Recent News Summary

General News/UKSP Business

Nuggets

Meetings/Workshops/Summer Schools

Jobs/Studentships

General News/UKSP Business

  • Equitable Letters for Space Physics (ELSP)

    Dear community, 

    We are pleased to announce that Equitable Letters for Space Physics (ELSP) is now accepting recommendation and nomination letters to review.  ELSP’s mission is to encourage merit-based recommendations and nominations in the space physics community by providing resources for letter writing and reviews of recommendation and nomination letters.  ELSP seeks to achieve this goal by:

    1) providing resources for people writing letters of recommendation and award nomination at the undergraduate level and above,
    2) provide resources for people wishing to learn about different implicit biases and lessen their manifestation, and
    3) provide reviews of recommendation and nomination letters, with the goal of lessening implicit bias in these letters.

    This system functions similarly to double-anonymous journal article reviews, with the ELSP executive director acting as editor.  If you have more questions or would like to participate, please contact us at equitable.space.letters@gmail.com.

    You can also learn more about our mission and find both letter writing and implicit bias resources at the ELSP website: https://equitableletterssp.github.io/ELSP/

    Yours, 
    Angeline G. Burrell, John Coxon, Alexa Halford, McArthur Jones Jr., and Kate Zawdie

  • Cycle-13 e-MERLIN Call for Proposals [deadline 27th October 2021]

    e-MERLIN/VLBI National Radio Astronomy Facility

    www.e-merlin.ac.uk

    Invitation for Proposals: Cycle-13

    Deadline for Receipt of Proposals: 

    23:59:59 UT on 27th October 2021

    Full Details:

    http://www.e-merlin.ac.uk/observe.html

    e-MERLIN requests proposals from the international astronomical community for observations to be made during Cycle-13. Proposals are competitively peer-reviewed under standard STFC rules by the Programme Allocation of Telescope Time (PATT) e-MERLIN Time Allocation Group. Allocation will be made on the basis of scientific merit and technical feasibility alone. 

     e-MERLIN Science: e-MERLIN observations address a broad range of science topics,

    http://www.e-merlin.ac.uk/science.html

    and its unique combination of angular resolution (mas) and sensitivity (microJy) provide crucial insights in multiple science areas including:

    ·         Star-formation and black hole growth in galaxies.

    ·         The physical processes which govern the formation of stars.

    ·         The modes of activity in nearby galaxies.

    ·         Transient radio sources.

    ·         Radio spectral lines (masers and in absorption).

    ·         The energetic processes in relativistic outflows from jets generated by black holes and compact objects.

    ·         Along with multiple other applications.

    e-MERLIN provides high angular resolution (12 – 150 milli-arcsec) and high sensitivity (micro-Janksy) imaging at cm wavelengths as well as polarimetry, spectroscopy, and astrometry. e-MERLIN is an SKA-pathfinder instrument providing observations with resolutions and frequencies comparable to those that will be provided by SKA1-mid.

     Cycle-13 e-MERLIN Capabilities

    [e-MERLIN observations between February 1st and July 31st, 2022 ]

    Deadline for Receipt of Proposals:

    23:59:59 UT on 27th October 2021

                                                        Ang. res.    Sensitivity

    L-band (1.25 – 1.75 GHz)      ~150 mas    ~12 uJy/bm*

    C-band (4.5 – 7.5 GHz)         ~ 40 mas      ~10 uJy/bm*   

    K-band (19 – 25 GHz)            ~12 mas      ~130 uJy/bm

    * Assumes inclusion of the Lovell Telescope at L/C-band and a full imaging track (~12hrs including calibration). It is envisaged that a limited amount of Lovell time will be available for PATT programmes during Cycle-13. The full invitation for proposals, including technical specifications, and links to the e-MERLIN Sensitivity Calculator are available at:

    www.e-merlin.ac.uk/observe.html

    Access and financial support for e-MERLIN Scientists and Users: e-MERLIN is open to all users with projects allocated solely on the basis of scientific merit and technical feasibility. Additionally, e-MERLIN is one of the participating infrastructures in the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, the OPTICON-RadioNet PILOT project was launched on March 1st, 2021. This programme will provide facility access and financial support for users from eligible projects in Cycle-13.  For further information or contact e-MERLIN staff (emerlin@jb.man.ac.uk).  

