009

More information

MICRA workshop 2009

Microphysics in Computational Relativistic Astrophysics

August 24-28, 2009

Summer workshop
at the Niels Bohr International Academy
Copenhagen
Denmark

Deadline for registration: July 1, 2009

More information

Assembly, Gas Content and Star Formation History of Galaxies

Conference

"Assembly, Gas Content and Star Formation History of Galaxies"

September 21-24, 2009
Omni Hotel, Charlottesville, Virginia.

In the last two decades, the availability of large ground-based and space-based facilities, and improved theoretical modeling, have led to significant advances in our understanding of star formation, the gas cycle in galaxies, and galaxy assembly and evolution over cosmic time. With the next generation of long-wavelength ground- and space-based facilities set to become fully operational in the first half of the coming decade, the time is ripe to review the theoretical and observational progress that has been made in the areas of extragalactic star formation, interstellar gas properties and galaxy assembly, and to assess where science with facilities such as ALMA, EVLA, Herschel Space Telescope, and the JWST are likely to contribute transformational understanding in these areas.

Deadline for pre-registration: June 15, 2009

More information

Ph.d position available at CESR

PhD position at UPS-CESR (Toulouse)

Applications are invited for a three-year PhD position in Toulouse, available from September/October 2009. Funding is provided (at least in part) by the Agence Nationale de la Recherche via their support for the project "Confronting the Copernican Principle and Cosmological Isotropy with CMB temperature and polarisation data"

The successful candidate will work with A.J. Banday and two postdocs in a small group dedicated to projects related to testing the fundamental assumptions of cosmology - that of homogeneity and isotropy - based on temperature and polarisation observations of the Cosmic Microwave Background. In particular, evidence will be sought for a preferred direction of the (polarised) anisotropy, and evidence of non-Gaussian properties in conflict with the standard cosmological scenario. The existence of such a signature will lead to the investigation of various cosmological models with interesting geometric or topological properties.

A critical issue in such studies is the ability to separate the cosmologically interesting CMB signal from competing emission due to our own Galaxy, that from other galaxies in our local universe, and also from fundamental physical processes at more recent epochs such as the Integrated Sachs-Wolfe (ISW) effect. These contributions to the observed CMB anisotropy have been shown to be a serious impediment to the study of cosmological models with non-trivial topology, thus the development and application of methods to successively remove them is mandatory.

The program is intimately connected to the Planck satellite mission, and specifically to projects within its key science program.

Candidates should be interested in developing skills in CMB data analysis. Strong computational skills and familiarity with statistical methods are desirable. Competence in spoken and written English is essential.

The position will be administered by the University Paul Sabatier, but the successful candidate will be located at CESR.

Please contact A.J. Banday banday@cesr.fr as soon as possible for further information.

Postdoc position at Royal Observatory Edinburgh

SCHOOL OF PHYSICS & ASTRONOMY
INSTITUTE FOR ASTRONOMY, ROYAL OBSERVATORY EDINBURGH

Post-Doctoral Fellowship in High-Redshift Galaxies and AGN

Applications are invited for a Post Doctoral Fellow to work at the Institute for Astronomy (IfA), Royal Observatory Edinburgh in the study of galaxy evolution and/or obscured AGN, especially in the high-redshift universe. The proposed research program is focused around exploitation of the new generation of deep, near/mid-infrared surveys being undertaken with UKIRT, VISTA, Spitzer, and Wide Field Camera 3 on the refurbished Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Edinburgh is playing a leading role in this work, with Jim Dunlop co-PI of the UltraVISTA survey, Ross McLure leading exploitation of the UKIDSS/Spitzer Ultra Deep Survey (UDS/SpUDS) at high redshift, and Andy Lawrence PI of UKIDSS and co-PI of the VISTA hemisphere survey. There is scope to work directly on the infrared survey data, to exploit the supporting multi-frequency data, or to focus on follow-up work with ground-based 8-m telescopes and HST. There is also an opportunity to be involved in analysis of Herschel and PanSTARRS data.

Deadline for applications: June 30, 2009

More information

Ph.d. position at the Argelander-Institute for Astronomy

Applications are invited for a PhD position for up to three years in the research group 'Radio lenses' led by Dr. Olaf Wucknitz at the 'AIfA' in Bonn. This group is funded by the German Science Foundation (DFG) in the Emmy Noether programme and works on several aspects of utilising the new generation of radio telescopes for gravitational lens research. This includes preparations for using LOFAR surveys for lens searches, detailed observations of known lenses with the (E)VLA, e-MERLIN and VLBI, and the development and improvement of deconvolution and lens modelling methods. Main goal of the project is to use lenses (especially with extended sources) to obtain information about the mass structure and evolution of galaxies at medium and high redshifts.

The ideal applicant will have a good background in astrophysics and a particular affinity to the fields of gravitational lensing and/or radio interferometry. Experience in at least one of these fields and good computing skills are a prerequisite for a successful application. The degree of a Diplom, MSc or equivalent in physics or astronomy (generally acquired by a written thesis) is required for this position.

Earliest starting date: 1 August 2009
Application deadline: 1 June 2009

More information

Symposium on Chandra's First Decade of Discovery

Registration is now open for Chandra's First Decade of Discovery

22-25 September, 2009
Seaport Hotel
Boston Massachusetts

This will be the fifth symposium in a series highlighting unique imaging and spectroscopic results from NASA's Chandra X-Ray Observatory. This event will celebrate key science results from the first ten years of operation of the Chandra X-ray Observatory. The focus will be on results which have had the largest impact on Astrophysics, including: The Cosmic Evolution of AGN, AGN outflows, evolutionary processes in clusters of galaxies, source populations and diffuse emission from normal galaxies, physical processes at the Galactic center, high spatial and spectral studies of neutron star physics, supernova remnants and star forming regions. We will also cover recent results from the XMM-Newton, Suzaku, Swift, INTEGRAL, RXTE and AGILE missions, as well as related theoretical results.

The DEADLINE for submitting abstracts to be considered for an oral presentation is 10-July.

More information

"Lucky" imaging opportunities at the NOT

July 14-23, the 'Lucky' fast-readout frame-selection camera of Dr. C.D. Mackay will be used again at the NOT. We would like to offer the Nordic user community the opportunity to conduct smaller programmes (4 hours of observing time or less) in service mode during that period, for specific scientific projects or to explore the technique in preparation for later opportunities.

The instrument offered is a new version of "LuckyCam" featuring a 4000 x 1000-pixel L3CCD detector; its performance is described in detail at the NOT web site.

Proposals can be sent as simple e-mails outlining the science case and specifying the object(s) to be observed (coordinates, brightness, field, availability of reference source). They should reach the undersigned

*** by Monday, June 29, 2009 ***

at the latest, with copies to Craig Mackay (cdm@ast.cam.ac.uk) and to Thomas Augusteijn (tau@not.iac.es).

More information

ISAPP 2009 - CMB & Fundamental Interaction Physics

ISAPP 2009
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ON ASTROPARTICLE PHYSICS
second announcement)

Doctoral School on:
Cosmic Microwave Background & Fundamental Interaction Physics

The School will be held at Villa Olmo, Como (Italy) from July 8, 2009 to July 16, 2009

On request of ISAPP SC, the deadline for registration is postponed to June 22, 2009. However, those applying for a school grant should apply within the previous deadline: May 26, 2009.

July is high season for Hotels in Como, and therefore the deadline for payment must be kept at June 25, 2009. A surcharge will be applied to later payments.

More information

Astrophysics session programme, Nordic Physics Meeting 2009

A review of the contributions submitted for the meeting has enabled us to compile the attached programme for the astropysics sessions, which includes all proposed oral contributions in a hopefully logical order while satisfying the various constraints that have been communicated to me.

The poster contributions have been accepted as well; please remind any interested colleagues that there is still spoace for more poster papers.

If you have not yet registered for the meeting and reserved your hotel room, please do so at your earliest convenience!

Please note that we have a short free slot on Thursday morning, just before the closing plenary lecture on exoplanets, which I propose to use for an informal discussion on possible ways to improve collaboration and coordination in Nordic astronomy - including, but not limited to, the possible role of a Nordic society for professional astronomers. I hope to provide a discussion paper in advance of this meeting, so please send any constructive thoughts (agreement on any point not required!) to me as soon as possible.

With best regards on behalf of the programme committee,

Johannes Andersen

PROGRAMME FOR THE ASTROPHYSICS SESSIONS

June 16 15.45 - 17.45

Review, 30 min:
Bengt Gustafsson: The unexpected emergence of truth in astronomy and cosmology

Contributed talks, 15 min each:
D. Paraficz: Gravitational lens as a standard candle
H. Dahle: The strongest gravitational lenses in the universe

Review, 30 min:
T. Wiklind: Early galaxy assembly and evolution: Recent progress

Contributed talks, 15 min each:
M. Michalowski: Cosmic Evolution of Submillimeter Galaxies
P. Laursen: Escape of Lyman a radiation from young, dusty galaxies

June 17, 10.50 - 12.10

Contributed talks, 15 min each:
Å. Nordlund: Understanding the Star Formation Rate
D. Malesani: Gamma-ray burst host galaxies
M. Wold: Supermassive black holes in galaxies
J. Chevenez: Thermonuclear X-ray bursts from IGR J17473-2721
S. Brandt: X- and gamma-ray astronomy with JEM-X and INTEGRAL
D. Dravins: Towards a Square-Kilometer Optical Telescope: The promise of intensity interferometry

June 17, 15.00 - 17.00

Review, 30 min:
H. Kjeldsen: Stellar structure and exoplanet studies in the Kepler era

Contributed talks, 15 min each:
V. Hansteen: 3d models of the Solar atmosphere - from convection zone to corona
Å. Nordlund: Sunspots and Solar Active Regions
L. Buchhave: Harvesting the extrasolar planet science from Kepler
D. Malmberg: On the origin of eccentricities among extrasolar planets
M.B. Davies: Planetary system survival in stellar clusters
U.G. Jørgensen: Solar system like exoplanet discoveries with a network of modern 1m telescopes

June 18, 10.20 – 11.10

Discussion meeting on cooperation in Nordic astronomy

June 18, 11.20 – 12.00

Plenary lecture, 40 min:
M. Mayor: The Amazing diversity of Planetary Systems

Postdoctoral research fellowship in Oslo

A position as postdoctoral research fellow at the Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics of the University of Oslo is available from September 1st, 2009. The position is for two years.

The position is connected to the Norwegian observational activities at the Swedish Solar Telescope on La Palma. The University of Oslo has an annual quota of 40 guaranteed observing days at this world leading facility for high-resolution solar imaging, polarimetry and spectroscopy. The Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics hosts a computing cluster dedicated to the reduction, processing and analysis of solar observations. The successful applicant is expected to carry out observational research.

CV, list of publications, documentation of higher education with exam marks, and two letters of reference to be sent, marked Ref no 2009/5288, to: The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Oslo, att. Senior Executive Officer Gro Corell, P.O. Box 1032 Blindern, N-0315 Oslo, Norway, e-mail: gro.corell@matnat.uio.no.

The applicants should hold a Ph.D. degree in astrophysics, physics or a closely related subject.

Closing date for applications: June 1st, 2009

Further information

Observing time at the Nordic Optical Telescope in period 40

NORDIC OPTICAL TELESCOPE

CALL FOR PROPOSALS

PERIOD 40: OCTOBER 1, 2009 - APRIL 1, 2010

The Nordic Optical Telescope (NOT) invites applications for observing time in Period 40, October 1, 2009 - April 1, 2010.

The deadline for receipt of the applications is:

Monday, May 4, 2009, at UT 12.00 noon.

Further information

Second announcement: Nordic Physics Meeting in Copenhagen

This is to recall that a joint meeting of the Nordic physical socities will be held in Copenhagen June 16-16, 2009. Interest in the meeting is overwhelming so far, and we look forward to a couple of exciting days.

We also have a good programme of interesting review and contributed talks in the astrophysics sessions; not all abstracts are in yet, but you can see most of them at the meeting web site at:

http://www.dfs.nbi.dk/aarsmoeder/scripts/viewabstracts.php

We still have unlimited space for posters and welcome additional participants! Registration remains open at:

http://www.dfs.nbi.dk/aarsmoeder/2009/aarsmoede.php

Note that the pre-booked hotel rooms are only held for us until April 21, so please remember to register and book your room before then!

Further information

Reionization with Multi-frequency Datasets, Stockholm, Aug 17-21

First Announcement

"Reionization with Multi-frequency Datasets"

17-21 August 2009, Stockholm, Sweden

Synopsis
Several different types of surveys are currently aiming to detect signatures from the era beyond redshift 6, which is when the reionization of the Universe happened. Each of these surveys is at the cutting edge of what is possible, and detecting the desired signatures will be challenging. However, by comparing or cross-correlating the same areas on the sky between different data sets, a clearer detection may be possible.

Registration deadline: July 1, 2009

Further information

Fellowship for Ph.d. student in cosmology in Oslo

The Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics of the University of Oslo announces a Ph.D. research fellowship in Cosmology.

The successful applicant is expected to carry out research on the nature of dark energy and modified gravity. In particular, to test and constrain high energy physics models of dark energy and extensions of Einstein General Relativity using cosmological data from Supernovae, cosmic microwave background radiation, galaxy clusters, lensing, etc.

The fellowship includes generous travel opportunities, excellent local computer resources and the possibility of working in collaboration with people in other institutions around the globe.

No tuition fees. The starting salary is NOK 353,200 (approx. 41,000 EUR) per year.

Note requirements: A 'Bologna type' master degree or at least 4 years of undergraduate studies (preferably including a thesis/dissertation/term project) finished by June 2009.

Application deadline: June 30, 2009.

Further information

ISDC-news April 9, 2009

Full webpage

Postdoctoral and Ph.D positions in high-energy astrophysics

Several postdoctoral and Ph.D positions in high-energy astrophysics are available at the ISDC Data Centre for Astrophysics.
Please refer to the information in the ISDC-News of 10-MAR-2009.

Further information

The Search for Life in the Universe Spring 2009 STScI Symposium

FINAL ANNOUNCEMENT

THE SEARCH FOR LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE

May 4 - 7 2009

Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA

We invite you to register for the 2009 Spring Symposium at the Space Telescope Science Institute. This year's symposium is entitled "The Search for Life in the Universe." On-line registration and symposium information are available at:

Further information

Ph.d. position at the University of Gothenburg

The Department of Physics at the University of Gothenburg is advertising a position for a PhD student (doktorandtjänst) to work on any of the research areas in which the department is active including astrophysics.

Deadline for applications: April 24, 2009

Further information

European Radio Interferometry School 2008

2009 European Radio Interferometry School

7 -- 11 September 2009
Oxford Astrophysics

ERIS will provide a week of lectures and hands-on tutorials on how to get scientific results from radio interferometry. Topics covered include:
* Choosing the right instrument, configuration and observing plan for your project
* Calibration and imaging continuum, spectral line and polarization data
* Extracting and interpreting measurements
* Example data drawn from observations of Galactic and extragalactic sources, the Sun, transient and variable objects.

Students will be helped to use their own laptops to install and use the most widely-used packages such as AIPS, CASA and Parseltongue. Most examples will be drawn from cm-wave instruments such as MERLIN and the EVN but experts will be available on arrays from LOFAR to ALMA.

Limited financial support is available from RadioNet.

