Category: Meetings

Online public outreach event: ‘Exoplanets and the Ariel Mission – Searching for signatures of life on strange worlds’ on October 31st

The Centre for Planetary Sciences at UCL/Birkbeck is delighted to announce the next event in their free ‘Adventures in Planetary Science’ public engagement series ‘Exoplanets and the Ariel Mission – Searching for signatures of life on strange worlds’, taking place on Thursday 31st October, from 5:30pm GMT. This will be a virtual event held online with Zoom.

It is estimated that our own Milky Way Galaxy is home to at least 100 billion planets and, with over 5700 detected over the past few decades, these strange new worlds orbiting other stars have become an important and fascinating area of scientific study.  Join to hear from exoplanet and astrobiology experts about how we explore these alien planets and what they could reveal about the search for life beyond Earth. Since it’s Halloween, they’ll be sharing some details of the many “horrifyingly inhospitable” exoplanets discovered so far!  You can also dive a little deeper into the bewitching world of exoplanets by putting your questions to the panel during the Q&A following the talks.

The event will feature talks from Professor Giovanna Tinetti (UCL, Head of Astrophysics Group and Ariel Mission Science Lead), Dr Andrew Rushby (Birkbeck, Lecturer in Astrobiology and co-host of the ExoCast podcast), Alex Thompson (UCL, PhD researcher in exoplanets and founder of the Orbyts STAR programme) and Dr Gordon Yip (UCL, post doctoral researcher in exoplanets and machine learning techniques, Lead of the Ariel Data Challenge). Dr Catherine Regan (West Virginia University, post-doctoral researcher in planetary science and recent winner of the IoP Jocelyn Bell Burnell medal for exceptional early-career contributions to physics by a female physicist) will be the host for the evening.

Don’t miss out! Register for your free tickets on Eventbrite now:  https://CPS-exoplanets.eventbrite.co.uk

For further information about the event please see the event webpage.

Only 2 days left to register!

This Friday 12th of July will be the last day to complete your registration for

As a reminder, please note that your registration is only complete once the registration fee has been paid. Payment details will be sent after you fill out the form.

Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with fellow early-careers, gain valuable insights, and participate in stimulating discussions ⭐

Secure your spot today and enjoy both professional growth and unforgettable fun in these amazing cities!

2 deadlines coming up this week!

And in order to make that easier for you, we’ve decided to combine them both on the same day:
Sunday 30th of June

  • Abstract submission deadline (yep, we’ve extended it!) for AbGradEPEC’24 held in Berlin (Germany) just before EPSC 2024 – September 8th

When writing your abstract, remember to use this template and please note that the main text (the body of the abstract) should not exceed 200 words. When you’re done, simply send it to abgrade (at) eana-net (.) eu

You can find details on the themes and event-specific instructions in the respective webpage (you will also find the link to start your registration, if you haven’t already seen it!)

Don´t miss out on the opportunity to present your work, we all want to hear about it!

Early Career Workshop: Microsatellites and their use in planetary and astrobiology research (Tartu, Estonia, 24-31 August 2024)

To plan missions involving such small satellites successfully, intensive interaction and cooperation between scientists and space technologists are necessary, which is still lacking in some potential key applications. The workshop school aims to:

  • Highlight the possible potential of microsatellites in exploring different targets like the Moon, small bodies and outer satellites
  • Foster the interaction between space researchers and technologists
  • Allow participants to start the design and planning of new space missions
  • Contribute to the training of a new generation of space researchers

The work on the mission designs will continue after the workshop, thus ensuring a long-term impact.

The European Astrobiology Institute, Univeristy of Tartu and Stockholm University Astrobiology Centre will function as co-organisers of the workshop.

The event is open to applicants from all nationalities. Nevertheless, recommendation letters for visa applications are only issued for participants selected by the organisers.

PLEASE NOTE: A limited number of bursaries for students and early career scientists (up to 8 years from their first PhD in a related field) from EAI institutions (see a list here) will be available. We are also working to get some funding for students and early career scientists from the US. Participants from EAI Institutions selected by the EAI for bursaries will be offered free lunches, excursions, farewell dinner and accommodation in a shared 2-bedded room at Raatuse Hostel from 23 August (arrival) to 1 September 2024 (departure), but have to fund their travel on their own. There is no special application for the bursaries, just send in your application form and tell us in the e-mail. Participants selected for the bursaries will be notified immediately after the application deadline (in good time after the registration deadline).

All information is found on the on the >>website<<

Conference: Social and Ethical Frontiers in Space Exploration (Kiruna, Sweden, 23-24 September 2024)

A joint meeting of the European Astrobiology Institute and the Society for Social and Conceptual Issues in Astrobiology.

This meeting will bring scholars, students, politicians, journalists and other stakeholders together to discuss the ethical, political legal, societal and environmental aspects of space exploration.