    EVN+e-MERLIN Observations: The full integration of e-MERLIN telescopes within the European VLBI Network is also available. This mode of observing provides e-MERLIN’s additional ‘short-spacing’ (10 – 200 km) component available to the EVN which allows imaging of a wider range of spatial scales. Proposals for e-MERLIN + EVN observations should be made via the EVN Programme Committee rather than through e-MERLIN directly. The next Call for EVN Proposals (including combined e-MERLIN + EVN observations) is detailed at www.evlbi.org. The next deadlines for EVN proposals are October 1st 2021, & February 1st, 2022.

    e-MERLIN/VLBI National Facility, The University of Manchester,

    Jodrell Bank Observatory,

    Macclesfield,

    Cheshire SK11 9DL,

    United Kingdom

    emerlin@jb.man.ac.uk

  • IAU PhD Prize Reminder

    As you know each IAU Division has, once a year, the opportunity to award its own prize to the candidate it feels has carried out the most remarkable work in the previous year (i.e. a PhD Thesis which has been defended between the 16 December in the previous year, and 15 December this year). 

    The IAU PhD Prize is open to candidates from any country, regardless of whether the country has  IAU National Membership. The objective is to recognise outstanding scientific achievement in astrophysics around the world even at that early stage in the career.

    I would like to count on you in informing potential candidates, in your country or institution, of this opportunity since the deadline for applications for the 2020 IAU PhD Prize will be the 15th December.

    The application form is available here:

    https://www.iau.org/submissions/phd-prize/

    The conditions and details for the application are available on the IAU webpage here: https://www.iau.org/science/grants_prizes/phd_prize/

    Please find more information in our announcement here: https://www.iau.org/news/announcements/detail/ann21057/

    I thank you in advance for your collaboration. 

    José Miguel Rodriguez Espinosa

    IAU General Secretary

  • Reminder: UK-SOSS 14th October at 10:00 UK time – Prof. Mihalis Mathioudakis

    Dear All, 

    Please find below the title and abstract of the tomorrow UK-SOSS talk, which will be held at 10:00 (UK time), on 14th of October.

    We look forward to welcoming you to the seminar!

    With warmest regards,
    Marianna Korsos, Chris Nelson, and Jiajia Liu 

    ——

    Speaker: Prof. Mihalis Mathioudakis (Queen’s University Belfast)

    Title: From high-resolution observations of the Sun to the solar-stellar connection

    Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/95338171418

    Meeting ID 953 3817 1418

    Abstract:

    Our nearest star has always been a unique source for our understanding of the universe in its many forms. The solar atmosphere and interior provide a working example where structures and dynamics can be studied over an enormous range of spatial and temporal scales. The seminar will begin with some global solar properties and phenomena, placing them in the context of stellar magnetic activity. We will then highlight some of the smallest features that can be resolved in the lower solar atmosphere and the physical parameters that can be extracted from them. We will comment on the high-resolution observations of the Sun and how they can help us tackle some of the challenges of stellar astrophysics. 

    —————————————————————————————————–
    For the previous talk, please visit the UK-SOSS website: https://solarphysics.aber.ac.uk/uk-soss.php

    You can subscribe to the UK-SOSS newsletter on this link:
    https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?SUBED1=UK-SOSS&A=1

    The UK-SOSS is supported by Aberystwyth University and Queen’s University Green Fund

  • STFC Knowledge Exchange 2022 – Hybrid event

    STFC Knowledge Exchange 2022 – Hybrid event

    We would like to invite you to the STFC Knowledge exchange and networking event.

    16th November – Royal College of Physicians London

    This event will highlight the opportunities and funding available to potential applicants in 2022. With a mix of Industry, Academia and Government, we will highlight the needs of their respective communities and how you can interact with them in the STFC space.