Registration deadline: July 1, 2009

Further information

Summer School Novicosmo - Highlights in Astrophysics

SUMMER SCHOOL NOVICOSMO 2009
Highlights in Astrophysics
20th – 30th September 2009
Rabac, Croatia

The Department of Physics of the University of Rijeka, Croatia and the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) of Trieste, Italy, organize "NOVICOSMO 2009, Highlights in Astrophysics", an International Summer School with the aim to cover the major topics in modern astronomy and astrophysics. In this period of phenomenal increase of knowledge of the Universe in all branches of astrophysics, this summer school wants to bring together young scholars with experts in different research fields in Astrophysics and Cosmology and provide insight into current topics in astrophysics for graduates, PhD students and young Post-docs.
The School will take place in Rabac, Croatia in the northern Adriatic from 20th to 30th September 2009. Accommodation will be offered in single/double hotel rooms at a reduced rate. Limited number of fellowships that cover accommodation expenses and related fees are offered.
Deadline for pre-registration: May 25, 2009
Further information

Ph.D positions in Groningen

PhD Positions available at the University of Groningen The deadline for applications is 01 May 2009. 17 PhD positions are available at the Faculty of Natural Sciences of the University of Groningen, in The Netherlands. Applications are accepted in a wide range of science areas, including Astrophysics. Further information

PhD Positions available at the University of Groningen

17 PhD positions are available at the Faculty of Natural Sciences of the University of Groningen, in The Netherlands. Applications are accepted in a wide range of science areas, including Astrophysics.

The deadline for applications is 01 May 2009

Further information

Ph.D Fellowships at SISSA, Italy

The Astrophysics Sector of the International School for Advanced Studies (Trieste, Italy) is inviting candidates interested in a PhD Fellowship in Astrophysics to apply for the next selection.

The fellowship is for three years and might be extended for a further one.

The admission follows two paths:

*** European citizens: the selection is based on an exam (written, oral) and the evaluation of the CV and recommendations letters. There is some financial support in connection to the trip to attend the exam.

*** Non-European citizens: the selection is based on the evaluation of the CV and recommendations letters (pre-selection). Interested candidates can however take the exam if they wish to.

Deadline for applications: 2 April 2009

For details on the applications and relative forms see : www.sissa.it --> Join us --> PhD Fellowships --> PdD Courses.

Further information

Post-doctoral position in gamma-ray astronomy

Service d'Astrophysique, CEA Saclay, 91191 Gif sur Yvette Cedex, France

Contact: Jean Ballet (jballet@cea.fr)

Deadline: 24 April 2009
Selection: May 2009

The astrophysics department at Saclay, which is situated 30 km south of Paris, is a major space astrophysics laboratory and is also involved in ground-based instrumentation and observations. Our institute is responsible for preparing the catalogue of sources seen by the main instrument of the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. The first full version (1FGL, based on 1 year of data) is due in October 2009, the second one in October 2010. The institute also has important contributions to the XMM-Newton, Integral, Herschel and Planck missions, as well as the HESS TeV instrument.

We invite applications to work on the Fermi/LAT catalogue production. After the first year, we plan to add detailed analyses of source variability, requiring statistical developments and extensive testing. We will also attempt to improve on the source detection itself.

Two profiles will be considered: - experts in data analysis and signal processing, even without previous experience in astronomy. - astrophysicists with previous experience in data analysis. Those would be expected to work half-time on the Fermi/LAT catalogue production and half-time on science related to our research interests. Candidates should have either an engineering school degree or a PhD.

Our research interests are mostly in the Galactic science:
- interstellar gamma-ray emission (I. Grenier, J.M. Casandjian)
- pulsars and their wind nebulae (I. Grenier)
- binary sources (S. Corbel, S. Chaty)
- supernova remnants (J. Ballet)

The starting date is September 2009. It is normally for two years and can be renewed for an additional year. The net salary is approximately 1800 euros/month (1900 if more than two years after PhD).

To apply, please submit by email a curriculum vitae, a statement describing how you plan to get involved in the team, and two letters of recommendation.

Further information

The Lyman Alpha Universe - 3rd announcement

25th IAP Annual Colloquium, 6-10 July 2009, Paris

Oral contribution and abstract submission deadline: 15 april 2009

Announcement of talk and poster selection: 15 may 2009

Registration deadline: 1 june 2009

Conference webpage

Invisible Universe International Conference, UNESCO, Paris 2009

THE PLENARY PROGRAM IS NOW AVAILABLE.
The registration and abstract submission are open. You can register and submit an abstract in one of the parallel sessions:
- Observational Astrophysical Aspect of dark energy and dark matter
- Experimental particle physics aspects of dark matter
- Gravitation and cosmology
- Inhomogeneous universe models and backreaction
- Dark energy as a new energy component
- Dark matter candidates
- Dark Matter and Dark energy as modified gravity
- Theoretical and numerical aspects of cosmic structures and evolution

Parallel sessions are organized as a workshop such that every oral presentation is expected to be about twenty-five minutes.

Conference webpage

Summer School in Statistics for Astronomers

First Announcement

Summer School in Statistics for Astronomers V

June 1-6, 2009
Penn State University

The fifth annual Penn State Summer School in Statistics for Astronomers will be held at Penn State. This is a 6-day course in fundamental statistical inference designed to provide physical scientists, particularly young researchers in astronomy, with a strong conceptual foundation in modern statistics and to develop a repertoire of well-established techniques applicable to observational astronomy. Classroom instruction is interspersed with hands-on analysis of astronomical data using the public-domain R software package. The course is taught by a team of statistics and astronomy professors with opportunity for discussion of methodological issues.

INTERESTED PARTICIPANTS SHOULD REGISTER AT http://astrostatistics.psu.edu/su09/reg.html
REGISTRATION DEADLINE: May 1, 2009 (or when the enrollment limit reaches) REGISTRATION FEE: $250.

More information

4th Heidelberg Summer School

First Announcement and Call for Applications

The "International Max Planck Research School for Astronomy & Cosmic Physics at the University of Heidelberg" (IMPRS-HD) announces the

4th Heidelberg Summer School: Statistical Inferences from Astrophysical Data August 10-14, 2009

IMPRS Heidelberg invites graduate students and postdocs to its 4th Heidelberg Summer School. This year's school is centered on how to draw scientific inferences from astrophysical data sets. We will also discuss proper statistical methods that are crucial for testing specific astrophysical models.

Deadline for application is June 15, 2009.

A limited number of grants are available to partially cover travel expenses of participants.

More information

Annual Astrophysics meeting - Nordic Physics Meeting, June 16-18

This year's annual meeting of the Danish Physical Society will be held at DTU June 16-18 as a joint Nordic Physics meeting.
As usual, there are several parallel sessions, including dedicated Astrophysics sessions, with international speakers as well as contributed presentations. The astrophysics plenary talk will be given by Michel Mayor, University of Geneva, on "Exoplanets".

Deadline for submitting abstracts is March 27. For the full programme and registration, see the meeting web site http://dfs.nbi.dk/aarsmoeder/2009/aarsmoede.php

Also, the annual meeting for the Network for Women in Physics in Denmark is taking place at DTU June 15, see the Network for Women in Physics web site for program and registration http://kif.nbi.dk/aarsmoede.html

The Danish Astrophysics Research School supports participation of astrophysics PhD students. PhD students asking for support should contact Julie Meier Hansen (julie@dark-cosmology.dk) or Marianne Sodemann (ms@phys.au.dk).

IDA supports travel and accomodation for MSc students in astrophysics presenting their work at these meetings.
Students asking for IDA support should send an e-mail to Marianne Bentsen (ida@astro.ku.dk) specifying their request for travel and accomodation.

IDA strongly encourages all astrophysicists (students, PhDs, postdocs, staff) in Denmark to contribute to making this unique opportunity a fruitful and joyful meeting

Meeting web site

Panoramic Radio Astronomy conference, Groningen

Final announcement

PANORAMIC RADIO ASTRONOMY
WIDE-FIELD 1-2 GHZ RESEARCH ON GALAXY EVOLUTION

organised by ASTRON, the ATNF and the University of Cape Town. The conference will be held on 2-5 June 2009 at the Hampshire Plaza Hotel in Groningen, the Netherlands.

Registration and abstract submission are possible at the conference webpage until April 1st 2009.

Accommodation at the conference venue should also be reserved before April 1st 2009 (after that date we can no longer guarantee room availability).

Conference webpage

ISAPP 2009 - CMB and Fundamental Interaction Physics

ISAPP 2009
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ON ASTROPARTICLE PHYSICS

Doctoral School on: Cosmic Microwave Background & Fundamental Interaction Physics

The School will be held at Villa Olmo, Como (Italy) from July 8, 2009 to July 16, 2009

There will be three 2-hour lectures per day leaving a wide space to student questions and comments. Each teacher will be giving 4 or 6 hours of lecture.
Lectures willl be specifically tuned for PhD students.

The list of teachers comprises: Luca Amendola, Paolo De Bernardis, Hector de Vega, Gary Hinshaw, Michele Limon, Sabino Matarrese, Carlos Munoz, Sergio Pastor, Joe Silk, George Smoot, Naoshi Sugiyama

More information

Conference on Observational Signatures of Black Hole Mergers

Announcement of upcoming astrophysics conference:

Observational Signatures of Black Hole Mergers

March 30 through April 1, 2009

Space Telescope Science Institute

Topics: black holes in galaxy mergers and evolution, black hole merger mechanisms ("final parsec problem"), gravitational waves, electromagnetic counterparts, gravitational recoil, imprint on galaxy structure, spin as a probe of black hole evolution, next-generation observatories

Deadline for registration: March 29, 2009

Conference webpages

LYMAN ALPHA UNIVERSE XXV IAP COLLOQUIUM

SECOND ANNOUNCEMENT
************************
THE LYMAN ALPHA UNIVERSE
******************************
25th IAP Annual Colloquium,
6-10 July 2009, Paris

Preliminary programme showing the list of the speakers

The deadline for registration and abstract submission deadline is april 1st.

Reminder: reviews are 40 min + 5, invited are 20 min +5 and oral talks are 10 min +5

Please do not forget to make your hotel reservation as soon as possible since Paris is overbooked in summer!

Conference webpage

Conference: The Unity of the Universe

Second Announcement:

The Unity of the Universe

29th June - 1st July 2009

at the University of Portsmouth

Topics covered include:
- the very early universe and the cosmic microwave background;
- large-scale structure and dark energy;
- galaxy formation and evolution.

Conference website

NOT/Onsala/Tuorla/NORDFORSK Summer School in Star Formation

Second Announcement

As previously announced, a Nordic/Baltic Research Training Course in "Star Formation in the Milky Way and Nearby Galaxies" will be held at Tuorla Observatory, Turku, Finland, June 8-18, 2009. The course is now open for applications by PhD and final-year MSc students.

The course is organised jointly by the Nordic Optical Telescope (NOT), Onsala Space Observatory (OSO), and Tuorla Observatory, with financial support from NORDFORSK. The programme features lectures on star formation and related observational techniques in the optical/NIR and radio domains by prominent international experts, as well as practical observational projects with the NOT and the OSO 20m radio telescope. Financial support is available for students from the Nordic and Baltic countries.

The deadline for applications is APRIL 3, 2009

More information

Three decades of gravitational lenses - symposium at JENAM

The European Week of Astronomy and Space Science incorporating RAS NAM and EAS JENAM will be held from 20th to 23rd April 2009 at the University of Hertfordshire.

Symposium 6: "Three decades of gravitational lenses" runs over five sessions from Tuesday 21st 16:00 until 12:30 on Thursday 23rd.

This symposium is dedicated to the memory of Sjur Refsdal, the main founder of our field, who passed away on 29th January.

The deadline for abstract submission and registration is 9th March. After that date talk submission cannot be accepted anymore, and the registration fee will increase by 25%.

Conference webpage

2009 STScI Spring Symposium

SECOND ANNOUNCEMENT

THE SEARCH FOR LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE

May 4 - 7 2009

Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA

Conference webpage

Blois 2009

The XXIth Rencontres de Blois entitled "Windows on the Universe" will be held from June 21st to June 26th, 2009 in the Château de Blois, Loire Valley, France.

This series, started in 1989 with the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the discovery of CP violation, is a high level cross disciplinary conference series which is organized every year in May or June in the beautiful Renaissance castle of Blois.

This year will be the 20th anniversary of this series of conferences; moreover, 2009 has also been tagged as the "World year of astronomy". To celebrate these two events, 7 Nobel laureates : J.Cronin, R. Giacconi, D. Gross, M. Perl, G. Smoot, J. Steinberger, J. Taylor and many other well known scientists have accepted our invitation to attend and give a lecture.

Deadline for registration: April 15, 2009

Conference webpage

Lecturer in Astronomy at the Queen Mary University of London

A full-time permanent lectureship is available in the Astronomy Unit in the School of Mathematical Sciences at Queen Mary University of London. The post is integral to the recently formed SEPNet regional alliance of universities in the southeast of England. The SEPNet astrophysics collaboration consists of the universities of Kent, Oxford, Portsmouth, QMUL, Southhampton, and Sussex.

Completed application forms plus CV should be returned via post or email by March 31, 2009.

Application pack

Panoramic Radio Astronomy conference 2-5 June

Second announcement:

PANORAMIC RADIO ASTRONOMY
WIDE-FIELD 1-2 GHZ RESEARCH ON GALAXY EVOLUTION

organised by ASTRON, the ATNF and the University of Cape Town. The conference will be held on 2-5 June 2009 at the Hampshire Plaza Hotel in Groningen, the Netherlands.

Deadline for applications: April 1st 2009

Conference webpage

Nordic (astro)physics meeting, Copenhagen, June 16-18

The Nordic Physical Societies are organising a first joint meeting June 16-18, 2009, at the Danish Technical University in Copenhagen. Several plenary lectures are offered to all participants, and papers in all branches of physics will be given in parallel sessions. Limited financial support for students is available.

Astrophysics is one of these subjects, of course. The plenary speaker will be Prof. Michel Mayor, Geneva, on "The Amazing Diversity of Planetary Systems". In addition, we have four astrophysics sessions with a total of 6.5 hours for oral presentations (recommended duration 15 or 30 minutes). Posters can be displayed as well.

Tentative session titles are:

Cosmology and the Distant Universe
Galaxy Formation and Evolution
High-Energy Astrophysics
Stars, Planets, and the Sun

Prof. Bengt Gustafsson, Uppsala, will introduce the astrophysics sessions with a lecture on "The unexpected emergence of truth in astronomy and cosmology". Prominent review speakers for the other sessions will be selected shortly and announced at the web site.

We cordially invite you to this meeting to present your recent work to other Nordic colleagues. Please register for the meeting and submit the title ands abstract of your paper at the web site of the Danish Physical Society. For planning purposes, we would appreciate if you would send (one of) us a mail with the title of your paper when you do so.

Please note that the deadline for registration at the early rate, for acceptance of oral papers, and for applications for financial support is

*** MARCH 20, 2009 ***

If session time remains, oral papers may be accepted later as well as posters, but we cannot guarantee acceptance in time for you to take advantage of the block booking of hotel rooms at favourable rates that has been made by the organisers.

Please feel free to contact any of us if you have further questions.

With best regards, and looking forward to see you in June,

The astrophysics programme committee:

Johannes Andersen, Copenhagen (Chair)
Sofia Feltzing, Lund
Boris Gudiksen, Oslo
Pall Jakobsson, Reykjavik
Juri Poutanen, Oulu

Danish Physical Society webpage

Staff Astronomer position in Chile

For the Atacama Pathfinder EXperiment (APEX), ESO is opening the position of a Staff Astronomer The position requires a Ph.D. in Astronomy, Physics or equivalent.

