(Astrobiology Graduates in Europe)
Our friends at OoLEN are organising the 5th Interdisciplinary Origin of Life Meeting for Early Career Researchers (IOoL26) at ELSI in Tokyo, Japan September 9-11th. If you are interested in going or just want to keep up to date with the meeting, please fill in the form of interest here.
OoLEN membership is encouraged but not required.
The British Planetary Science Conference will be hosted by the University of St Andrews, from 9-11th June 2026.
Registration for BPSC 2026 is now open and the registration portal can be found here.
Online registration is open til Wednesday 27th May, with the early registration deadline on Saturday 9th May. The abstract submission deadline is also on Saturday 9th May.
BPSC2026 will cover the wide range of our community’s interests including meteorites, sample return missions, Mars, the Moon and more. We want BPSC2026 to bring together planetary scientists from across disciplines and institutions to promote a collegiate and supportive space to discuss and present new ideas and results.
For more information, visit the event’s website here.
The next European Lunar Symposium (ELS) will take place at the Aquarium Museum of Nancy, in Nancy, France, from June 21–26, 2026.
Abstract submission and registration for ELS 2026 are now open!
Please visit the meeting webpage at https://sservi.nasa.gov/dev-els2026/ and note the various deadlines.
The European Lunar Symposium (ELS) is an annual international conference that brings together around 200 researchers, engineers, and professionals working on lunar science and exploration. Hosted each year in a different European city, ELS provides a key forum for presenting cutting-edge research, fostering collaborations, and discussing Europe’s role in the future of lunar exploration. ELS is excited to host the community for a week filled with thought-provoking discussions, inspiring sessions, and unique cultural experiences.
Our friends from Portugal would like to invite you to the Exoplanets 6 conference which will take place in Porto, Portugal, between the 29th of June and the 3rd of July 2026, and cover all state-of-the-art aspects of exoplanet science, including:
Present day results of exoplanet research
The detailed characterization of exoplanets and exoplanetary systems: architecture, interior models, atmospheres, astrobiology
Next steps towards the detection of the lowest mass/smallest exoplanets: the methods and main the challenges (data analysis, improved treatment of astrophysical variability and instrumentation-based systematics)
Some important points for the conference:
Conference Contact: exoplanets6@iastro.pt
Our partners at OoLEN (Origin of Life Early-Career Network) are conducting a survey about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the field of origin of life research. Inclusion and Community are two of OoLEN’s key pillars, and as part of this, they are gathering information on the current DEI climate in the OoL field for early-career researchers (ECR).
Link to the survey: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdMkmpiJxzcRDR_LcOEOgtvcFjN__pdmKC3ppFjkFxPPTlBWA/viewform
The survey is fully anonymous!
Thank you!
The Student Space Technology Association would like to invite you to their event – the Student Space Technology Conference (SSTC).
SSTC is a student-led event bringing together emerging leaders in space engineering from across academia, industry, and the government. Hosted by University Tennessee Knoxville’s Student Space Technology Association and powered by Type One Ventures, the SSTC is a national gathering of the top emerging space technology talent. The event will bring 250+ students, engineers, founders, and industry leaders to the University of Tennessee. It is a student-led, high-impact event that blends technical competition, industry networking, and thought-leading discussion on the future of space technology.
Anyone with an interest in the space industry and space technology from across the world can attend – there are a variety of ticket options.
Deadline to register: February 15th, 2026
Event takes place on: February 27th-28th, 2026
More information and registration: here
Join the International Geobiology Course (IGC), hosted by Penn State University
What: 5 weeks of immersive training in geobiology
Where: 2 weeks in Italy and 3 weeks in the USA, hosted at Penn State University
When: 6 June – 10 July 2026.
Eligibility is restricted to doctoral students in the geological or biological sciences. Participants must have valid passports. The course is taught in English.
Applications and details about international travel requirements are on the course website.
Course description: Fieldwork takes place in the Apennine and Sibillini Mountains, and at sulfidic springs, rivers, and cave systems in central Italy. Students will explore Fayetteville Green Lake, a meromictic system in upstate New York. The course includes expert lectures, laboratory and computer-based research.
Students are responsible for transportation to Italy and home from Penn State. Group travel from Italy to Penn State is provided. Housing and meals are provided, both in Italy and the US.
Questions: email us at geobio@psu.edu
Deadline for applications: February 2nd 2026
More information on the website
Apply here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdeFaxcCa0DeKkK_DkWx-s0veCOeaIxUwdRTaYsPYwCpiYeKA/viewform
The Massive Exoplanet MEME Exhibition (MEME) would like to invite you to today’s (30th January 2026) opening of their online exhibition hall!
The MEME focuses on communicating topics such as astrophysics, exoplanets, and research in general in a way that is both informative and a lot of fun by using memes. Check out their website. There you will find not only the memes shared by others but also today’s livestream:
16:45 Door opens
17:00 Welcome speech
17:15 Invited talk by Adam Dipert
17:30 Invited talk by Anja C. Andersen
17:45 Explore exhibition and vote
18:30 Closing remarks
All times are in CET (GMT+1)
See you there!
The exhibition hall stays open from January 30th to February 4th
The spring school “Tracking the evolution of planetary systems and planets” which is co-organised by the COST Action “The birth of solar systems” and the European Astrobiology Institute (EAI) will be taking place from 15th to 22nd April 2026 at Liblice Castle, Czechia. It aims to give attendees a thorough introduction into the formation of protoplanetary disks, planetary systems and planets with the focus on observational, experimental and theoretical methods to investigate the associated processes. Bursaries are available for early career scientists from most European countries (not only from EU countries, see a list here) covering the vast majority of costs for meals and accommodation aare available.
The lectures will cover the following programme points:
Other programme points include:
We would like to remind you that the deadline for the French school of astrobiology (RED26 – Rencontres exobiologiques pour doctorants) is approaching. If you want to take part in next year’s school, the application needs to be sent BEFORE December 14th 2025.
From the RED website:
RED is a Training School about the “Basics in Astrobiology”. Astrobiology addresses questions related to the origins of life, its evolution, and distribution in the Universe. This school aims to offer an interdisciplinary training in astrobiology to students and young researchers having a master’s degree in astronomy, planetology, geology, chemistry, biology, or history and philosophy of science. If you are preparing a thesis or are an early career scientist with a subject related to astrobiology, this training school is for you!
The registration form for RED 26 must be filled in and completed before December 14th, 2025. The number of places at the school is limited to 40 participants. The main target audience of the school is PhD students, but (…) second year of master’s students (conducting a research project in the frame of their studies) and early career scientists are also accepted. The cost for registration is 550 € including the full board stay (…).
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