    Whilst we would love to see you in person, we understand that some of you would prefer not to travel given the current situation. As such, we will be live streaming the event alongside the in-person gathering. Please register using the link below, making clear if you will be attending in-person or virtually.

    On the day there will be

    • Launch of the CLASP Security and Environment funding round
    • Advice on making applications
    • The opportunity to ask questions about the STFC Knowledge Exchange schemes.
    • Presentations from representatives from various government agencies highlighting some of the relevant challenges in their sectors. 
    • Presentations from previous recipients of both schemes
    • An opportunity to hear an update from UKRI on Commercialisation plans
    • An opportunity to listen to Innovate UK outline funding opportunities for later stage commercialisation projects
    • Network opportunities for those attending in-person

    For more information and to register, please go here

Nuggets

Meetings/Workshops/Summer Schools

  • RAS specialist discussion meeting on the ”3D structure of the flare chromosphere”

    We are pleased to announce a RAS specialist discussion meeting on the ”3D structure of the flare chromosphere” on 10th December 2021 – https://ras.ac.uk/events-and-meetings/ras-meetings/3d-structure-flare-chromosphere

    Flare activity in the chromosphere produces spectacular effects all across the electromagnetic spectrum, and we can now study these with unprecedented capabilities. Interpreting these signatures is essential to our understanding of the physics of solar flares and vital diagnostics for the processes of energy deposition and dissipation. Despite tremendous observational and numerical modelling efforts over the past few decades, many aspects of flare chromosphere remain the central subject of ongoing solar research. The aim of the RAS specialist meeting is to bring together word-leading experts in this field and discuss about different aspects of flare physics in the lower solar atmosphere. In particular we will discuss:

    • Fine-scale 3D (horizontal and vertical) structure of the flare chromosphere
    • Off-limb observations
    • Formation heights and spectral characteristics of flare ribbons
    • Radiation mechanisms and radiative transfer aspects at different spectral domains

    The meeting will focus on the flare chromosphere in the context of recent observations by SST, IRIS, SDO, RHESSI, as well as state-of-the-art flare models and bridge between models and observations. The opportunities provided by the new generation ground- and space-based solar telescopes such as DKIST, Solar C and Solar Orbiter, will also contribute. 

    The meeting will be held online. Registration is now open (free for RAS members, and £5 for non-members).
    David Kuridze (Aberystwyth University), Lyndsay Fletcher (University of Glasgow), Hugh Hudson (UCB and University of Glasgow)

  • NAM 2022: Call for Session Proposals

    The Royal Astronomical Society’s 2022 National Astronomy Meeting (NAM 2022) will be held at the University of Warwick from Monday 11th July to Friday 15th July. In addition to the UK’s astronomy community, the meeting includes the UK Solar Physics (UKSP), and the Magnetosphere Ionosphere and Solar-Terrestrial (MIST) communities.

    We invite proposals for sessions to be held at NAM 2022, and encourage members of the Astronomy, UKSP and MIST community from all levels of seniority to apply for specialist and cross-disciplinary scientific presentation and discussion sessions. As well as hosting parallel sessions of varying duration, the conference may host collaborative meetings, workshops and lunch sessions. The applicants of any successful proposals will be expected to take on the role of scientific organisers of the session. We encourage proposals where engagement and diversity are embedded into the science content, in addition to dedicated sessions on public engagement, diversity, and inclusion. 

    We are currently planning for a hybrid meeting, in which a large number of participants attend in person, but with opportunity for remote participation for additional delegates. Session conveners should consider any implication for their proposals. The health and safety of NAM 2022 delegates is of the utmost importance to us, and we will be monitoring ongoing global developments due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

    Proposals should be submitted on-line here.

    The deadline for submitting proposals for sessions is Tuesday 14th Dec 2021 at 17:30 UTC.

    For information or queries about NAM 2022 please contact the organisers on nam2022@warwick.ac.uk.
    For the meeting code of conduct please click here.