Duty station: San Pedro de Atacama (base camp), Chajnantor (antenna site) and Santiago, Chile.

Closing date for applications: April 30, 2009

More information

ESO Instrument Scientist position

For the Instrumentation Division at the Headquarters in Garching near Munich, Germany, ESO is opening the position of an instrument scientist.

A Ph.D. in Astronomy, Physics, or equivalent is required.

Closing date for applications: April 6, 2009

Further information

IAU e-Newsletter, Vol. 2009, No. 1

CONTENTS:

1. IAU XXVII GENERAL ASSEMBLY. REGISTRATION ON-LINE
2. IAU INFORMATION BULLETIN 103 ON-LINE
3. IAU HIGHLIGHTS VOL. 14, TRANSACTIONS XXVIB, AND XXVIIA ON-LINE
4. GRUBER FELLOWSHIP 2009
5. INVITATION TO HOST THE IAU XXIX GENERAL ASSEMBLY IN 2015
6. IYA2009. AN UPDATE.

Newsletter webpage

New Danish representative at ESO Users Committee

Frank Grundahl, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Århus University, has been appointed the new Danish member of ESO Users Committee for a 4-year period.

He is replacing Johan Fynbo, Dark Cosmology Centre, who has been appointed member of the ESO STC.

Research studentships at the NOT

The Nordic Optical Telescope (NOT) invites applications for Research Studentships with starting dates from mid-2009 or later.

NOT is a modern 2.6-m telescope on the island of La Palma, Spain, with state-of-the-art optical and near-IR instruments. Our staff of ~20 astronomers, engineers, and students and informal, hands-on mode of operation offer attractive training opportunities for young Nordic scientists and engineers in observational astrophysics (PhD or advanced MSc levels). We seek to renew our group of 5 students for 2009-2010.

Detailed information on the telescope and instruments is provided at http://www.not.iac.es

Applications should contain a brief CV, state the candidate’s home University, research interests, supervisor, and proposed starting date, and be e-mailed to Dr. Thomas Augusteijn (tau@not.iac.es) and the undersigned.

Deadline for applications: March 6, 2009

More information

1st Summer School on Multiwavelength Astronomy

29 June - 10 July 2009
Paris, France

The European Union FP7/ITN network "Black Hole Universe" is pleased to announce for mid-2009 a 2-week Summer school in Paris, France, entitled the "First Summer School on Multiwavelength Astronomy".

Deadline for registration: March 15, 2009

More information

PhD position in Uppsala

A PhD position in stellar astrophysics is available at the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Uppsala University, Sweden.

Deadline for applications: April 15, 2009

More information

IScAI 2009 Call for Applications

The Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias and partner institutions announce the inauguration of the International School for Advanced Instrumentation (IScAI).

The IScAI is a major collaborative international initiative in higher education that aims to become a centre of excellence to learn expertise in all areas related to the construction of cutting-edge scientific instrumentation, with a particular emphasis on astronomical instrumentation. The IScAI will offer a highly specialized set of courses and laboratory work to be held in research institutions with world-class instrumentation programs and high-tech companies with expertise in design and construction of scientific instrumentation.

The IScAI will start in June 2009 and is open to astronomers, physicists and engineers world-wide. The deadline for applications is February 15, 2009. Enrolled students in this first year of the IScAI may be eligible for financial aid. The IScAI 2009 is funded by the grant "First Science with the GTC", under the Consolider-Ingenio 2010 Programme of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation.

Deadline for applications: February 15, 2009

More information

2nd Scientific Writing for Young Astronomers

EDP Sciences and A&A are glad to announce the "Second Astronomy and Astrophysics School: Scientific Writing for Young Astronomers" which be held in Blankenberge, Belgium, from 18 to 20 May 2009.
The direct purpose of organising an "A&A School" is to teach young authors how to express their scientific results through adequate and efficient science writing. In other words: how to write scientific papers for different forums (journals, proceedings, thesis manuscripts, etc.).

More information

The Invisible Universe Conference in Paris

The Invisible Universe conference will take place in Paris from June 29 to July 3 2009 at Palais de l'UNESCO.
You may have already received the conference announcement and I hope you will be able to attend this meeting. In case you cannot attend the conference would you please point this out to any of your students/collaborators who might be interested in presenting their work.

The conference intends to bring together all scientists working on the various aspects of dark energy, dark matter and gravity modification and their connection to experimental and cosmological observations and fundamental physics.

Conference website

CosmoStats09 and GREAT08 Challenge

First Announcement

CosmoStats09 : 26 - 31 July 2009, Ascona, Switzerland

and GREAT08 Challenge final workshop

In the last ten years, a wealth of observational data has revolutionized cosmology. The purpose of this workshop is to bring together world-class leading figures in cosmology, particle physics and from the statistical community in order to exchange knowledge and experience in dealing with large and complex data sets, and to meet the challenge of upcoming large cosmological surveys.

Furthermore, CosmoStats09 will host the GRavitational lEnsing Accuracy Testing 2008 (GREAT08) Challenge Final Workshop.

Deadline for registration: February 28, 2009

Conference website

Summer School Alpbach 2009

The Summer School website has been updated with information and application details (including online registration possibility for students) for 2009 "Exoplanets: Discovering and characterizing Earth type planets", held from July 21-30.

Students should submit their applications online before March 31, 2009. ESA is looking for both students with scientific and engineering background.

More information

AURA Workshop

The Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) is sponsoring a Workshop to engage the UV/optical/Near-IR (UVOIR) astronomy community to discuss its long-term goals for space-based astronomy and astrophysics. The meeting will provide the community with an opportunity to look forward on a 25-year horizon to identify the scientific opportunities enabled by large and very large space telescopes.

The one-and-a-half-day workshop will be held at the Space Telescope Science Institute on Thursday March 26 and Friday morning March 27, 2009. Attendance is free, no registration fee will be charged. We welcome participation from the UVOIR space astronomy community, and are looking for vigorous discussion to help inform the workshop's summary report.

Please be aware that we have shortened our workshop to 1.5 days to allow participants to attend an Astro2010 Town Hall meeting, which is scheduled for Friday afternoon March 27. This Town Hall meeting is being organized by a consortium of regional astronomy and space science institutions to provide community input to the Astro2010 - Decadal Survey, and will take place at the Johns Hopkins University (just across the road from STScI). Early information about the Town hall meeting is available at: http://www.stsci.edu/resources/astro2010.html.

Immediately following the workshop, the Scientific Organizing Committee will prepare a concise summary of the presentations and will submit this to the NAS Astrophysics Survey Committee within two weeks of the end of the workshop.

To attend, please register at http://www.stsci.edu/institute/conference/beyondjwst/.

PANDA2009 on Products of Astrophysical Outflows

First announcement of the meeting

The 1st PANDA Symposium on Products of Astrophysical Outflows:
-- Bubbles and Super Bubbles
-- Planetary Nebulae
-- Winds and Jets
-- AGNs
-- Supernovae Remnants
-- Magnetars and GRBs

scheduled to be held in Lijiang, Yunnan, China, on March 30 - April 3, 2009.

Further information

27th General Assembly of the IAU

The 27th General Assembly of the IAU will be held

August 3-14, 2009, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The deadline for abstract submission and travel grant applications is

*** MARCH 1, 2009. ***

At this General Assembly, the IAU Executive Committee will admit new Individual Members of the IAU. The deadline for applications for new Individual Members is also March 1, 2009 (but see below!). The criteria for IAU membership and the application procedure can be found at:
http://www.iau.org/administration/membership/individual/qualification/
(ignore their November 1, 2008 deadline for national applications!).

More information

The Schocking Universe 14-18 September 2009

Gamma-Ray Bursts and High Energy Shock phenomena

San Servolo Island, Venice, Italy

DEADLINES:
March 31: deadline for S. Servolo guesthouse reservation
June 15: deadline for early registration and abstract submission

Conference website

SONG 2nd Workshop, Århus University

FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT:

Second Stellar Observations Network Group Workshop:

Asteroseismology and Exoplanet search with a network of 1m-telescopes

Place: Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Denmark.

Time: Scientific Workshop: Monday-Wednesday 23 - 25 March 2009

Deadline for Registration: 6 March 2009

Full announcement

ALMA postdoc positions

funded by a joint ESO-EU program,

These positions have the same generous employment conditions as regular ESO fellows with the difference that all three years can be spent entirely at one of the European ALMA regional centre nodes. This includes the Nordic ARC node situated at Onsala.

Deadline for applications: January 31st, 2009.

Full announcement

IAU Symposium 267 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

10-14 August, 2009

Evolution of Galaxies and Central Black Holes: Feeding and Feedback

Early registration deadline: March 1, 2009

Conference website

Spring 2009 STScI Symposium

First announcement

The Search for Life in the Universe

May 4 - 7 2009

Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA.

Early registration deadline: March 1, 2009

Conference website

Postdoctoral fellowship at APC, Paris

Postdoctoral fellowship available for 2 years

Foregrounds and CMB polarisation B modes

At the Astroparticle and Cosmology (APC) Laboratory, Paris, France

Research topics:

With the launch of Planck in the spring 2009, the study of CMB temperature anisotropies will probably reach its limit for the study of the early universe.

In order to better understand the physical phenomena which gave rise to primordial perturbations, and in particular to better understad inflationary parameters, the next steps are the detection and measurement of seudoscalar modes of the CMB polarisation (B modes).

For further information, please contact Jacques Delabrouille (delabrouille@apc.univ-paris7.fr)

Job start: September or October 2009, but with some flexibility.

Deadline for application: January 20, 2009

Postdoctoral position in Groningen

POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH IN RESOLVED STELLAR POPULATION STUDIES - Kapteyn Astronomical Institute

Applications are invited for a postdoctoral position at the Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, University of Groningen, in the Netherlands. The successful candidate will join the research group led by Eline Tolstoy and funded by an NWO VICI grant. The research group is focused on studying resolved stellar populations in the Local Universe as probes of galaxy formation and evolution.

The position is aimed at a motivated and independent researcher with a record of excellence in observational astronomy and specific interest and/or experience in the study of resolved stellar populations. Possible projects include DART collaborations; high and/or low resolution abundance work on individual stars in nearby galaxies; Colour-Magnitude Diagram analysis of galaxies in the Local Group. There is also the possibility to be involved in ELT instrument studies. Independent projects are also encouraged.

The position will be a 3 year appointment, starting as soon as possible.

Deadline for application: February 2, 2009

Full announcement

Ph.d. Positions in the Netherlands

More than 30 PhD positions will be available in astronomy in the coming year in the context of the Netherlands Research School for Astronomy (NOVA). NOVA is a federation of the astronomical institutes of the universities of Amsterdam, Groningen, Leiden, Nijmegen and Utrecht. Topics include the formation and evolution of galaxies, the formation of stars and planetary systems, exo-planets, the astrophysics of compact objects, astroparticle physics and laboratory astrophysics. Astronomers in the Netherlands have access to state-of-the-art telescopes and space observatories around the world.

The Netherlands has an internationally acknowledged reputation for research and education in astronomy. The PhD program is 4 yr, during which the PhD students are appointed as civil servants and earn a competitive salary.

Deadlines vary per project and institute but can be as early as January 5 2009.

A Masters degree (or equivalent) in astronomy or a related field is required.

Full announcement

Postdoctoral position in Helsinki

Applications are invited for a postdoctoral position at the Helsinki University Observatory. The successful applicant is expected to carry out studies that are related to interstellar molecular clouds, interstellar dust, and star formation. The fellow will participate in research projects involving data from the Planck and Herschel satellites. In particular, she/he is expected to take an active role in the Herschel open time key programme "Cold Cores" which will study Galactic pre-stellar cloud cores and the initial phases of star formation.

Candidates should have a PhD in astronomy. Preference is given to applicants with experience on one or more of the following topics: molecular clouds, star-formation, submillimeter astronomy, molecular line observations, and interstellar dust.

The deadline for applications is 31st of January 2009.

Applicants should send a CV, a list of publications, and a statement of research interests to the address given below. They should also arrange for two letters of recommendation to be sent by the same date. The successful applicant will be notified before the end of February 2009. The expected starting date is the first of April 2009, but is negotiable. The appointment will be till the end of 2011.

Applications and inquiries:

Mika Juvela
Helsinki University Observatory
Tahtitorninmaki, P.O.Box 14
FI-00014, University of Helsinki
Finland
Phone: +358-9-19122909
Fax: +358-9-19122952
Email: mika.juvela@helsinki.fi

CosmoClusters Workshop

When: 4-6 May 2009

Where: Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille (LAM), Marseille

Rationale
Galaxy clusters are the most massive, almost virialized structures in the Universe. According to the hierarchical model of structures' formation, being the last formed structures they keep memory of the initial conditions and represent good tracers of the density field on large scales (>100 Mpc/h). Through detections based on gravitational lensing, SZ, X-ray and optical emissions, clusters provide key cosmological observables to investigate intrinsically interdisciplinary issues that will inevitably be at the forefront of research in astrophysics and fundamental physics in the coming decades: the link between baryonic and dark matter as well as the physics of galaxy formation, the consistency of general relativity on large scales and the nature of dark energy, the occurrence of primordial non-Gaussianities. The aim of this workshop is to bring together scientists at the forefront of the field to discuss about recent observational, theoretical, and computational results in this field. Beside presenting their results, approaches and techniques, the speakers are expected to strongly interact and take an active part in informal discussions. To encourage this informality and discussions, attendance will be limited to about 40 participants.

Full announcement

Ph.d. position and postdoc position in Amsterdam

A PhD position and a postdoc position in Astrophysics (concerning multi-wavelength studies of sub-luminous accretion neutron stars and black holes)

The Astronomical Institute 'Anton Pannekoek', University of Amsterdam Applications due by February 15, 2009

Within the Starting Grant of the European Research Council awarded to Dr. Rudy Wijnands, a four-year PhD position and a postdoc position are available in the high-energy astrophysics group at the University of Amsterdam, on the subject of "The slowest-accreting neutron stars and black holes: new ways to probe fundamental physics". The Astronomical Institute is a lively international research center with 20 faculty/postdocs and 20-25 PhD students. The high-energy group is widely recognized as one of the world leaders in the study of neutron stars and stellar-mass black holes which accrete matter from a companion star.

The projects will involve multi-wavelength studies (from radio to X-rays) of neutron stars and black holes which accrete at enigmatic low levels from their companion star. The PhD student will focus mainly (but not exclusively) on the data obtained with the X-ray satellites Chandra, XMM-Newton and Swift. The postdoc will be responsible for obtaining and analyzing data of these systems at wavelengths other than X-rays (i.e., radio and optical/near-IR wavelengths), although X-ray data analysis might also be part of the project. Combining observations with interpretation, the project will investigate the reasons why the target systems accretion at such enigmatic low accretion rate levels and how we can obtain fundamental properties about neutron star and black holes from our observations. In this way we are investigating the behavior of matter in the most extreme of astrophysical environments. The projects will be under the supervision of Dr. Rudy Wijnands.

These positions are available immediately. Review of applications will begin on February 15, 2009, but will continue until the positions are filled. The positions are open to persons of all nationalities. For the PhD position a masters degree in astronomy or physics is necessary (or equivalent) and for the postdoc position a PhD in astronomy is needed (preferable with radio and/or optical-IR experience). The PhD position is for four years and should result in a thesis and a PhD defense. Teaching activities are part of the job description. The PhD salary will be 2042 euro each month (before taxes) in the first year, increasing yearly to 2612 euro in the fourth year. The postdoc position is originally for two years with the possible extension of up to one year. The postdoc salary will be between 2861 and 3422 euro each month (before taxes) depending on prior experience.

