Translation: "I started something I can't finish and broke something I can't fix so I'm going to walk away and pretend it's your fault"

Two staff scientist positions at JPL in Dark Energy/Dark Matter Cosmology to make use of Rubin and Euclid. JPL is awesome and these would be amazing jobs. www.jpl.jobs/job/R5541/Sc... www.jpl.jobs/job/R5540/Sc...

It’s TODAY! Radio Universe is BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week 📚💙 Episode 1 starts with the birth of radio astronomy, when one man heard a hiss in his headphones... 📡🎧 ... the moment we realised we could listen to the universe, not just look at it 🔭 🎧 Listen now: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

Project Hail Mary was thoroughly enjoyable. Captured the spirit of the book and had some very emotional moments. A movie worth seeing on the big screen. <jazz hands>

This letter followed evidence given by STFC Executive Chair Michele Dougherty to the Committee on 4 March. Today, our response to the letter has been published on the Committee's webpage. In the interest of openness and transparency UKRI is also publishing it here: www.ukri.org/publications...

This really is an appalling situation for UK research in particle, nuclear, and astrophysics. Almost made worse by appearing to be collateral damage of thoughtless decisions more than deliberate intent.

I recognise this phenomenon far too well - “supervisor in essay crisis too proud to ask student for extension”. Overloaded markers failing to do the marking and unable to tell their colleagues, until a hiccup becomes a crisis.

Sounds like shockingly poor past stewardship of the finances at Nottingham University. A gamble on the future that didn’t pay off and has trashed their finances to an astonishing level. www.nottinghampost.com/news/notting...

Less than one week after this post, the theoretical particle physics grants have been ruthlessly cut. PDRA positions are down by ~70% compared to the last funding cycle. Some groups cannot even hire postdocs for the next 4 years. This is on top of an effective 100% hiring cut for October 2026.

Opinion: Even if delayed STFC grants arrive soon, it is too late to hire postdocs this year, and wider budget cuts will cut the supply of tech skills, says Malcolm Fairbairn #research #physics https://www.timeshighereducation.com/opinion/stfc-turmoil-bodes-ill-uk-plc-well-uk-physics

I think I would have preferred the time line where neither Trump or Netanyahu won reelection and instead both ended up in jail. They’ve really shown the worst of their respective countries.

I love “Copenhagen”. Really wish I was in London to see this performance. Toby from the West Wing is a bonus :) www.hampsteadtheatre.com/whats-on/202...

#arXiv, the granddaddy of #preprints servers, has announced it’s splitting from Cornell U., its long-time host institution. Leaders there explain why. #OpenAccess #ScholComm @science.org www.science.org/content/arti...

Fascinating talk on ballistic missile defence at DPG. A key message was that the shield can work, but it really needs a matching sword to take out enemy launch capabilities. Sitting still to take out one missile at a time is a losing prospect.

A cover that was a year ahead of its time

I would never have predicted, as a teen playing Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay and Space Hulk, that one day there’d be a Warhammer store in every town. It blows my mind.

10 + 10 = 100 is an axiomatic fact, but if you don’t caveat “in base 2” your audience will assume you meant “in base 10” and get a false impression. There’s a lot of misleading by stating facts and numbers too narrowly going around these days.

This is a novel, and pleasing, conference offering.

Trump has decimated the Atlantic alliance and ended 80 years of American success. And this tweet is pathetic as well. A historic moment wrapped up in a petty whinge.

"This is not straightforward... and the STFC thing is particularly difficult" Understatement 😬 A thread with quotes from Lord Vallance and his thoughts on the "STFC thing"

The Science, Innovation & Technology Committee will be questioning Science Minister, Lord Vallance, today at 13:30 in its inquiry examining the UK’s science diplomacy capabilities. I'll have my popcorn ready! #SaveUKAstronomy #STFCcuts 📺: committees.parliament.uk/event/26819/...

Large conferences without participant lists are strange to me. There could be people I’d love to chat with, but moving in parallel sessions. Here but out of sight.

