Category: Study

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

Summer School “Dust to DNA” in Copenhagen (Denmark)

A one-week course, aimed at PhD students, that covers the journey from interstellar dust to habitable planets and the conditions for life

Interdisciplinary lectures and hands-on sessions using perspectives from astronomy, cosmochemistry, geology, and astrobiology, within the framework of exoplanet systems and the potential for life to emerge

When: 19-23 August 2024
Where: Globe Institute at the University of Copenhagen (Denmark)

Click here for more information. 

>> Registration deadline: 31st May 2024 <<

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

The aim of the workshop will be to enable students and early career scientists to design micro-and nanosatellite missions tackling scientific themes and target objects they have chosen themselves previously. The workshop will consist of three parts:

  • a lectured part consisting of in-depth talks on the scientific background of the chosen mission themes and on important issues in satellite technology
  • a mission designing part where attendees plan these endeavours in detail with the help of satellite technologists
  • a final presentation of all the projects

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 workshop will consist of lectures by leading scientists, planning for different micro- or nanosatellite projects in small groups as well as open discussions. Participants will also have the possibility to display their own research results in a poster session. Furthermore, a one-day excursion to South Estonia and a walk around Tartu is included as a social programme.

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).

>> Application deadline is 1st May 2024 <<

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

2 weeks left to complete your registration!

(Corrected) The deadline for registering for our International Astrobiology School is in 2 weeks – March 15th (12pm CET)!

Head over >> here << to register.

❗Remember❗:

  • Please be aware that the registration does not ensure the enrolment. We would love to welcome you all! Unfortunately, the venue capacity is limited… At the end of the registration timeframe, registered people will be selected as fairly as possible across career stages and disciplines to reach the maximum number of 50 participants.
  • Enrolment is only complete following payment of the registration fee (200€). The bank details for the payment will be sent to you after the selection process.

🇮🇹 We hope to see you soon! 🇮🇹

EAI online seminar: Life on Earth, and Earth Alone: How to Make Sense of the N = 1 Problem in Astrobiology

Philipp Spillmann Department of History & Philosophy of Science University of Cambridge, UK

Tuesday, 5th March 2024, 16:00 CET (15:00 UTC)

Astrobiology is often said to be limited to a single instance of life in the universe: Life as we know it on Earth. Scientists and philosophers alike have been worried that this unfortunate predicament may lead to serious, perhaps even insurmountable obstacles to the justification of astrobiological models and theories. This concern is known as the N = 1 problem. In my talk, I take a closer look at this problem from a philosophical perspective, and analyze how exactly it is best phrased, explained, and solved – both in theory and scientific practice.

The talk will be streamed at: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/6631204351

Watch the trailer at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKnxVSsXEt8

PhD Opportunities in Interdisciplinary Space Sciences and Planetary Research in Graz (Austria)

The Young Researcher Program YRP@Graz welcomes applications for PhD positions. YRP@Graz is jointly supported by the Space Research Institute of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, the Graz University of Technology, and the University of Graz.

The application process has two stages with which they aim to decrease selection biases: The first stage of the application process is anonymised, the second stage takes the form of an interview.

Excellent candidates with a strong background in natural sciences are welcome to apply. Successful candidates must hold a Master’s degree in (astro)physics, geoscience, computational chemistry, or equivalent at the latest by the starting date of the position but preferably at the time of application. Previous experience in aspects of astrophysics, machine learning, and related fields, and a track record of teamwork will be beneficial for the selection, as will experience in computational coding.

The three offered projects are:

  • Machine Learning-supported exoplanet cloud modelling
  • Solar Eruptions and their global magnetic environment
  • Magnetic helicity in solar eruptions and related interplanetary disturbances

>> Submission deadline: April 30th 2024 <<

Details about the offered projects and the application process can be found here.

PhD project “FLow / ExocUbe expeRiments of Life bioSignaturEs preservation in saLts” between Paris and Bordeaux (France)

PhD position starting in autumn 2024 offered between the National Museum of Natural History in Paris (PI A. Kish) and the Institute of Condensed Matter Chemistry of Bordeaux (PIs A. Cario and S. Marre), for the project Fleur de Sel (FLow / ExocUbe expeRiments of Life bioSignaturEs preservation in saLts).

The project aims to study the conservation of biosignatures in halites, combining in situ approaches (ExocubeHalo – ISS) and in the lab using microfluidics (developed at ICMCB).

This PhD project will be co-funded by both CNES and PEPR Origines (French Research Agency), thus, the application process is in two stages: first on the CNES website (the deadline is March 15th, click here), and then the successful candidate will be selected for the other funding of the project.

For more details, click >>here<<

Summer School for Sample Return

This summer school, run by the Institut Origines at Aix-Marseille University and the Origins theme from the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, will provide a unique platform to access both basic and cutting-edge knowledge related to the study of the origin of terrestrial planets and life based on the analysis of extraterrestrial samples in Earth laboratories.

There will be a particular focus on recent and future sample return missions. This multidisciplinary summer school will address domains including cosmochemistry, astrobiology, astrophysics, planetology, and more. You will learn through lectures and practicals from our large set of world experts as well as from more informal exchanges through a series of round tables with dedicated topics.

When: 24-28 June 2023
Where: Observatoire Haute-Provence, France

Click here for more information. 

Workshop: Earth and Planets Origin and Evolution

Registration and abstract submission are now open for the workshop on the formation and evolution of Earth and of the terrestrial planets, which will take place at the Natural History Museum in Paris on May 13-17, 2024.

>> Deadline for registering: February 15th <<

You can visit the page of the workshop here for more information.