Applications should include a curriculum vitae, a brief statement of research experience and interest, and the names of two people who can provide a reference. Please sent applications and requests for more information to:

Rudy Wijnands Astronomical Institute "Anton Pannekoek" University of Amsterdam Kruislaan 403 1098 SJ Amsterdam The Netherlands Tel: +31-20-5257206 Email: r.a.d.wijnands@uva.nl

More information

MPAC position 2009

The Max-Planck-Institut für Astrophysik (MPA) in Garching has developed scientific analysis infrastructure for the Planck-Surveyor Mission, ESA's next-generation satellite to map the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) which is scheduled for launch in early 2009. The MPA Planck Analysis Center (MPAC) has produced software infrastructure for mission simulation (Level-S) and for the data and process logistics of the scientific data-processing (the IDIS Process Coordinator, a database-interfaced workflow engine). In order to make full use of our software expertise for the scientific exploitation of Planck, we are looking for a

professional CMB scientist

with an outstanding research profile and with interest in using our data-analysis infrastructure. This scientist will participate in the construction and use of scientific pipelines for Planck, in the development and deployment of additional infrastructure features, and in interfacing the development team with the international user community. He/she will be fully embedded both in a versatile software team and in the stimulating scientific environment of the institute, and will be strongly encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity to develop new data analysis techniques for CMB research.

Full announcement

Postdoctoral position in theoretical astrophysics - Indiana

The Department of Physics at Purdue University invites applications for a postdoctoral position to work in the area of theoretical high energy astrophysics. Candidates with interests in plasma astrophysics and compact objects are particularly encouraged to apply.

Candidates must hold a Ph.D. in physics or astrophysics or an equivalent degree. Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. Additional research funds will be available. The position will initially be for one year and may be extended up to three years, depending on satisfactory performance and availability of funding.

Qualified applicants should send their resume, publication list and a statement of research interests (up to four pages), and arrange for three letters of recommendation to be sent to: Professor Maxim Lyutikov, Department of Physics, Purdue University, 525 Northwestern Avenue, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2036, or electronically to the address above (lyutikov@purdue.edu). Review of applications will begin on February 1, 2009, early submission is encouraged. Email submissions are preferred. Purdue University is an equal opportunity/equal access/affirmative action employer fully committed to achieving a diverse workforce.

Deadline for applications: January 31, 2009

3 postdoctoral positions at CEA Saclay, France

CEA Saclay, Service d'Astrophysique, is offering three postdoctoral positions in Cosmology (CMB and Weak-Lensing) and Data Analysis, starting in the fall 2009.

Deadline for applications: January 31, 2009

Contact information:

Jean-Luc Starck, Laboratoire Astrophysique des Interactions Multi-échelles (UMR 7158), CEA/DSM-CNRS-Universite Paris Diderot, Irfu, SEDI-SAP, Service d'Astrophysique, Centre de Saclay, F-91191 GIF-Sur-YVETTE CEDEX, France Pièce 275 - Bâtiment 709 - Orme des Merisiers
Email: jstarck@cea.fr
Tel: +33 (0) 169 085 764
http://jstarck.free.fr
Fax: +33 (0) 169 086 577

Master's/Ph.d. program and 2 Ph.d. positions in Astronomy

The Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Turku in Finland offers an extensive program in astronomy and space physics, leading to Master's (MSc) and doctorate (PhD) degrees, with all instruction given in the English language. Students have access to world-leading facilities at the European Southern Observatory, European Space Agency, telescopes in the Canary Islands in Spain, over 20 staff astrophysicists and space scientists and supercomputing facilities. The Master's program consists of two years of full-time study, while the PhD program takes typically 4 years to complete.

We are currently offering two PhD positions in astronomy at Tuorla Observatory with funding (about EUR 20,000 per year) in the field of infrared extragalactic astronomy, to work on active galaxies and supernovae, respectively. Interested applicants are invited to contact Drs. Jari Kotilainen (active galaxies) and/or Seppo Mattila (supernovae) (e-mail: jari.kotilainen@astro.utu.fi, seppo.mattila@astro.utu.fi). Applications for these positions should be sent by e-mail and should include a curriculum vitae, a copy of the academic transcript, and the names and contact information of two persons who are familiar with the applicant's work.

There are presently no tuition fees in Finland for domestic or foreign students. However, students registering in the Master's program will usually need to provide their own funding for their living costs. Find out more from: http://www.astro.utu.fi/edu/Financing.shtml

Applications for academic year 2009 are now open, with a deadline of February 2nd, 2009. Find out more from:
http://www.astro.utu.fi/edu/MSc.shtml
http://www.astro.utu.fi/edu/PhD.shtml
http://www.astro.utu.fi/edu/HowToApply.shtml

How to apply

Postdoctoral positions at University of Sydney

Postdoctoral Fellow in Near Field Cosmology Sydney Institute for Astronomy School of Physics Reference No. 145021

Applications are invited for a position as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Sydney Institute for Astronomy (SIFA) at the University of Sydney, to carry out research on galactic archaeology under the supervision of Prof. Joss Bland-Hawthorn. The successful applicant will participate in the new million-star HERMES project that starts at the AAT in 2011.

Closing Date: 1 February 2009

Further information

ISDC News November 2008

Meeting with the High-Energy Astrophysics Community

9-10 February 2009, Roma, Italy

Strengthening European Cooperation in High-Energy Astrophysics:

Toward a Proposal for FP7

A European FP7 proposal on Integrated Activities for the High-Energy Astrophysics Domain (AHEAD)

Deadline: December 31, 2008

Full announcement

Research Positions at University College London

UCL has established the new Institute for the Origins and Evolution of the Universe. Four new UCL post-doc positions have been created. Appointed post-docs will undertake research in one of the following areas: Planetary Science, Neutrino Physics, Galaxy Formation and Mathematical Foundations.

There are also 4 Ph.d. studentships associated with Origins (www.icl.ac.uk/origins/infoforPhDstudents)

Deadline for applications: December 12, 2008

Full announcement

HAO Postdoctoral Fellowships in Solar/Stellar Physics

The High Altitude Observatory (HAO) in Boulder, Colorado announces its 2009 postdoctoral fellowship program.

Scientists at HAO conduct research related to solar/stellar interiors and variability (including asteroseismology), the lower solar atmosphere, corona and heliosphere, and terrestrial and planetary atmospheres, ionospheres and magnetospheres. Projects involving radiative transfer, hydrodynamics, magnetohydrodynamics, radiation hydrodynamics, plasma physics and other topics are pursued both out of fundamental physical interest and for their application to the above areas of research. Successful applicants will be expected to pursue research in collaboration with members of the scientific staff and other long-term visitors in these and related areas.

Postdoctoral Fellows are appointed for a maximum of 2 years beginning in September or October; a degree of flexibility is possible on the specific times of arrival and departure. Fellows are expected to work at HAO in Boulder, Colorado, with the exception of time spent participating in field research and observing programs.

Deadline for applications: January 5, 2009

Full announcement

The Lyman Alpha Universe

First announcement of the IAP colloqium "The Lyman alpha Universe"

THE LYMAN ALPHA UNIVERSE

25th IAP Annual Colloquium, 6-10 july 2009, Paris

Deadline for registration: April 1, 2009

Full announcement

W.M. Keck Institute Fellowships

W.M. Keck Institute Fellowships Announcement of Opportunity

The W.M. Keck Institute for Space Studies at the California Institute of Technology announces an opportunity for highly qualified individuals to apply for postdoctoral fellowships to conduct research in space science and engineering. The primary purpose of the Keck Institute for Space Studies (KISS) is to develop breakthrough planetary, Earth, and astrophysics space mission concepts and technology by bringing together a broad spectrum of scientists and engineers for sustained scientific and technical interaction. The Keck Institute Fellowships will support outstanding recent postdoctoral scientists to conduct research that is broadly related to the goals of the Keck Institute for Space Studies and its funded study programs.

This program is open to applicants of any nationality who have earned (or will have earned) their doctoral degrees on or after January 1, 2006, in any discipline. Awards will typically be for two years, starting in 2009, at an annual stipend of $60,000 plus benefits, and an additional allowance of $5,000 per year for travel and other research costs. A one-time $4,000 relocation allowance is also provided. Applicants should identify abilities and research plans that are relevant to the previous, ongoing or proposed study programs of the Institute. Consideration will also be given to applicants who propose research in areas of potential future interest to the Keck Institute. Applications should include a letter of endorsement from a Caltech/Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) postdoc sponsor who is associated with the Institute. Up to four Keck Institute Fellowships will be awarded in 2009.

Application Deadline: 5pm PST 23 December 2008

Full announcement

Postdoctoral Position Massive Stars Project IAC

The IAC opens the call for applications for one postdoctoral position within the framework of the MASSIVE STAR PN project.

Deadline for the submission of applications: 30th November 2008

Full announcement

IMPRS Heidelberg - doctoral program

Applications are invited for the doctoral program of the International Max Planck Research School for Astronomy & Cosmic Physics at the University of Heidelberg (IMPRS-HD)starting summer/autumn 2009.

The school is located in Heidelberg, Germany, a beautiful old university town. The scientific environment in Heidelberg provides outstanding research facilities and a training program covering a wide range of research topics with access to ground-based and space telescopes as well as high-performance computers.

The following institutions of the Max Planck Society and Heidelberg University take part in IMPRS-HD:

-> Max Planck Institute for Astronomy
-> Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics
-> Astronomisches Rechen-Institut
-> Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics
-> Landessternwarte Koenigstuhl

IMPRS-HD is open for students from all countries. We offer several 3-year fellowships available to both international and German students. We invite highly-qualified and well-motivated students aiming for a doctoral degree in astrophysics to apply by

December 13, 2008 for the academic year starting Sept. 2009

an earlier start of the research work is possible.

Full announcement

Postdoc opening at Arizona State University

The Particle Astrophysics group at the Department of Physics of Arizona State University is seeking a postdoctoral fellow with interest in working on theoretical neutrino physics and astrophysics. The successful candidate will be fundamental in developing a strong research program in collaboration with Professor Cecilia Lunardini, within the nascent initiative in Cosmology and Particle Astrophysics (http://physics.asu.edu/cosmology-positions/). Applicants must have a PhD in physics or astrophysics. Experience in neutrino physics and astrophysics is desired.

Deadline for applications: December 15, 2008

Full announcement

Postdoc and Ph.d. positions at the ALMA Regional Center in Bonn

Applications are invited for two postdoctoral positions and at least one PhD position at the Argelander Institute for Astronomy (AIfA). Here the successful candidates will join the local ALMA Regional Center (ARC) node's growing submillimeter-interferometry research group, which has scientific interests ranging from galaxy evolution to star formation and evolved stars. One postdoctoral position and one PhD position will be in the framework of the Astronet ARTIST (Adaptable Radiative Transfer Innovations for Submillimeter Telescopes) project.

Deadline for applications: December 15, 2008

Full announcement

Moriond 2009, February 1-8

The next Rencontres de Moriond meeting devoted to Very High Energy Phenomena in the Universe will be organized in La Thuile (Valle d'Aosta, Italy).

Conference website

Mini-workshop in February 2009 in Lund

Extreme Astrophysics for All is a 1.5-day workshop that follows a recent tradition of those 'for all' mini workshops held at the Lund Observatory, Lund.

One of the main goals of this workshop is to identify key questions on both high-energy astrophysics as well as gravitational-wave astronomy that could be interested in the Nordic astronomy community. Topics to be discussed at the workshop include supernovae, gamma-ray bursts and sources of gravitational radiation.

Deadline for registration: December 1, 2008

Full announcement

ASTRONET roadmap released

The ASTRONET network, backed by the entire European scientific community, supported by the European Commission, and coordinated by the CNRS, today presents its Roadmap for a brilliant future for European astronomy. ESO's European Extremely Large Telescope is ranked as one of two top-priority large ground-based projects.

ASTRONET web page

Conference: The Shocking Universe 14-18 September 2009

Gamma-Ray Bursts and High Energy Shock phenomena
Conference in San Servolo, Venice, Italy
September 14-18, 2009

Conference website

Postdoc position at the University of Stockholm

One or more postdoctoral positions are available for high redshift universe studies.

The successful candidate will be able to work with the galaxy & cosmology group at the astronomy department, with possibility to collaborate with the other groups within the Oskar Klein Centre (OKC).

Deadline for applications: December 1, 2008

Full announcement

Postdoc positions at SISSA, Italy

Some postdoc positions in astrophysics are available at SISSA, Trieste, Italy.

Deadline for applications: November 15, 2008

Full announcement

UK Newton Fellowships

A number of UK fellowships designed to attract foreign scientists, resident outside of the UK, to the UK for research.

Deadline for applications: January 12, 2008

Full announcement

Conference on Global Challenges - Regional Opportunities

How can research infrastructure and eScience support Nordic competitiveness?

Held on November 12-13, 2008 in Stockholm

Conference website

ESO vacancies October 2008

New vacancies at ESO:
- Hubble Astronomer
- Head of the Instrumentation Projects Department.
- Commissioning Scientists
- Staff Astronomer

Full announcements

KUBIS seminar om Videnskabelig Kommunikation 2008

Københavns Universitets Biblioteks- og Informationsservice afholder seminar med titlen "Trends inden for videnskabelig kommunikation" den 1. december.

Læs mere her

NORDFORSK training course in star formation in June 2009

NORDIC-BALTIC OPTICAL/RADIO SUMMER SCHOOL ON STAR FORMATION IN TURKU

A Nordic-Baltic Research Training Course on "Star formation in the Milky Way and nearby galaxies" will be held at Tuorla Observatory, Turku, Finland, during the period June 8-18, 2009.

The course is organised jointly by the Nordic Optical Telescope (NOT, Spain), Onsala Space Observatory (OSO, Sweden), and Tuorla Observatory, with financial support from NORDFORSK. The goal is to give young researchers (PhD students or final-year MSc students) experience in the combined use of optical/NIR and mm radio observations within a focused topic, and thus prepare them to use the major new European research facilities effctively, notably the ESO VLT and, from ~2011, ALMA.

We expect to be able to cover the costs of participation for all students and teachers, including travel, from the NORDFORSK grant (note that NORDFORSK has certain rules on co-funding for Baltic participants).

A poster and web site with more detail will be produced and distributed shortly, but interested candidates should reserve the dates now and check the web sites of NOT and the course site at Tuorl for up-to-date information on the programme, registration and funding application deadlines.

In the meantime, further information can be obtained from the persons below:

NOT:
Johannes Andersen, ja@not.iac.es

OSO:
John Conway, john.conway@chalmers.se

Tuorla:
Leo Takalo, takalo@utu.fi

Course site

International Max-Planck Research School on Astrophysics

The International Max-Planck Research School on Astrophysics (IMPRS) is soliciting applications for its PhD program. Located in the beautiful Munich-Garching area in southern Bavaria (Germany), the school offers a unique environment for graduate students due to the presence of four internationally renowned institutes which form the school:

* The Max-Planck Institute for extraterrestrial Physics (MPE)
* The Observatory of the University of Munich (LMU/USM)
* The Max-Planck Institute for Astrophysics (MPA)
* The European Southern Observatory (ESO)

IMPRS offers a highly competitive PhD program, including lectures, seminars and a research project supervised by scientists at one of the participating institutions. Course language is English.
Students have access to ground and spaced based observatories and instrumentation operated by the participating institutes as well as supercomputers for advanced numerical simulations and theoretical studies.

