Author: DominikH

Life and Space DAYS, Polish online event, starting December 4th

The Polish Astrobiological Society (PTAstrobio) would like to welcome you to the 1st edition of Life and Space DAYS (LAS DAYS 25) – an international online science event dedicated to exploring the cutting edge of astrobiology, space science, and the origins of life.

The event will take place from December 4–7, 2025. Organized by the Polish Astrobiological Society, this inaugural edition will bring together researchers, students, and space enthusiasts from around the world to exchange ideas, spark new collaborations, and envision the future of life in the Universe. The event starts with a Big Bang – the opening keynote speaker is Peggy Whitson. Joining not long after her return from ISS, this accomplished astronaut and biochemist will share insights from her work. The opening lecture begins on December 4th at 18:00 CET.

How to Participate: All lectures will be streamed via the AstroBio YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@PTAstrobio

PTAstrobio looks forward to your valuable presence and contributions to make this event a reservoir of knowledge and inspiration!

Useful links:
Event website: https://astrobio.pl/las25/
LAS DAYS 25 Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/751232691312185/
PTAstroBio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PTAstroBio

Early Career Network of the UK Royal Astronomical Society

The Early Career Network (ECN) of the UK Royal Astronomical Society would like to welcome expressions of interest from Early Career Fellows to join their Committee.

The ECN Steering Group is a Committee dedicated to building a supportive and welcoming community for early career researchers, supporting them in their career progression, and helping them to build relevant skills such as networking, conducting research and writing funding applications.

The Committee is responsible for, amongst other things, organising the RAS early career events, connecting early career researchers with other Fellows who can support them and act as a liaison between the early career community and the RAS senior Fellows, staff and Council. The Committee expects to meet regularly (approximately once a month), and the meetings are typically hybrid or fully virtual.

If you are interested in joining, please send a short expression of interest to ecn@ras.ac.uk outlining your interest in joining and any experience relevant for a role on the Committee. Looking forward to your comments.

Travel Award for UK and Ireland based Early-career researchers

The Europlanet Ireland & UK Hub is pleased to open a travel award call for Early Career Researchers (ECRs) to attend a conference, meeting, or other event pertinent to their planetary science research in 2025. Please submit applications here: https://www.europlanet.org/ireland-uk-hub-ecr-funding-scheme-2025/

Please consider the following when applying:

Applicants must:

  • be affiliated with a UK or Ireland institution.
  • be individual members of Europlanet or be based at an institution with an organisational Europlanet membership. Proof of Europlanet membership must be included in the application.
  • assess applications based on need, while being mindful of meeting timelines.
  • be ECRs, which Europlanet defines as anyone whose last degree was obtained no more than 7 years ago (not counting parental leave, serious illness, and similar career breaks).
  • submit no more than one application each.
  • name in their application the specific conference, meeting, or relevant event taking place in the UK or Ireland in 2025 with publicly available dates and other information.
  • submit their application at least one week before the first day of the meeting they plan to attend.
  • ensure they claim their expenses by 31st December 2025.

The Ireland & UK Hub will:

  • make individual awards of up to €250 to cover registration, travel, or accommodation costs. The total value of the fund is €1,000.
  • inform successful applicants in a timely manner by email and provide instructions on how to claim expenses.
  • act as liaison between successful applicants and Europlanet to reimburse expenses after the event has taken place.

(!!!DEADLINE TOMORROW!!!) Post-doc on Habitable planets, their formation and life emergence

The Wisconsin Center for Origins Research (WiCOR) seeks a postdoctoral fellow to participate in Center research in any discipline related to our two main research questions: 1. How do habitable planets form? 2. How does life emerge on habitable planets?

WiCOR is a multidisciplinary research center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison with six member departments and faculty and research staff from across 12 campus units. Join our team as the first WiCOR postdoctoral fellow and become a part of this exciting and impactful work.

The successful Candidate will have a PhD in any scientific field related to WiCOR research (including, but not limited to, astronomy, biology, chemistry, botany, geology, planetary science, and atmospheric and oceanic sciences), will have received a PhD within five years of the appointment start date, and will have no more than 3 years of previous postdoctoral experience.

Candidates should submit a CV, a publication list, a 2 page summary of previous research, and a list of 3 potential letter writers who can be contacted to submit letters of recommendation. Candidates should also submit a statement of research interests (3 pages maximum) that describes their research plans and how their research relates to at least one of the six WiCOR research themes (see http://www.wicor.wisc.edu for more information). In this statement candidates should list at least two WiCOR members with whom they would be interested in collaborating and describe a plan for these collaborations. This position is a one year onsite position renewable for a second year by mutual agreement.

The deadline for application is November 15, 2025. A start date of September 1, 2026 is anticipated, but this date can be negotiated. All application materials should be sent as a single PDF to wicor@wisc.edu.

PhD in Biotechnology and antimicrobial resistance (UK)

Dr Michael Macey is excited to share a new PhD project exploring the secrets hidden within Great Britain’s unique waters with, Michael, and Daniel P Payne, Ilias Kounatidis, Calum McMullen, Tim Goodall and Anne Jungblut. They are delving into the uncharacterised microbiomes of historic and chemically distinct springs across the UK. These heritage sites could be a source for novel bioactive compounds to help tackle the global challenge of antimicrobial resistance.