  • Hinode-14 / IRIS-11 meeting: Abstract Submission deadline extended to September 1st
    The Abstract Submission for the Hinode-14 / IRIS-11 meeting is open until September 1st, 2021. To submit your abstracts for oral presentations or virtual posters, please visit our website: http://hinode14.org, http://iris11.org. This coming week we will also be announcing the final format of the meeting. The information will be posted on the website and on social media: https://twitter.com/hinode14iris11.
  • 8th Solar Orbiter Workshop – Save the Date
    The 8th Solar Orbiter Workshop will be held September 12th – 15th 2022 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Please note that there will be a SWT meeting in the same location on September 16th. The Solar Orbiter spacecraft launched in February 2020, and is currently in cruise phase before the start of science operations at the end of 2021. All 4 of the in-situ instruments are already taking data, while the 6 remote-sensing instruments have been taking observations while undergoing commissioning. Already, these unique data-sets are providing new insights into the Sun and its connection to the heliosphere. This workshop will include invited and contributed oral and poster presentations across all of the science topics covered by the Solar Orbiter mission. We are currently planning for this to be an in-person meeting, although there will be the opportunity to view presentations online. More details will be made available in a future announcement. David Long (on behalf of the LOC)
  • AGU Fall Session SH022 – Origins of Long Duration Gamma-Ray Emission at the Sun
    We invite abstract submissions to the AGU 2021 Fall Meeting session: SH022 – Origins of Long Duration Gamma-Ray Emission at the Sun Observations of gamma-ray emission lasting hours beyond other flare-associated electromagnetic signatures provide a test for models of particle acceleration and propagation at or near the Sun. Contributions based on data analysis, modelling and theory are solicited that address the following questions: Where and how are the energetic particles responsible for long duration gamma-ray emission accelerated? How are they able to propagate to the locations near the photosphere where gamma-rays are produced? Can experimental constraints inferred from gamma-ray emission and solar energetic particle measurements be reproduced by models and theory? Abstracts deadline: Wednesday 4th August 2021 Note that the current plan is for a “hybrid” meeting with both in-person and remote participation. Silvia Dalla, Georgia de Nolfo and Alessandro Bruno https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm21/prelim.cgi/Session/120562