Deadline for registration: December 1, 2008

Full announcement

Postdoctoral researchers in Cosmology

The Institute of Cosmology & Gravitation (ICG) at the University of Porthmouth intends to appoint three postdoctoral researchers in observational and theoretical cosmology. A PhD degree and relevant research experience are required. The posts are for up to three years, starting on 1 OCTOBER 2009 (or earlier by agreement).

The researchers will work on projects funded by a Science and Technology Facilities Council rolling grant and two European Research Council grants. The projects are (for enquiries contact name.surname@port.ac.uk ):

* Cosmological perturbations and the origin of structure in the early universe, RTEC1139 (David Wands)
* Linking observations and theories of dark energy, RTEC1138 (Will Percival)
* Modified gravity as an alternative to dark energy, RTEC1137 (Kazuya Koyama)

An online application form is available at http://www.port.ac.uk/vacancies/downloads/applicationform.doc. Please quote the appropriate post reference number RTEC1137, RTEC1138 or RTEC1139 on all correspondence.

Deadline for applications: January 9, 2009

More information

Positions in connection with a Project on astrophysical Dynamos

The European Research Council has decided to fund a concentrated 5-year effort at Nordita in Stockholm to improve our understanding of astrophysical dynamos. For details, see the project page on Astrophysical Dynamos. In connection with this 5-year project several positions will become available.

4 PhD positions (4 years, deadline 10 December 2008)

4 post-doc positions (2 years, 2 to be filled in 2009, deadline 10 Dec 2008)

1 Assistant Professor (4 years, deadline 15 January 2009)

several visiting professorships

All these positions are supported by an Advanced Grant of the European Research Council.

Deadline for applications:

Assistant Professor: January 15, 2009

Other positions: December 10, 2008

Full announcement

Two 3-year Post-docs at LAM Marseille/CRAL Lyon

Post-doctoral Positions in Extragalactic Astronomy

We are offering two 3-year post-doctoral positions to work on the observations and simulations of the Intergalactic Medium (IGM) in the framework of a French Funding Agency (ANR) project. One position at LAM (Marseille) will focus on the observational assessment of gas/galaxies interactions and the preparation of future missions aiming at detecting in emission the baryons hidden in the low-redshift IGM. Experience in UV/optical medium-/high-resolution spectroscopy would be an asset. The second position at CRAL (Lyon) will concentrate on applying photo-ionisation treatment to Adaptive Mesh Refinement (AMR) cosmological simulations results and simulate galactic winds and their interactions with the IGM. Experience in semi-analytical modeling would be an asset.

Deadline for applications: December 15, 2008

Full announcement

Post-doctoral and Tenure-Track Staff Positions at MPI

The Galaxies & Cosmology Department of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Heidelberg, Germany, invites applications for two tenure- track staff positions and post-doctoral researcher positions.

Deadline for applications: December 1, 2008

Full announcement

Workshop on Multi-Wavelength Astronomy and the Virtual Obs.

Multi-wavelength Astronomy and the Virtual Observatory

1 - 3 December, 2008

European Space Astronomy Centre of the European Space Agency

Villafranca del Castillo, Spain

Second Announcement

The EURO-VO project, in the framework of the EURO-VO Astronomical Infrastructure for Data Access (AIDA), is organising an international workshop at ESAC, Villafranca del Castillo, Spain.

Deadline for registration: October 24, 2008

Full announcement

2009 Winter Conference on Biophysics

Aspen Center for Physics

Applications for the winter conferences are due by October 15, 2008 and are available on our website.

Conference website

Postdoctoral position in TU Munich

The Cluster of Excellence 'Origin and Structure of the Universe' announces the opportunity for a Postdoctoral position in the area of cosmology. Scientists who have or expect a PhD in Physics, Astrophysics or related fields by October 2009 are invited to apply. Successful applicants will be expected to conduct original research in theoretical, phenomenological or observational cosmology in an active interdisciplinary environment. We aim to fill the position with a start date in autumn 2009, initially for a period of two years, but with possibility of extension. The positions are part of a new research group being formed under the lead of Professor Jochen Weller at the Cluster of Excellence.

For the Postdoctoral position we are looking for a person with a background in either theoretical, phenomenological or observational cosmology including the areas of dark energy, large scale structure, clusters of galaxies and the cosmic microwave background. But this is an open call, so all cosmologists are encouraged to apply. The PDRA will be given the opportunity to work closely with the research groups involved in the excellence cluster (MPE, MPA, ESO, USM), but is also encouraged to pursue their own research program. The Excellence Cluster has access to the research infrastructure of the Garching Forschungszentrum Campus and the Leibniz Rechenzentrum.

The Cluster of Excellence is a joint research institution at the University Campus Garching near Munich. The cluster is funded by the Excellence Initiative of the Federal Government of Germany and represents a co-operation by the physics departments of the Technical University Munich and the Ludwig-Maximilians University, four Max-Planck Institutes (MPA, MPE, MPP, IPP) and ESO. The main goal of the cluster is to solve fundamental questions of astrophysics and cosmology (big bang, dark energy, dark matter, black holes, fundamental forces, particle hierarchy, nucleosynthesis etc.). Astrophysicists, particle and nuclear physicists face these challenges within the cluster and find solutions in a joint effort.

The salary is paid according to the German public service pay agreement TV-L E13. The advancement of women in science is an integral part of the cluster‚Äôs and the university‚Äòs policy. Therefore, women are especially encouraged to apply. Persons with disabilities will be given preference to other applicants with equal qualifications.

Applicants should prepare a covering letter and the following documents as pdf files: CV, publication list, past research activites and research plan. These files can be uploaded by clicking the Application button on the right. Further, applicants are asked to arrange at least two letters of recommendation to be sent to the address below (preferably electronically by e-mail to jochen.weller@usm.uni-muenchen.de). The closing date for receipt of applications is 2008 Dec 15.

Postdoctoral position at Oxford

Postdoctoral Researcher in Theoretical Cosmology, University of Oxford

Applications are invited for a postdoctoral research position starting 1 October, 2009 to work in the area of Theoretical Cosmology for one year in the first instance, with the possibility of extending to 3 years. There will be a particular focus on cosmic microwave background anisotropy and interpretation of data from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope and the Planck satellite. The successful candidate is likely to have experience in analysis of cosmological data and be capable of initiating research in a lively group with significant interaction between theory and observation. The candidate will work primarily with Joanna Dunkley, but will be encouraged to interact with other faculty members and to carry out independent research.

Deadline for applications: December 1, 2008

Full announcement

TNG call for proposals

Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG)

Period AOT19 is open for proposals

Applications for observing time at TNG for the period

February 1st - July 31th, 2009

are solicited and should be submitted by

Monday October 27th 2008, 13:00 UT

More information

Danmark høster stort udbytte af det europæiske rumsamarbejde

Det viser to netop afsluttede evalueringer af den danske rumfartsindsats.

F.eks. fremhæves Dark Cosmology Centre og Mars-grupperne ved Århus- og Københavns Universitet for deres høje niveau og verdensklasseforskning.

For more information

Postdoc Position at the University of Alberta

A CITA National Fellowship is available at the University of Alberta.

More information

The E-ELT needs your input

The European Extremely Large Telescope (http://www.eso.org/sci/ facilities/eelt/ ) is in its detailed design phase. As part of this phase, we are preparing a Design Reference Science Plan (DRSP).

The DRSP is a collection of science cases provided directly by the future users of the E-ELT. The DRSP aims at exploring the full range of science cases for which the E-ELT will be used. Ultimately, it will help to define the boundaries of the parameter space over which the E-ELT will operate. It will be used to guide the performance optimisation of the telescope, the prioritisation of the instruments, as well as to plan the science operations modes.

In order for the E-ELT to be a success and to optimally serve its community, we need your feedback. Please visit our webpage and submit a science case.

Website

Postdoc positions in Barcelona

CSIC-Barcelona

We anticipate that there will be one or more openings for general postdoctoral positions/fellowships in astrophysics and cosmology, including theory, data analysis and observation. We are looking for researchers with a strong background in cosmology and in particular in the analysis of large-scale structure surveys, although exceptional candidates in other areas of astrophysics will also be considered.

The position will be guaranteed for two years, and could be extended depending on availability of funding. The appointment may start as early as March and preferably no later than September 2009. Applications received before December 1 2008 will receive full consideration.

Applicants are asked to submit their curriculum vitae, a brief summary of their past research and a statement of research interests, and arrange for three letters of recommendation to be sent. Applications should be sent by e-mail to: Licia Verde, verde@ieec.uab.es or lverde@astro.princeton.edu

PhD position in Radboud University Nijmegen

Within the NWO Vidi grant awarded to Gijs Nelemans a PhD position is available at the Dept. of Astrophysics to work on direct detection of type Ia progenitors.

More information

NORDIC OPTICAL TELESCOPE call for proposals

PERIOD 39: APRIL 1 - OCTOBER 1, 2009

The Nordic Optical Telescope (NOT) invites applications for observing time in Period 39, April 1 - October 1, 2009. The deadline for receipt of the applications is:

Monday, November 3, 2008, at UT 12.00 noon.

Note 1: Late applications are not accepted. However, proposals for short programmes (? 4 hours) using fixed instrument setups are welcome at any time.

More information

Post doc position in Computational Astrophysics

The Computational Astrophysics Group at the Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Denmark, is seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral research associate in the area of relativistic charged particle dynamics and plasma physics, in particular for work with particle-in-cell simulation codes.

Candidates with a strong research profile and expertise in computational astrophysics are encouraged to apply. Experiences with plasma physics and particle-in-cell simulation codes are especially desirable.

Informal inquiries may be made to Prof. Åke Nordlund (+45 353 25 968, aake (at) nbi.dk).

The appointment will be for a maximum of 2 years. The position may begin at any time after a decision has been reached.

Applicants should send a PDF file with CV, list of publications, and a statement of research interests (1-3 pages), as well as the names and contact details of two referees to aake (at) nbi.dk. We encourage applications from the best candidates, irrespective of gender or background.

Closing date for applications: December 15, 2008.

PhD position in high-mass star formation research

PhD position in high-mass star formation research at the Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, University of Groningen (The Netherlands)

Deadline for applications: November 1, 2008.

Full announcement

Job opportunities at Princeton Astrophysics Department

Several job opportunities are available in the Astrophysics Department at Princeton University, for positions starting in Fall 2009.

A tenure-track assistant professor, with a primary focus on observational astrophysics. Applications for this job should be sent by regular mail, as described in the link above.

A number of postdoctoral positions are open as well.

Application for the postdoctoral positions is via a web form

https://www.astro.princeton.edu/postapp09.php

Note that those applying for more than one postdoctoral position should fill out a *single* application form.

The deadline for applications is December 1, 2008.

Please send questions about the postdoctoral application process to postapp09@astro.princeton.edu,

Full announcement

Stipends for Astronomy Master studies in Uppsala

The Uppsala University has announced the availability of fellowships from the Anna & Allan Löfberg foundation, which are meant to go to "talented and needy students at the technology & science faculty who engage in studies of astronomy and astrophysics, especially students who are interested in problems regarding the origin of planetary systems" (free translation). The fellowship amounts may be up to about 100,000 SEK and are not taxable. The offer concerns studies during 2009.

Relevant use of this opportunity includes master studies at the end of the undergraduate education, especially for students who wish to go on with graduate studies within the subject areas of Solar System astronomy, cosmogony or extrasolar planetary system research. The studies must be undertaken at the Uppsala University Dept. of Physics &Astronomy, Division of Astronomy & Space Physics.

The application must reach the Uppsala University no later than Wednesday, Sep. 24, 6 pm.

It may be sent by fax to:
"STIPENDIEKANSLIET, Uppsala Univ."
FAX +46 18 471 1642

or - preferably - mailed to:
STIPENDIEKANSLIET
Box 256
S-751 05 Uppsala
Sweden

It must contain the following:
* name of the fellowship - "Fellowship from the Löfberg foundation"
* full name and address of the applicant
* birth date and place
* date and place of pre-University exam
* CV of University studies conducted so far
* financial information - marital status; children (birth years); spouse's employment status; income last year; income current year from employments, other fellowships and capital; economic assets and debts; ev. other information concerning family/financial situation
* declaration of truthfulness of the above
* place, date and signature

Ph.D position within the SOLAIRE network

Ph.D position available at Univ of Oslo and Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias

The SOLAIRE Network is offering a postgraduate position for a student to do research leading to a doctoral (Ph.D) thesis on the topic "Diagnostics of magnetic flux emergence in the solar atmosphere".

Deadline for applications: October 15, 2008

Full announcement:

Ph.D. positions at the International Max Planck Research School

The International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) for Astronomy and Astrophysics

PhD positions in Astronomy

Call for Applications

Deadline: November 15th, 2008

Full announcement

Professorship in Astrophysics Universidad Católica del Norte

Submit Applications To:
Attention: Valery Kravtsov, Director
Instituto de Astronomía
Universidad Católica del Norte
Avenida Angamos 0610
Antofagasta
CHILE

Tel: 56-55-355493
FAX: 56-55-355497
URL: http://www.ia.ucn.cl/

Email Submission Address: astronomia@ucn.cl
Email Inquiries: vkravtsov@ucn.cl

The Instituto de Astronomía at the Universidad Católica del Norte (UCN) is seeking a candidate for a vacancy of professor in astrophysics at any level, starting in March 2009. This position is initially funded by the European Southern Observatory for a period of two years, and then will be extended as an indefinite appointment funded by the UCN. However, the extension of the term of the successful candidate is subject to adequate performance of responsibilities during the first two years.

The applicants should hold a PhD in astronomy, astrophysics or related field and should ideally have a postdoctoral experience. Researchers in any area of astrophysics will be considered. Native speakers or those having good command of Spanish are especially encouraged to apply. Meanwhile, a good knowledge of English language is assumed. Responsibilities of the successful candidate include the teaching of courses at undergraduate and graduate levels, as well as the supervision of postgraduate students. The appointee will be able to apply for Chile's 10% share of telescope time for all observatories located in the country, including the largest of them, such as Paranal, Gemini, Magellan, etc. In addition, the facilities of the university observatory on Cerro Armazones, located not far from Paranal and operated by the Instituto de Astronomía, are available.

Interested candidates should send curriculum vitae, publication list, a brief description of their research and teaching interests and experience, and two letters of recommendation to the Instituto de Astronomía at the above addresses. Submission by e-mail is preferred. Deadline for applications is December 8, 2008. The applications received by this date will be assured of full consideration.

Postdoctoral fellowships at Instituto de Astronomia, UNAM

The Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM) invites researchers to submit applications for postdoctoral fellowships in astrophysics, to begin in February 2009. The appointment is for one year with a possible extension for a second. Fellows will work either in the Institute of Astronomy in Mexico City or in the city of Ensenada (Baja California).

Application deadline: October 10, 2008.

Full announcement

Ph.d positions in Astronomy and Astrophysics at Lund Observatory

1)

General position within any of the research areas represented at Lund Observatory - observational and theoretical astrophysics - atomic astrophysics - astronomical telescope and instrumentation Ref. No. 2713 Contact: Lennart Lindegren (director of graduate studies) +46 46 222 7309, lennart@astro.lu.se

2)

Investigations of the formation and evolution of galaxies Ref. No. 2712 Contact: Nils Ryde +46 46 222 1574, ryde@astro.lu.se or Lennart Lindegren +46 46 222 7309, lennart@astro.lu.se

Deadline for applications: October 20, 2008

Full announcement

Ph.D positions in the CoPS group, Stockholm

Two new PhD positions available in the Cosmology, Particle Astrophysics and String Theory (CoPS ) group at Stockholm University , Sweden.