Experts from every discipline interested in exploring the many complex social and ethical questions raised by space exploration and the search for life on other planets are invited to attend the first joint meeting of the two major groups devoted to this end.  We welcome submissions addressing any of the many “broader questions” in astrobiology and space exploration such as:

  •  Commercial activity in space
  •  Human colonization of other worlds
  •  The true nature of “life”’
  •  Emerging issues in space law
  •  Ethical questions regarding the search for extraterrestrial life and intelligence
  •  Balancing diverse cultural perspectives in space research
  •  Space Mining  and ownership of space “resources”
  •  First Contact protocols
  •  “Pollution” in the context of space
  •  Societal and religious implications of a possible discovery of extraterrestrial life
  •  Fictional portrayals of space

A limited number of bursaries for students and early career scholars (up to 8 years from their first Ph. D. in a related field) from US and EAI institutions (see a list here) will be available.  Those bursaries imply:

  • refund for the registration fee including lunches and coffee breaks
  • refund for accommodation in Malmfaelten Adult Learning Centre
  • refund for participation in the excursion

Please specify in your email if you want to apply for a bursary. (Membership in one of the Working Groups or Project Teams alone does NOT entitle you to the EAI participating institution fee).

Kiruna, located some 200 miles north of the arctic circle, is home to the Swedish Estrange Space Center and Rocket Range.  At this time of year, attendees should be able to see both splendid fall colors as well as the Northern Light. Please check the website

All information is found on the on the >>website<<

Only 4 days to submit your abstract!

The deadline for submitting your abstract to AbGradEPEC’24 is coming up soon – this Saturday June 15th!

Don’t miss out on showing off what you’ve been working on, as well as meeting two people who have mastered the art of applying to some of the most coveted positions in our line of work: an internship and a postdoctoral fellowship at ESA 🔬🔭🧪

Submitting an abstract is easy: all you have to do is send a short abstract (max. 200 words) using this template to abgrade (at) eana-net (.) eu (and remember that this should be work that you either present as a poster at EPSC’24 or any other project not presented at EPSC’24).

Head over >> here << to register.

2 weeks left to submit your abstract!

The deadline for submitting your abstract to AbGradEPEC’24 is coming up soon – Saturday June 1st!

Picture this: you and other scientists in Germany’s most creative city talking about what you like the most 🔬🔭🧪

Submitting an abstract is easy: all you have to do is send a short abstract (max. 200 words) using this template to abgrade (at) eana-net (.) eu (and remember that this should be work that you either present as a poster at EPSC’24 or any other project not presented at EPSC’24).

Don´t miss out on the opportunity to present your work, we all want to hear about it!

Head over >> here << to register.

5th AbGradE Workshop @ EANA 2024

As part of the year-long celebration of our 10th anniversary, we present a one-day workshop on September 2nd, 2024 in Graz, Austria! 

Have you ever looked at a paper or listened to a conference talk about a topic that is relevant to you but from a different enough field that you don’t understand the methods or tools used? This workshop is here to help! The programme will include a symposium in the morning, during which participants will be able present their research focusing on the methodologies and tools they use, and a workshop in the afternoon, where we’ll explore methodologies and their criteria of excellence used in the different disciplines that make up the field of astrobiology. This workshop will define strategies on how to critically approach and assess a methods section in a paper or talk from a field you are not an expert in.

Click here for more details!

Registrations open for The RED Astrobiology Introductory Virtual School – June 10th-14th

Rencontres Exobiologiques pour Doctorants  (RED / Astrobiology Introductory Course) is a Training School about the “Basics in Astrobiology”.

This school aims to offer interdisciplinary training in astrobiology to students and young researchers with a master’s degree in astronomy, planetology, geology, chemistry, biology, or history and philosophy of science. If you are a master’s student, preparing a thesis, or are an early career scientist with a subject related to astrobiology, this training school is for you! 

Its aim is to offer interdisciplinary training in astrobiology to students and young scientists with a Master’s degree in astronomy, planetology, geology, chemistry, biology, or the history and philosophy of science.

From June 10th to 14th 2024, you are invited to participate in the Virtual RED Astrobiology School. This virtual school is based on the lectures from the “in-person” school held in Le Teich (France) in March 2024. Registering for the school will offer you the opportunity to listen to the lessons filmed on-site (given in English), interact directly with the lecturers, ask questions, and engage in conversations with other participants from all over the world!

Participants who watch the whole lecture series and succeed in short quizzes about it will receive a certificate of attendance. Live animations and Q&A sessions will be organized at CEST (UTC + 2), but you can watch the lectures and replays of the Q&A session at your convenience in your time zone.

>> Registrations are open <<

Discover the program and the speakers of this session on the school website