This studentship offers an opportunity to:

  • Conduct fieldwork at a range of UK heritage sites.
  • Get trained in state-of-the-art chemistry and biology techniques.
  • Screen for microbes and metabolites with the potential to become new medicines.

It’s a blend of natural history, microbiology, and cutting-edge analytical science. A brilliant chance to explore the UK’s hidden biodiversity and contribute to a pressing global challenge.

Deadline: January 7th 2026

Click here for more information.

UKPF Early Career Meeting (United Kingdom), January 9th 2026

Registration and abstract submission is now open for the 19th UK Planetary Forum Early Careers Meeting (ECM), which will be held on Friday 9th January 2026, hosted by the Centre for Planetary Sciences at UCL/Birkbeck, at the Birkbeck Clore Management Centre, in Bloomsbury, London. The UKPF ECM is designed to bring together early career researchers from across the UK for a day of networking and knowledge sharing. This event provides a supportive environment for early career scientists to present their research to peers and receive constructive feedback, offering valuable preparation for larger, international conferences. Presentations will include both talks and posters, showcasing the diversity of work taking place in planetary science. We welcome contributions from all aspects of planetary science, including but not limited to: planetary surfaces, interiors, atmospheres and magnetospheres, habitability and astrobiology, meteorites, (exo)planets and their moons.

Date: Friday 9th January 2026
Location: Birkbeck Clore Management Centre, Torrington Square, Bloomsbury, London, WC1E 7JL
Cost: Completely free!
Registration Link: UKPF ECM 2026 Registration Form
Registration deadline: Wednesday 17th December 2025.
Abstract Submission Deadline: Friday 31st October 2025 (23:59)

Abstract Submission: Please use the abstract template as a guide. Abstracts should be uploaded via the upload link in the registration form. Max. one A4 page only including figures and references. The abstract upload link will open a new tab in your browser window. ​Please ensure you return to the original form to complete your registration.

Attendees are encouraged to join in person, but virtual attendance will also be offered for those unable to travel. For enquiries regarding accessibility, registration or abstract submission, please contact ukpf-ecm-2026@ucl.ac.uk. For more information, check out the meeting page on the UKPF 2026 website.

2 Postdoctoral Research positions – The Open University

The Open University (Milton Keynes, United Kingdom) is recruiting researchers for two postdoctoral positions in the field of planetary science/cosmochemistry.

Applications close at 11:59 pm on Wednesday, 15th October. For more information follow these links:

  1. Postdoc in the field of Primitive Asteroids:

https://jobs.open.ac.uk/job/Post-Doctoral-Research-Associate-Primitive-Asteroids/1050-en_GB

Job listing on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/4302331461/?capColoOverride=true

  1. Postdoc in the field of Differentiated Meteorites:

https://jobs.open.ac.uk/job/Post-Doctoral-Research-Associate-Differentiated-Meteorites/1062-en_GB

Job listing on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/4302322720/?capColoOverride=true

Space Factor at EANA in Lisbon, Portugal in October!

We are calling all early-career scientists to participate in the renowned Space Factor contest at The 25th European Astrobiology Network Association (EANA) conference, taking place in Lisbon, Portugal, from 21–24 October 2025, right after our AbGradE symposium.

Showcase your astrobiology research in a dynamic and creative oral presentation among your peers.

Late Master students and early PhD candidates, present your work at Space Factor in a 15-minute pitch including a creative SciComm video.

> More info about Space Factor here. <

Take the challenge and the opportunity to win prizes and be seen in a big audience of astrobiology experts!

Symposium ahead of EANA in Lisbon, Portugal in October!

Registration Open!
AbGradE will organise an adjacent event to the 25th European Astrobiology Network Association (EANA) conference. Both events will take place in person at Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon, Portugal, from 21–24 October 2025.

The topic is “Astrobiology: from the Field to the Labs and into Space“, the symposium will therefore encompass every field that is part of astrobiology.

If you do not want to miss this exciting opportunity to share your work, you can find the registration and more information here.

Hope to see you there!

Postdoctoral Fellow – School of Integrated Biology and Chemistry Sciences (Edinburg, Texas, USA)

The Astrobiochemistry Lab (https://eloicamprubi.com/) at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV), led by Dr. Eloi Camprubi, is looking for a postdoctoral researcher to join by Fall 2025, funded by the National Science Foundation.

Probe the capability of amphiphiles to self-assemble into vesicle compartments and develop a robust methodology for studying their individual and population composition.
Assess if vesicles display generational heredity – allowing for a primitive form of evolution by natural selection.
Custom-made microfluidic setups will be used to enable the precise control and manipulation of vesicle systems constrained to the microliter scale.

Required education:

A Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Chemistry, or related disciplines from an accredited University.

Required experience:

Expertise with vesicle/liposome study and manipulation, including confocal microscopy

Preferred experience:

Experience with microfluidics systems or dynamic mathematical modeling
Experience within the fields of astrobiology and abiogene

Salary

Commensurate with Experience

Get in contact:

📩: careers@utrgv.edu

🌐: careers.utrgv.edu

📞: +1 (956)665-2451 or +1 (956)882-8205

Application deadline: July 31st 2025.