Deadline for applications: September 28, 2008.

Full announcement

EURO-VO AIDA Community Workshop

Multi-wavelength Astronomy and the Virtual Observatory

1 - 3 December, 2008

European Space Astronomy Centre of the European Space Agency, Villafranca del Castillo, Spain

The EURO-VO project, in the framework of the EURO-VO Astronomical Infrastructure for Data Access (AIDA), is organising an international workshop at ESAC, Villafranca del Castillo, Spain.

Deadline for registration is October 24 2008.

Full announcement

ESA Postdoctoral Fellowships in Space Science

The European Space Agency awards several postdoctoral fellowships each year. The aim of these fellowships is to provide young scientists, holding a PhD or the equivalent degree, with the means of performing space science research in fields related to the ESA Science Programme. Areas of research include planetary science, astronomy and astrophysics, solar and solar-terrestrial science, plasma physics and fundamental physics. The fellowships are tenable at the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in Noordwijk, Netherlands, or at the European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC) in Villafranca del Castillo, near Madrid, Spain.

Applications are now solicited for fellowships in space science to begin in the summer or fall of 2009. Preference will be given to applications submitted by candidates within five years of receiving their PhD. Candidates not holding a PhD yet are encouraged to apply, but they must provide evidence of receiving their degree before starting the fellowship.

The deadline for applications is 1 October 2008.

Questions on the scientific aspects of the ESA Fellowship Programme in Space Science not answered in the above pages can be sent by e-mail to the fellowship coordinator, Guido De Marchi, at the address fellowship@rssd.esa.int

Full announcement

Conference "The Monster's Fiery Breath: Feedback 2009 in Madison

Announcing the conference "The Monster's Fiery Breath: Feedback in Galaxies, Groups, and Clusters", to be held at the Fluno Center in Madison, Wisconsin

June 1-5, 2009.

Conference Agenda:
The past decade has shown that black hole growth and the formation of large scale structure are intimately linked. With the astrophysical community having largely converged on this view, the scientific task at hand is to determine the nature, strength, and ultimate relevance of this link. In honor of the 10th anniversary of the Chandra X-ray Observatory, which has been instrumental in demonstrating the importance of feedback and in anticipation of the first year of GLAST, which will be instrumental in making the next step towards a consistent picture of how black hole growth and large scale structure formation are coupled, as well as the next generation of low frequency radio telescopes, the 2009 Wisconsin meeting on feedback from galaxies to clusters will bring together a broad group of researchers with one common goal: To lay the path for the next decade of work on feedback in structure formation.

Pre-registration:
If you are interested in this meeting and would like to be included in future circulars about this meeting, please take a moment to pre-register at the official conference web-site.

Conference website

Second International Simbol-X Symposium - Second Circular

December 2-5, 2008
Paris, France

Opening of registrations and submission of abstracts.

Deadline for registration: October 28, 2008.

Symposium web-site:

Postdoc position in Amsterdam

POST DOC POSITION IN OBSERVATIONAL AND INTERPRETATIVE SPECTROSCOPIC STUDIES OF EARLY-TYPE MASSIVE STARS

A three year post-doc position is available at the Astronomical Institute of the University of Amsterdam, to work on observational and interpretative studies of early-type massive stars.

The project aims at a comprehensive study, by means of spectral analysis, of the effects of mass loss and rotation on the evolution of massive stars. The candidate will participate in the ground-breaking VLT-FLAMES Tarantula Survey, a multi-epoch spectral survey of ~1000 massive stars in 30 Doradus, conducted by an international team of researchers.

Deadline for applications: September 30, 2008.

Full announcement:

2nd TRR33 Winter School on Cosmology

2nd TRR33 WINTER SCHOOL ON COSMOLOGY "THEORY FOR OBSERVERS - OBSERVATIONS FOR THEORISTS"
Passo del Tonale - Italy
7-12 December 2008

The Transregional Collaborative Research Centre TRR33 is glad to announce the Second TRR33 Winter School on Cosmology. The school is meant to be for PhD students and Postdocs and aims to join theoretical and observational aspects of modern cosmology.

- Registration is now OPEN, with deadline on 20th October 2008.
- Please note that we will accept a maximum of 60 participants. Early registration is strongly encouraged.

School webpage:

IAU Symposium 258 - "The Ages of Stars"

Baltimore, Maryland, USA
October 13 to 17, 2008.

Conference website:

Invisible Universe International Conference

June 29-July 3, 2009
Paris, France

First circular

What is the nature of dark matter and dark energy? How can we learn more about these mysterious energies, what they imply, and the questions they raise about our fundamental understanding of the Universe ? These are the main questions, which for their complexity and depth, enlarge scientific impact and beyond are the subject of the INVISIBLE UNIVERSE Internationale Conference.

Registration opens November 2, 2008

Conference website:

Ph.d position in Groningen

PhD Position: On the relation between the shape of dark matter halos and their formation history

A 4-year graduate studentship is available at the Kapteyn Institute for a PhD project supervised by Prof. Dr. Amina Helmi and Dr. Laura Sales.

Deadline for applications: August 15, 2008

Full announcement:

Astronet Symposium presentations are now online

Please go to:

Conference: When the Universe Formed Stars

Understanding the Most Active Period of Star Formation in the History of the Universe Down to its Fall

La Martinique Island, France
17-21 November 2008

A conference co-organized by the Observatoire Astronomique Marseille Provence, Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille (France) and the University of Oxford (UK), with a main support from the "Conseil General" Of Martinique.

Deadline for registration: September 15, 2008

Conference webpage:

Ph.D. position at MPS, Katlenburg-Lindau

Near-Earth and Main Belt Asteroids (A. Nathues):

Spacecraft missions, advanced ground-based observation techniques and state-of-the-art numerical models are used to investigate the physical, geological and mineralogical properties as well as the orbital characteristics of asteroids. Albeit some main-belt and Near-Earth-Asteroids have been already visited by spacecrafts our current knowledge of these bodies is far from being complete since the diversity within this group of objects is large. At MPS asteroids are studied in three major fields: 1) by ground-based observations which are used to explore the general physical parameters and the overall mineralogy of asteroid surfaces, 2) by studying new mission concepts to visit Near-Earth-Asteroids (e.g., Marco Polo, ASTEX) and 3) by participation in NASA's DAWN mission that will orbit the main belt asteroids 4 Vesta and 1 Ceres. Students will obtain an outstanding opportunity to become familiar with ground-based as well as in-flight observations of asteroids.

Deadline: 15th July 2008

Full announcement

Exploring the Hot Universe with XEUS

17-19 September 2008, MPE, Garching, Germany

XEUS, the next generation X-ray observatory, has been selected as a candidate Large-class mission as part of ESA's Cosmic Vision 2015-2025 programme. Active study of the XEUS concept by ESA and JAXA is now underway in preparation for the Cosmic Vision downselection, expected at the end of 2009. The purpose of this workshop is to gather together members of the astronomical community with an interest in XEUS, to discuss the science we expect to be enabled by the mission. As well as summarising the current status of the project, topics to be covered include:

- Evolution of black hole accretion and its relationship to galaxy formation

- Growth and evolution of large scale structure

- Matter under extreme physical conditions around black holes and neutron stars

- Dynamics and chemistry of cosmic plasmas

Registration deadline: July 30, 2008

Full announcement

Danish Physical Society/Astronomy Meeting Program

Astro sessions:

Session I, June 17, 14.15-15.45: High-redshift galaxies

Session II, June 17, 16.45-18.15: Dark matter and clusters of galaxies

Session III, June 18, 10.45-12.30: Stars and planets

Session IV, June 18, 13.30-15.00: Astro-particle physics

See further details on the meeting website.

Those speakers who have not already submitted an abstract, please do so asap at the meeting web site.

If you have not already booked a room at Hotel Nyborg Strand, please contact the hotel directly (the web form linked from the meeting web site is formally closed).

Meeting website

GRB-SN summer school

Nordic Supernova GRB school in Abisko

In August 22-28 we will organize a School on Supernovae and Gamma-Ray Bursts in Abisko in Northern Sweden. These days will be filled with lectures, informal presentations and group work. We aim at a relatively small group of 20-30 people, including PhDstudents, postdocs and senior lecturers.

Deadline for registration: June 6, 2008.

Full announcement

Science & Technology Fellowship Programme in China

A pilot project of the European Commission with the aim to support the development of stable partnerships between research institutions from EU members states and from China.

The Programme offers: - 6-month Chinese language and research culture training in Beijing - 18-month practical research period in a Chinese host organization.

The European Commission offers financial support to the selected fellows: - a flat rate monthly living allowance: ca. € 1,800 - a single flat rate installation allowance: ca. € 1,800 - the reimbursement of two international travels: twice € 1,500 - the reimbursement of participation in one international conference: € 2,500

It's up to the applicant to propose a research project and choose a Chinese host institution.

STF China has two intakes of 15 EU researchers each.

Deadlines for Applications are:

20th June and 5th September 2008.

Full announcement

Canary Islands Winther School of Astrophysics

"LOCAL GROUP COSMOLOGY"

Tenerife, Spain, November 17th-28th, 2008

Registration deadline: June 30, 2008

Full announcement

AKARI (ASTRO-F) Post-Helium Phase Announcement of Opportunity

AKARI Phase 3 (Post-Helium) ESA Call for Proposals

This announcement deals with observations to be performed in the AKARI post-Helium phase, in which imaging and spectroscopic capabilities are available in the 1.8 to 5.5 micron wavelength range.

Resulting from ESA’s participation in the mission, 10% of the total observing opportunities in the non-survey parts of the mission are reserved for programmes from individuals and teams from institutes located in ESA member states.

The deadline for proposals submission is 4 July, 2008, 9:00 UT.

Full announcement

idm2008 Conference

Identification of Dark Matter 2008

18-22 August

AlbaNova, Stockholm, Sweden

Abstract submission deadline: May 31, 2008

Registration deadline: July 31, 2008

Full announcement

"Lucky" Imaging Opportunities at the Nordic Optical Telescope

July 1-5 this year, Dr. Göran Olofsson, Stockholm, will bring his 'Lucky' imaging polarimeter/coronagraph 'PolCor' to NOT for an observing run. We have scheduled a couple of technical nights just after the run, and we would like to offer the Nordic user community the opportunity to conduct smaller programmes (say, up to 4 hours observing time) in service mode during that period, to gain specific scientific results or to explore the technique in preparation for later opportunities to use this type of instrument at NOT.

The properties of PolCor are briefly summarised at the NOT web site at http://www.not.iac.es/instruments/polcor/ ; any further questions can be directed to Dr. Göran Olofsson (copy to me, please).

Classical 'Lucky imaging' requires a bright (V<16) reference source within the 50" field (e.g. (post)AGB stars with circumstellar nebulae or shells or bright AGN with surrounding galaxies), but we would like also to explore the use of autocorrelation techniques for frame selection on relatively bright, extended, and structured sources without a single bright reference object.

Proposals can be sent as simple e-mails outlining the science case and specifying the object(s) to be observed (coordinates, brightness, field, availability of reference source). They should reach Johannes Andersen (ja@not.iac.es) with copies to Göran Olofsson (olofsson@astro.su.se) and to Thomas Augusteijn (tau@not.iac.es) at the latest by

Friday, June 13, 2008

ASTRONET Infrastructure Roadmap

The discussion forum for ASTRONET symposium participants is open now.

Forum website

4 Postdoc Positions at the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias

One postdoctoral position (FOR FOUR MONTHS) within the framework of the LOCAL GROUP III project.

Deadline for the submission of applications: 22nd May 2008.

Full announcement

One postdoctoral position (FOR EIGHT MONTHS) within the framework of the LOCAL GROUP III project.

Deadline for the submission of applications: 22nd May 2008

Full announcement

One postdoctoral position within the framework of the EXTR-OA & FASTCAM CONSOLIDER project.

Deadline for the submission of applications: 9th June 2008

Full announcement

One postdoctoral position within the framework of the EAST CONSOLIDER project.

Deadline for the submission of applications: 9th June 2008

Full announcement

Annual Danish Physical Society/Astronomy meeting

The annual Danish Physical Society/Astronomy meeting takes place at Nyborg Strand, June 17-18.

As usual, the annual meeting for Women in Physics also takes place at Nyborg Strand, on June 16.

The topics for this year's meeting is 'Dark Matter', but contributions in other areas are also welcome.

Please sign up before June 1st at the meeting web site in order to be sure to get a room at Nyborg Strand.

Upon request, IDA supports participation of MSc students.

DARS funds participation of PhD students.

MSc or PhD students requesting funding should e-mail IDA (ida@astro.ku.dk) or DARS (ms@phys.au.dk) before June 1st.

Meeting website:

Varenna School 2008

3rd course "Astrophysics of Galaxy Clusters" of the Enrico Fermi - Varenna School

July 15-25, 2008

Deadline for registration: May 25, 2008

Full announcement:

2 PhD positions at Uppsala in Stellar Physics

The University of Uppsala announces 2 new PhD positions in stellar astrophysics at the Department of Physics and Astronomy.

Deadline for applications: May 19, 2008

Full announcement:

Cefalu 2008 Second Circular

International astronomy meeting - Probing Stellar Populations out to the Distant Universe

Cefalu, Sicily (Italy) - September 7-19, 2008

IMPORTANT DEADLINES:

Abstracts Submission: June 30, 2008

Preliminary Program: July 20, 2008

Pre-payment: July 31, 2008

Hotel Booking: June 15, 2008

Full announcement:

3rd Heidelberg Summer School

First Announcement and Call for Applications

The "International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) for Astronomy & Cosmic Physics at the University of Heidelberg" announces the 3rd Heidelberg Summer School:

The Art & Craft of Astronomical Instrumentation - from optical to infrared wavelengths

September 1 - 5, 2008

Deadline for applications: June 15, 2008

Full announcement:

Workshop Novicosmo 2008

The Impact of Simulations in Cosmology and Galaxy Formation with associated exhibition: “SPACE ART” SISSA, Trieste, 20- 22 October 2008

Deadline for registration: July 15, 2008

Full announcement:

Onassis Summer School July 2008

The Onassis Foundation Science Lecture Series 2008 in physics

COSMOLOGY: AN ASTROPHYSICAL PERSPECTIVE

Heraklion, Crete, Greece, June 30 - July 4, 2008

Deadline for registration: May 31, 2008

Full announcement:

The N-Body Problem: Numerical Methods and Applications

This is a first announcement for

The N-Body Problem: Numerical Methods and Applications"

a meeting to discuss the latest developments in computational N-body dynamics. The meeting will be held from August 10 - 14 in Turku, Finland.

Full announcement:

ASTRONET Infrastructure Roadmap

Draft Report Release & Symposium

t is with pleasure that we announce the public release of the first draft ASTRONET Infrastructure Roadmap.

The document is now available for download both at the ASTRONET website and at the symposium website.

Deadline for contributions: May 23, 2008

Full announcement:

PhD positions at the University of Århus

within the Kepler satellite mission and the SONG project.

Deadline for applications: May 15, 2008

Full announcement:

Associate Professorship, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus

The Department of Physics and Astronomy invites applications for a position in experimental surface science at the Associate Professor (Lektor) level.