Jobs/Studentships

  • JOB OPENING: Postdoctoral Fellow Position in Space Physics Group at the Department of Physics, University of Helsinki, Finland (remote work possible)
    The Space Physics Group of the University of Helsinki is a leading European space physics group specialised both in computational modelling of space plasmas and in spacecraft observations. We are the leading host for the Finnish Centre of Excellence in Research of Sustainable Space, where our target is to understand the space environment to be able to build more durable small satellites for the future. The Centre of Excellence is essentially a space programme to build and launch three nanosatellites, each of which has both an ambitious science programme as well as a technology demonstration payload. The Space Physics group is also a home to the novel Vlasiator code, providing an unprecedented view of the global solar wind – magnetosphere – ionosphere system at ion kinetic scales. We are about to launch a nanosatellite to study ionospheric precipitation, and on the other hand, we have recently completed the first 6-dimensional runs of the entire magnetosphere with Vlasiator, offering high-resolution results both from the 3D real space as well as from the 3D velocity space. The Vlasiator simulation has also just been added with an ionospheric module. We are excited to open a postdoctoral fellow position for a 2-year project, with a possibility of extension. The position is funded by the Academy of Finland Centre of Excellence programme. The postdoctoral fellow will focus on ionospheric physics, using both Vlasiator and eventually the nanosatellite observations when they become available. Prior knowledge and useful skills: Physics of magnetosphere – ionosphere coupling or ionospheric physics, data analysis and/or model development, Python. No prior knowledge of supercomputers or HPC is required. We offer a position in a dynamic and international research group, with a possibility to network and to develop as a researcher. We are innovative, high-spirited and a welcoming community. Finland is the happiest country in the world offering a great environment fostering equality, equal opportunities, the world’s best schooling system, vacations, and possibilities for work-family balance. The position is available immediately. Remote working will be possible for part of the project. The position will remain open until filled. For more information, please visit: http://helsinki.fi/vlasiator http://blogs.helsinki.fi/spacephysics/ https://www.helsinki.fi/sustainable-space For specifics about the position, contact Minna Palmroth (minna.palmroth(at)helsinki.fi). Interested candidates should send their informal application, CV, list of publications, and a maximum of three names to act as references to the above email by 20.9.2021.
  • Research Associate position in Solar Physics, the University of Glasgow
    Astronomy & Astrophysics group at the University of Glasgow is looking for a post-doc in solar flare physics. The successful candidate is expected to make a leading contribution to a project “Solar flare electron energetics” and will also be expected to contribute to the formulation and submission of research publications and research proposals as well as help manage and direct this complex and challenging project as opportunities allow. Salary will be on the University’s Research and Teaching Grade, level 7, £35,845 – £40,322 per annum. This post is full time and has funding for up to 2 years. Further details are available online: https://my.corehr.com/pls/uogrecruit/erq_jobspec_version_4.jobspec?p_id=064768
  • Applying for STFC Ernest Rutherford Fellowship to be hosted at the University of Dundee – Expressions of Interest – deadline 27th August 2021
    The MHD and Astrophysics research cluster at the University of Dundee would like to invite expressions of interest to apply for an STFC Ernest Rutherford Fellowship to be hosted at the University. If you are interested in applying, then please contact Professor Gunnar Hornig: g.hornig@dundee.ac.uk The internal deadline for applications is 27th August 2021. We would encourage potential applicants to contact us in plenty of time ahead of this deadline. Information about the fellowship: https://www.ukri.org/opportunity/research-core-science-independently-ernest-rutherford-fellowship/ Information about our research cluster: https://www.dundee.ac.uk/science-engineering/research/magnetohydrodynamics-astrophysics
  • Fellowships at Durham – Deadline August 6th
    The MHD group within the Department of Mathematical Sciences at Durham University would like to encourage applications for the following fellowships to be hosted at Durham: STFC Ernest Rutherford Fellowship: https://stfc.ukri.org/funding/fellowships/ernest-rutherford-fellowship/ Royal Society University Research Fellowship: https://royalsociety.org/grants-schemes-awards/grants/university-research/ The MHD group at Durham has broad interests in solar physics and MHD in general, with a particular focus on computational modelling and theory. Some areas of interest for the group are CME and flare modelling, improving Space Weather prediction, understanding the topological evolution of magnetic fields and the nature of the solar wind. However, applications need not necessarily be in these areas. Applications are required to pass through an internal selection process. Interested candidates should get in touch with Prof. Anthony Yeates (anthony.yeates@durham.ac.uk) or Dr Peter Wyper (peter.f.wyper@durham.ac.uk) to informally discuss their applications and for more details. The deadline for submitting a CV for consideration by the internal selection committee is August 6th.
  • PDRA post in Solar Physics at the University of Exeter
    We would like to bring to your attention the following 6-month PDRA post at the University of Exeter to investigate the role of partially ionised plasma in determining the observed characteristics of shocks in solar chromospheric plasma. The exact target of the study will be determined through discussion between the successful applicant and the project lead, Prof. Andrew Hillier. Applications from those with experience in solar observations or with performing MHD simulations are encouraged. This role is funded by the STFC consolidated grant held in the Department of Mathematics, University of Exeter. Please see the online job profile for further details on the role and the applications process: https://jobs.exeter.ac.uk/hrpr_webrecruitment/wrd/run/ETREC107GF.open?VACANCY_ID=231934WWET&WVID=3817591jNg Applications close on 22/07/2021 Contact for informal enquiries: Prof. Andrew Hillier a.s.hillier@exeter.ac.uk https://jobs.exeter.ac.uk/hrpr_webrecruitment/wrd/run/ETREC107GF.open?VACANCY_ID=231934WWET&WVID=3817591jNg