Deadline for applications: June 9, 2008

Full announcement:

Professorship in Theoretical Astrophysics in Aarhus

The Department of Physics and Astronomy invites applications for a permanent position as full professor. The professorship is associated with the department's research activities in cosmology and astroparticle physics.

Deadline for applications: June 9, 2008

Full announcement:

IAU Symposium 259 - 1st announcement

First formal announcement of the IAU Symposium 259 "Cosmic Magnetic Fields, from Planets, to Stars and Galaxies" which will be held at Puerto de Santiago, Tenerife, in the week November 3rd-7th 2008.

Deadline for registration: June 15, 2008

Full announcement:

Frontiers in Numerical Gravitational Astrophysics, 4th circular

International School, Erice (Italy), June 27-July 5, 2008.

Dedicated to the memory of professor John Archibald Wheeler.

Deadline for registration: June 1st, 2008

Full announcement:

Postdoc position within the framework of the EST 2008 project

Applications for the position are invited by The Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias.

Deadline for applications: April 30, 2008

Full announcement:

Postdoc pos. within the framework of the EXTRAGAL PN2008 project

Applications for the position are invited by The Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias.

Deadline for applications: May 30, 2008

Full announcement:

Postdoc position - LOW MASS CONSOLIDER CSD 2008 project

Applications for the position are invited by The Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias.

Deadline for applications: May 31, 2008

Full announcement:

Two postdoctoral positions in Astrophysics

Applications are invited for two positions in Astrophysics at The Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias.

Deadline for applications: May 31, 2008

Full announcement:

Studentship Programme Garching / Chile 2008

to be filled with the European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere (ESO).

Deadline for applications: June 15, 2008

Full announcement:

2 postdoc positions at the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias

TWO postdoctoral positions within the framework of its SOLAR MAGNETISM & SPECTROPOLARIMETRY - PNAYA 2007-639881 project:

Deadline for applications: April 30, 2008

Full announcement

Planck Postdoc at Imperial

A Cosmology Research Associate position is available within the Astrophysics Group of the Department of Physics, Imperial College London.

Deadline for applications: April 30, 2008

Full announcement:

PhD fellowship at Leiden Observatory to work on ULTRA-VISTA

Leiden Observatory has a vacancy for a 4-year PhD fellowship. The candidate will work under the guidance of Marijn Franx on the ULTRA-VISTA survey, and will study high redshift galaxies. The ULTRA-VISTA survey has been awarded 1800 hour of observing time, and will provide an ultra-deep 0.75 sq degrees Near-IR image of the sky, allowing the selection and study of very high redshift galaxies, as a precursor to JWST and ELT.

Deadline for applications: May 15, 2008

Full announcement:

PhD Position in Observational Cosmology in Stockholm

A PhD studentship in Observational Cosmology is available in the Department of Physics at Stockholm University.

Deadline for applications is May 2, 2008

Full announcement:

Observing Time at the Nordic Optical Telescope in Period 38

OCTOBER 1, 2008 - APRIL 1, 2009

The Nordic Optical Telescope (NOT) invites applications for observing time in Period 38, October 1, 2008 - April 1, 2009. The deadline for receipt of the applications is:

Friday, May 2, 2008, at UT 12.00 noon.

Full announcement:

2nd MCCT-SKADS Training School on Radioastronomy

First announcement

26th August - 4th September 2008

Sigüenza, Spain

On behalf of the MCCT-SKADS board, the Observatorio Astronómico Nacional (OAN) and the General Foundation of the University of Alcalá (FGUA) will organize the Second MCCT-SKADS Training School: ''RADIOASTRONOMY: FUNDAMENTALS AND THE NEW INSTRUMENTS''. The school will take place in Sigüenza (Spain), from August 26th to September 4th 2008. The school is fully sponsored by the Marie Curie MCCT-SKADS programme, within the Sixth Framework Programme of the European Commission. For further details, we kindly ask to visit the school web page.

Deadline for registration: April 30, 2008

Full announcement:

ASTRONET Infrastructure Roadmap Symposium - 2nd Announcement

Registration is now open for the ASTRONET Infrastructure Roadmap Symposium to be held in Liverpool, U.K. on the dates of 16-19 June 2008.

IMPORTANT DEADLINES

* Application for financial support: 30 April 2008
* Abstract Submission: 23 May 2008
* Registration: 29 May 2008

Full announcement:

PhD Fellowship in Solar Physics at the University of Oslo

The Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics, University of Oslo, announces a fellowship for new Ph.D. students within solar physics.

No tuition, starting salary NOK 325 800 (EUR 41 000) per year.

Note requirements: A "Bologna type" master degree or at least 4 years of undergraduate studies (preferably including a thesis/disssertation/term project) finished by the application deadline.

Deadline for applications: June 15, 2008

Full announcement:

PhD Fellowship in Cosmology at the University of Oslo

The Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics, University of Oslo, announces a fellowship for new Ph.D. students within research related to the Cosmic Microwave Background.

No tuition, starting salary NOK 325 800 (EUR 41 000) per year.

Note requirements: A "Bologna type" master degree or at least 4 years of undergraduate studies (preferably including a thesis/disssertation/term project) finished by the application deadline.

Deadline for applications: June 30, 2008

Full announcement:

Vacancy Notice: Head of the ESO Public Outreach Office

ESO is opening the position of

Head of the ESO Public Outreach Office

Duty Station: Garching near Munich

Starting Date: August 1, 2008

Deadline for applications: May 31, 2008

Full announcement:

PhD position at Gothenburg University

The Department of Physics at Gothenburg University is advertising a position for a PhD student (doktorandtjänst) within any area in which the department can offer supervision (the specific area is decided by the student).

Deadline for application: April 25, 2008

Full announcement:

Postdoctoral Fellowships at University of Queensland

The application form and other documentation for UQ Postdoctoral Research Fellowships commencing in 2009 are now available on the Research and Research Training Division website.

Deadline for applications: May 19, 2008

Full announcement:

Postdoctoral Fellowship for Women 2008, University of Queensland

Postdoctoral research fellowships for women whose academic careers have been interrupted, delayed or otherwise constrained by family or other responsibilities are now available.

Deadline for applications: August 3, 2008

Full announcement:

CRAL Conference 2008, Lyon, July 7-11

Dark Energy and Dark Matter: Observations, Experiments and Theories.

Full announcement:

3rd Biennial Leopoldina Conference on "Dark Energy"

October 7 - 11, 2008

Ludig-Maximilians-University Munich, Germany

A conference of the German Academy of Sciences 'Leopoldina' and the DFG Transregional Research Center TR33 'The Dark Universe', with support from the Munich Excellence Cluster 'Origin and Structure of the Universe'

Registration deadline: April 26, 2008.

Conference website:

Two postdoc positions & a PhD studentship (GRB), Univ.of Iceland

The positions are supported by a generous Grant of Excellence from the Icelandic Research Fund. the candidates will join the research group of Páll Jakobsson, Gunnlaugur Björnsson, Einar H. Gudmundsson and a recently started PhD student, Annalisa De Cia. Our group collaborates closely with Jens Hjorth and Johan Fynbo and colleagues at the Dark Cosmology Centre in Copenhagen, and Nial Tanvir and colleagues at the University of Leicester. Travel funds are available for strengthening this collaboration and for conference attendance.

Applications and inquiries should be sent via email to Páll Jakobsson (P.Jakobsson@herts.ac.uk).

POSTDOCTORAL POSITIONS

Applications are invited for 2 postdoctoral positions at the Science Institute, University of Iceland. Both appointments are for 2 years (possibly extended for a third year). The selected candidates are expected to start their work no later than December 2008. The candidates must hold a PhD degree in astronomy, obtained preferably not more than 4 years before the date of appointment.

A strong background in gamma-ray burst (GRB) research and their link to star formation, galaxy evolution and cosmology, is an advantage. We intend to hire (1) an observational expert willing to participate in GRB target-of-opportunity observations, using facilities such as the Very Large Telescope and the Nordic Optical Telescope (2) an expert in theoretical and/or computational astrophysics taking advantage of large computer cluster facilities for parallel computing.

Applications should arrive by email before August 1, 2008, and include a statement of research interests (max. 2 pages), a CV and a list of publications. The applicants should also arrange for 3 letters of recommendation to be sent separately. Email inquiries are welcome.

These positions will be officially advertised on May 1, 2008 on the AAS Job Register.

PhD POSITIONS

The Science Institute, University of Iceland invites applications for a PhD studentship in astronomy. The studentship is for 3 years and expected to begin in late autumn 2008 (starting date flexible). The candidate must hold an MSc degree in astronomy.

The aim of the research project is to investigate ways to use GRBs and their host galaxies as tools in cosmological studies. Applications should arrive by email before August 1, 2008, and include a CV, a statement of research interests and a brief summary of previous research experience. The applicants should also arrange for 2 letters of recommendation to be sent separately. Email inquiries are welcome.

Application deadline for all positions: August 1, 2008

Postdoc Position in High Energy Gamma-Ray Astrophysics

Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Grenoble - Universite Joseph Fourier/CNRS

A postdoctoral position in high energy astrophysics is available at the Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Grenoble (LAOG) starting in Autumn 2008.

The postdoc will join a team studying high energy gamma-ray emission from compact binaries using HESS and GLAST. Candidates will be expected to join in this effort and to pursue independent research on related topics.

A PhD is required. A background in astrophysics or astroparticle physics is preferable. Experience with gamma-ray observations or compact binary physics will be a plus.

In addition to their CV and publication list, applicants should send in a statement of research interests and should arrange for two or three recommendation letters to be sent directly to Guillaume.Dubus@obs.ujf-grenoble.fr before May, 15. The appointment is expected to last two years, subject to satisfactory performance. Late applications will be considered as another position may become available.

LAOG is a young, dynamic lab with groups in high energy astrophysics, stellar formation, molecular astronomy and high-angular resolution instrumentation. Grenoble is a university town located in the French Alps. Informal contacts and enquiries are welcomed and should be directed to Guillaume.Dubus@obs.ujf-grenoble.fr

Deadline for applications: May 15, 2008

Full announcement:

Observator Julie Marie Vinter Hansens Rejselegat 2008

Målgruppe: Videregående studerende og yngre kandidater inden for fagene astronomi, matematik og fysik. Under lige kvalifikationer har kvinder fortrinsret fremfor mænd, og fagene prioriteres i nævnte rækkefølge.

Ansøgere forudsættes normalt at have afsluttet en bacheloruddannelse eller anden tilsvarende uddannelse.

Støtte: Til studierejser i portioner ikke under kr. 5.000. Der ydes ikke støtte til studierejser, hvis eneste formål er at deltage i kongresser, symposier o.l.

Ansøgning: I 3 eksemplarer, indeholdende oplysninger om uddannelse, videnskabelige kvalifikationer, cpr-nummer, adresse, e-mail adr., samt studierejsens formål, varighed og budget.

Ansøgningen stiles til legatets bestyrelse og sendes til sekretær Marianne Bentsen, Niels Bohr Institutet, Rockefeller Komplekset, Juliane Maries Vej 30, 2100 København Ø.

Ansøgningsfrist: 01.05.08.

Utrecht Summer School in Astrophysics

August 18-29, 2008

at Astronomical Institute, Utrecht University

This is a course in the evolution of single and binary stars, and the physics of violent stellar explosions. It covers such topics as stellar evolution and stellar nucleosynthesis, binary stars, Our Sun as a star, the death of stars in supernova explosions and Gamma Ray Bursts, their remnants such as pulsars, black holes and supernova remnants, and cosmic rays. It focuses on the physical processes and the observational evidence.

Deadline for registration: May 1, 2008

Full announcement:

IAU Symposium 258 "The Age of Stars"

to be held in downtown Baltimore, Maryland, USA from October 13 to 17, 2008

Early Registration Fee before July 15, $300.00
Registration Fee Jul 16 - Aug 31, $375.00
At-Door Registration Sep 1 - Oct 18, $425.00

Full announcement:

Nordic-Baltic Research Course 2008

"Observational Stellar Astrophysics"

Lithuania, August 10-24, 2008

The course will be aimed at students in the first years of their PhD studies, and contain lectures by internationally top scientists, observations, exercises and assignments based mostly on own observations. Successful participation documented by passing a small pre-course-exam and successful presentation of work with a large assignment will give 6 ECU credits towards a doctoral degree. 3 ECU study credits can be earned additionally by submitting results for publication in the dedicated Course book.

Registration deadline: April 15, 2008

Full announcement:

Caïx legatet 2008

Legatet er på op til 200.000 kr. og uddeles til studerende eller kandidater fra danske universiteter, CBS og Kgl. Danske Kunstakademi. Normalt gives fortrinsstilling til færdiguddannede kandidater i ulige år, til studerende (på overbygningen) i lige. Ansøgerne bør have et godt kendskab til fransk og i studiet fokusere på emner eller områder, der relaterer sig til Frankrig

Ansøgningsfrist: 1. april 2008

Legatets webside:

The Local Bubble and Beyond II, April 21

"The Local Bubble and Beyond II"
April 21 - 24th, 2008
Philadelphia, PA

Organized by the US XMM-Newton GOF
**********************************

The "The Local Bubble and Beyond II" conference will be held the week of 2008 April 21-24th in Philadelphia. As the name suggests, this will be a successor to the (LB&B) meeting held in 1997 near Munich. The substantial increase in observational data about the Local Bubble in all wavebands along with progress in theoretical models suggest that the time is right for another meeting focused on Local Bubble issues.

Important Dates:

March 21st:
Abstract deadline for contributed talks and posters
Early registration ($300) ends March 21; late registration is $350 March 31st: Last date for conference hotel registration.

Conference website:

Call for interest: Small External Payloads on Columbus

ESA is releasing a Call for Interest for flying small external payloads on Columbus, by means of a new external platform.

Letters of interest due: April 21, 2008

Full announcement

Radio Galaxies in the Chandra Era

The Chandra X-ray Center will be hosting a Science Workshop

Radio Galaxies in the Chandra Era
from 8-11 July, 2008

in Cambridge, MA at the Harvard Student Organization Center at Hilles.

Registration deadline: April 30, 2008

Workshop webpage:

2008 Nanjing GRB conference

June 23-27

Topics:

Short-hard GRBs
GRB-SN Connection
Prompt Emission and Afterglow
GRB Central Engine and Extended Activity
GRBs and Cosmology
High Energy Emission
Future Missions

Deadline for registration: May 1, 2008

Conference website:

Enrico Fermi Course on Astrophysics of Galaxy Clusters

Course at the International School of Physics "Enrico Fermi":

"Astrophysics of Galaxy Clusters"

to be held on July 15-25, 2008 in Varenna, Como, Italy.

Deadline for registration: May 10, 2008.

Full announcement:

PhD Research Fellowship in Cosmology at the University of Oslo

The Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics of the University of Oslo announces a vacant PhD research fellowship to do a PhD at the University of Oslo with Frode Hansen as supervisor, funded by his Outstanding Young Investigator project, is vacant.

Deadline for application: April 15, 2008

Full announcement:

Ass Professor Position in Cosmology at the University of Oslo

The Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics of the University of Oslo announces a vacant tenured associate professorship with priority to cosmology.

Deadline for application: May 1, 2008

Full announcement:

Ass. Professor Position in Solar Physics, University of Oslo

The Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics of the University of Oslo announces a vacant tenured associate professorship with priority to solar physics.

Deadline for application: May 1, 2008

Full announcement

Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Nordic Optical Telescope

The Nordic Optical Telescope Scientific Association (NOTSA), with financial support from NORDFORSK, invites applications for a two-year postdoctoral position at the Nordic Optical Telescope (NOT) on La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain. The position will be available from mid-2008 onward.

NOT is a modern 2.6-m telescope with state-of-the-art optical and near-IR instruments, operated by a diverse staff of 15 astronomers, engineers, and students in an informal, family-style environment. La Palma itself is a subtropical island with a pleasant climate throughout the year and a low cost of housing and living compared to most of the rest of Europe (the Canary Islands are a duty-free zone).

The role of the postdoc will be to strengthen the scientific and training environment at NOT by conducting own research and assisting in the scientific optimisation of NOT as a key tool in research and training for the Nordic/Baltic community.

Deadline for applications: April 11, 2008

Full announcement:

Short-term Postgraduate Student Visits, University of Leicester

Some funds are available at the University of Leicester to support short-term (3-6 month) visits by postgraduate students studying for PhD or equivalent.

The scheme pays a salary as well as travel expenses etc. One possibility would be to work on some aspect of the 2XMM catalogue but other research areas equally possible.

Full announcement:

Summer School in Statistics for Astronomers IV

The fourth annual Penn State Summer School in Statistics for Astronomers will be held at Penn State University

June 9-14, 2008

Registration deadline: April 18, 2008

Full announcement

Cosmic Dust - Near & Far

Conference on "Cosmic Dust - Near & Far" to be held from Sept. 8th to 12th 2008 at the Convention Center in Heidelberg/Germany.

Conference website:

3rd Biennial Leopoldina Conference on Dark Energy Oct. 7-11 2008

FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT

3rd Biennial Leopoldina Conference on

"DARK ENERGY"

October 7 - 11, 2008
Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Germany

A conference of the German Academy of Sciences 'Leopoldina' and the DFG Transregional Research Center TR33 'The Dark Universe', with support from the Munich Excellence Cluster 'Origin and Structure of the Universe'

During the last decade a consistent quantitative picture of the universe has emerged from a wide range of observations, including the microwave background, distant supernovae and the large-scale distribution of galaxies. In this standard model of the universe, normal baryonic matter contributes only 4% to the overall density, 96% are dark components in the form of dark matter (26%) and dark energy (70%). Particularly, the existence and amount of dark energy is completely unexpected and raises fundamental questions about the foundations of modern physics. Is dark energy merely a cosmological constant, is it a new kind of particle field that evolves dynamically with the expansion of the universe, or is a new law of gravity needed? Observers are intensely analysing current surveys or design new ones that will illucidate the properties of Dark Energy. At the same time, theoreticians are producing new ideas about its nature and possible origin. The conference aims to bring together observers, modelers and theoreticians from particle physics and astrophysics to present and discuss latest results and explore possible routes for future research.

Deadline for registration: April 26, 2008

Conference website:

PhD fellowships at SISSA, Trieste, Italy starting November 2008

The Astrophysics Sector (www.sissa.it/ap) of the International School for Advanced Studies (Trieste, Italy) is inviting candidates interested in a PhD Fellowship in Astrophysics to apply for the next selection. The fellowship is for three years and might be extended for a further one.

The admission follows two paths:

*** European citizens: the selection is based on an exam (written, oral) and the evaluation of the CV and recommendations letters. There is some financial support in connection to the trip to attend the exam.

*** Non-European citizens: the selection is based on the evaluation of the CV and recommendations letters (pre-selection). Interested candidates can however take the exam if they wish to.

The selection (evaluation of CV and exam) will take place in April and the Course will start at the beginning of November. Candidates need to have obtained their degree by the beginning of the Fellowship (November) and not by the time of the selection exam. A further opening (only via exam) will take place in October 2008.

For details on the applications and relative forms see:

www.sissa.it --> Join us --> PhD Fellowships --> PdD Courses.

Deadline for applications: March 13, 2008

Full announcement:

Stillingsopslag:Akademiker til Astronomisk Enhed, Kroppedal Mus.

Kroppedal Museum for Astronomi - Nyere tid - Arkæologi - søger akademiker til barselsvikariat for enhedens leder på 22,5 timer/uge med start 1. april 2008 eller snarest derefter til 15. januar 2009. Museet vil søge ekstern finansiering til yderligere opnormering af stillingen.

Ansøgningsfrist: 25. marts

Opslaget i fuld længde

Conf. CMB Component Separation and the Physics of Foregrounds

Conference "CMB component Separation and the Physics of Foregrounds" to be held at the Hilton Hotel, Pasadena, California, 14-18 July 2008.
Early registration ends May 1st 2008.
Late registration ends July 1st 2008.
Conference website

IAU Symposium 255: Low-Metallicity Star Formation

Although low-mass metal-poor galaxies in the local universe have often been proposed as the "primordial building blocks" in the hierarchical scenario of structure formation, several lines of evidence suggest that this may not be true. These apparent contradictions can be better debated by bringing together astronomers from heterogeneous fields including stellar populations and population synthesis, stellar evolution and the end-products of star formation, the physics and dynamics of the interstellar medium, and chemical evolution. Combining theory of metal-poor and primordial star formation with low- and high-redshift observations over a wide range of wavelengths from the X-ray to the radio will allow us to assess the viability of using local dwarf galaxies as high-redshift analogues.

Deadline for registration April 15, 2008.

Full announcement

Ecole Internationale d'Astrophysique Daniel Chalonge

Thursday 17, Friday 18 and Saturday 19 July, 2008.
Ecole Internationale d'Astrophysique Daniel Chalonge. The 12th Paris Cosmology Colloquium 2008 on CMB, DM, DE, Dark Ages and LSS in the Standard Model of the Universe. George Smoot Nobel Prize of Physics and Daniel Chalonge Medal.

Deadline for registration June 1, 2008.

Full announcement

PhD scholarships at Leicester

Announcement of opportunity of PhD scholarshops at Leicester.

Full announcement

Research Associate position at Leicester on JWST Mid-IR Instr.

To work on Assembly, Integration and Verification activities in the development and testing of the Mid-InfraRed Instrument for the James Webb Space Telescope (NASA's successor to the Hubble Space Telescope), due for launch in 2013. It is essential that applicants have either a PhD, or be close to completing a PhD in experimental physics or a related subject, and have relevant experience with astronomical data processing software.

Deadline March 31, 2008.

Full announcement

20th "Rencontres de Blois": Challenges in Particle Astrophysics

The 20th "Rencontres de Blois" which will be held in Blois, Loire Valley, France on May 18th through 23rd, 2008. The conference will focus on "Challenges in Particle Astrophysics" It will mostly consist of plenary sessions, but half a day will be devoted on parallel sessions (UHECR, Gamma-ray astronomy, Dark matter and cosmology, neutrinos).

Deadline April 15, 2008.

Full announcement

IDA co-funding of PhD projects

The Instrument Center for Danish Astrophysics (IDA) welcomes applications for co-funding of PhD projects in observational astrophysics. Funds for two-thirds of a full PhD stipend will in total be available for the period 2008-2009. This will most likely be used to provide one third funding for two PhD students. Applicants must therefore present a credible scheme for co-funding from other sources.

Deadline at 12:00 noon, February 25, 2008.

Full announcement

PhD project jointly with IAC and NOT

On the basis of the International Agreements between the IAC and NOTSA for the installation of the Nordic Optical Telescope at the Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos (La Palma, Spain), a position (starting January 2009) is available for a student from the Spanish community to carry out research leading to a doctoral degree in Astrophysics. The thesis project must have been proposed by individual scientists from Universities or Research Institutions in Denmark, Finland, Norway or Sweden, and the research will be carried out in one of these countries.

Deadline Feb 22, 2008.

Full announcement

The X-ray Universe 2008

The conference will be a successor to the "The X-ray Universe 2005" meeting held in 2005 near Madrid. The conference is intended to encompass a broad range of high energy astrophysics topics and we hope that it will provide a showcase for results and discoveries not only from XMM-Newton, Chandra and Suzaku but also from other current missions; the scientific potential of future projects like XEUS should be discussed at the conference.

Deadline for registration March 29, 2008.

Conference web

The Seventh NEON Observing School

La Palma, Spain, from June 23 to July 05, 2008

Deadline March 31, 2008.

Full announcement

The Third NEON Archive Observing School

ESO, Garching, Germany, from August 27 to September 06, 2008.

Deadline March 31, 2008.

Full announcement

The NEON 3D Spectra School

Astrophysikalisches Institut Potsdam, Germany, 19 - 24 May 2008.
The aim of this workshop is to provide the opportunity for potential IFU users to obtain practical experience in observational techniques, data reduction and analysis. Various types of IFU set-ups will be represented (e.g., fibre instruments, lens arrays, slicers) and participants will have the opportunity to work in small groups on data from instruments of their choice, under the direction of experienced tutors.

Deadline Feb 24, 2008.

Full announcement

IAU Symposium 254: The Galaxy Disk in Cosmological Context

June 9-13, 2008, at the Niels Bohr Institute, Copenhagen.
The Symposium will review our knowledge of the galaxy disk in the global context, focusing on the Milky Way and its neighbours, and identify key questions and promising avenues for progress. Discussions at the Symposium will focus on formulating specific projects that can lead to major progress in the near future, using new observational and modelling tools.

Deadline for early registration April 1, 2008.

Full announcement

Research studentships at the NOT

The Nordic Optical Telescope (NOT) invites applications for Research Studentships with starting dates from mid-2008 or later. NOT is a modern 2.6-m telescope on the island of La Palma, Spain, with state-of-the-art optical and near-IR instruments. Our staff of 15 astronomers, engineers, and students and informal, hands-on mode of operation offer attractive training opportunities for young Nordic scientists and engineers in observational astrophysics. We currently have a group of 5 students and hope to expand it somewhat in 2009.

Deadline March 1, 2008.

Full announcement

Alpbach Summer School 2008

The theme of the European Space Agency's Summer School in Alpbach 2008 is: "Sample Return from Moon, Asteroids & Comets". The school takes place in the period July 22 - 31, 2008.
The school is open to MSc and PhD students. Accepted students from Denmark will automatically get their participation in the school covered by the ministry of science.

Deadline March 31, 2008.

Full announcement

Dark Universe Day in Uppsala

February 15 2008.
A one-day workshop 9-18 with invited expert speakers.

Full announcement

Associate Professorship in observational astrophysics at NBI

The Niels Bohr Institute at Copenhagen University invites applications for a position at the Associate Professor level in observational astrophysics with special with special tasks of organising and preparing data for the Danish Almanac published by the University. The Associate Professorship includes research, teaching, supervision of students and post-docs and administration as required by the Institute.

Deadline 12.00 Noon, Feb 28, 2008.

Full announcement

XEUS workshop March 5-6 2008 at ESTEC

Deadline for abstracts Feb 15, 2008.

Full announcement (.pdf)

Nordic Cosmology Workshop

Oslo March 10-11, 2008.
The workshop will bring together mainly Nordic astronomers interested in cosmology and present a cross section of the research that is being done in the Nordic countries. We also hope that the workshop will inspire collaborations across wavelength ranges and country borders.

Deadline for registration Feb 15, 2008.

Full announcement

GLAST postdoc positions

The GLAST group at Goddard Space Flight Center is seeking postdoctoral researchers with an interest in high-energy gamma-ray astrophysics.

Deadline Feb 15, 2008.

Full announcement (.txt)

NORDITA Summer program: TeV scale physics and dark matter

Stockholm, June 1 - July 31, 2008.
Several invited core scientists from outside the Nordic region will stay in Stockholm part of the program period. In addition to lectures and talks during the whole of the program, a common workshop with both experimentalists and theorists will be organized in Stockholm during 12-14 June. Interested Nordic physicists are invited to register for the period of the program they wish to stay in Stockholm.

Deadline for registration April 15, 2008.

Full announcement

Summer Student Program at Space Telescope Science Institute

Each summer the Space Telescope Science Institute brings 15 to 20 students to Baltimore, Maryland, for our Summer Student Program (SSP). The SSP lasts ten weeks, from mid-June to mid-August. SSP students work with STScI researchers and staff one-on-one in projects ranging from astronomical research to science writing, software development. and preparation of scientific data for public release. The SSP is oriented around upper division undergraduates, but we have had students from all academic levels and a broad variety of backgrounds. There are no restrictions on who may apply, and the SSP is open to foreign students.

Deadline Feb 20, 2008.

Full announcement

Pre-graduate students projects at ESA

ESA offers young scientists the opportunity to participate in trainee programmes which take place at the European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC) where they contribute to the XMM-Newton, ISO, Integral and Virtual Observatory(VO) missions amongst other projects.

Deadline Feb 8, 2008.

Full announcement

IAP Colloquim: Far Away: Light in the young universe at z>3

IAP, Paris, July 7-11 2008.
The meeting will discuss the most recent observations in this high redshift range, and the state of the art of models and numerical simulations. It will cover the following topics:

The 21cm line during reionization

Scenarii for reionization

First stars and high-z quasars

The star formation history in the early universe

Absorption by the IGM

GRBs as tracers of the remote universe

Feedback and environment

Deadline for registration April 15, 2008.

Full announcement

PhD studentships in Portsmouth

PhD studentships starting in 2008 will be available for research in: Galaxy Surveys, Galaxy Evolution, Stellar Populations, Dark Energy, Structure Formation, The Early Universe.

Deadline Feb 22, 2008.

Full announcement

STScI Spring Symposiujm: A Decade of Dark Energy

May 5 - 8, 2008, Space Telescope Science Institute.
The Space Telescope Science Institute's 2008 May Symposium: A Decade of Dark Energy, will focus on cutting-edge issues in the study of dark energy. The conference will include:

presentations of the latest observational results

reviews and discussion of theoretical advances -- including the connection to other areas of fundamental physics

discussion of ways to differentiate between models and figures of merit for optimizing future observations

outlines of future dark-energy projects

discussion of measurement techniques and challenges, focusing on advances since the Dark Energy Task Force report.

Full announcement

7th Microquasar Workshop

September 1 - 5, 2008, Foca, Izmir, Turkey.
This workshop is the seventh of the series of conferences mainly devoted to Galactic black holes. The conference will cover all topics related to relativistic jet sources in the universe including black holes, neutron stars, young stellar objects, ultraluminous X-ray sources, active galactic nuclei, and gamma-ray bursts.

Full announcement

ASTRONET infrastructure roadmap symposium 2008

June 16-19, 2008, at the Liverpool Arena and Convention Centre, United Kindgom.
The EU-funded ASTRONET project is developing a Roadmap for European astronomy covering the period 2010-2025. The process is well underway and the first complete draft will be released in the Spring of 2008. This symposium is being organised as part of a wide consultation process, which started with the constitution of five thematic Panels and a Working Group drawn from the astronomical community. Since March 2007, this team of experts has been preparing a comprehensive, prioritised, pan-European plan, detailing those facilities that will be necessary to deliver the ASTRONET Science Vision, and addressing also other important aspects such as education, training and public awareness.

Registration will open in early 2008.

Full announcement

Moriond meeting on Cosmology

The next Rencontres de Moriond meeting devoted to Cosmology will be organized in La Thuile (Valle d'Aosta, Italy), March 15-22, 2008.

The conferece web site is now open for registration.

Full announcement

7th INTEGRAL workshop at DRC

'An INTEGRAL View of Compact Objects'
The main goal of the 7th INTEGRAL workshop is to present and discuss scientific results on compact objects. Presentations will take form of contributed talks and posters.

Deadline Jun 6, 2008.

Workshop web site