Looking forward to attending the #DPG meeting in Erlangen this week. Bound to be many new things learnt. erlangen26.dpg-tagungen.de

Remembering the start of my Covid lockdown six years ago. It sometimes feels like those years of isolation were all some fever dream.

Being abruptly told you have an extra 20min for your invited conference talk is a mixed blessing.

There seem to be huge changes afoot behind the scenes for both arXiv and ADS at the moment. These are critical infrastructure for international astrophysics research and maybe I’m just getting old, but it makes me uneasy.

“Radio Universe” is out TODAY in the UK. If you want to find out how we use radio telescopes 📡 to uncover ice on Mercury, caves on the Moon, search for 👽 and SO much more please order and review today. It really helps to do it NOW. Thank you friends 🥰🔭 linktr.ee/RadioUnivers...

Very worthwhile. Too often academic jobs end up being linear and intolerant to hiccups.

Looking forward to reading @dreochapman.bsky.social new book - Radio Universe. It looks a fun survey of all the many ways radio waves can tell us about planets, stars, and the Universe. Nice one Emma!

Great news—We remain the most successful German University of Excellence! With eight Clusters of Excellence and funding secured until 2033, we’re moving closer to our goal of establishing our Uni permanently among the best universities in the world: www.uni-bonn.de/en/news/040-... © VL/Uni Bonn

Myself and thousands of other authors are "contributors" to this empty book, highlighting the theft of published material by big tech to train their AI models. www.dontstealthisbook.com

The @royalastrosoc.bsky.social and German Astronomical Society are delighted to announce that the 2026 Caroline Herschel Medal has been awarded to Professor Dr Heike Rauer, of @dlr-en.bsky.social and @freieuniversitaet.bsky.social.🏅 ⤵️

The big changes at UKRI keep coming This time, quite a big shift of infrastructure funding towards supercomputing and away from cash for new facilities at universities/research institutions ....

The @axisprobe.bsky.social team learned that the phase A concept study report of AXIS (the Advanced X-ray Imaging Satellite) will not be reviewed because the lost personnel at NASA Goddard and government shutdown impacted our schedule and budget. 🔭 Here is the PI's e-mail with the explanation.

Trump's decision to bomb Iran is now the greatest windfall to the Russian war effort on record. If it continues, it might save the Russian war economy.

Immigration agents everywhere are delighted to see my new design British passport. I’m 5 for 5 of it being the first one they’ve ever seen.

Well done Italy! #ENGvITA

Back in London briefly for funeral of my eldest sister. At 75 & mentally handicapped she was independent of mind, laughing & warm with those she liked, & suffered no fools. Her last couple of years in the UK care system were awful, but she found joy in life & made may friends. She’ll be much missed.

I love Waterstones, but it bothers me that they’ve slowly come to own unique places like Hatchards. Better than see iconic places close, but sad there isn’t enough book buying to sustain bookshops. (he says while reading on his Kindle…)

At yesterday's Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, I pressed Prof Michele Dougherty STFC Executive Chair to explain how the £162m financial shortfall threatening our physics, astronomy, and nuclear research base had come about and why early career researchers were paying for it.

A LOT going on in the Commons select committee hearing on STFC budget pressures Michele Dougherty said that, despite having previously been on STFC's council, she didn't know until starting as exec chair in Jan 2025 that there was a £100-150m shortfall She said it was "not what I signed up to" 😶

I have huge respect for Michele Dougherty after seeing her as HoD at Imperial for years. Can’t say I envy her the shit show she seems to have inherited in taking up the STFC CEO role.

So much of the STFC funding crisis seems to hang on whether PPAN researchers are actually able to access this big new AI fund. That seems a huge risk and a messy restructuring.

An open letter has been sent to Lord Vallance from 57 heads of UK physics departments and institutes, including all of the heads of physics departments of the Russell group. www.iop.org/about/news/o...

Good to see things didn’t get much crazier while I was on an 11hr flight.

Wine tasting with a spittoon. Strong discipline required.

Keep pushing & don't forget the bigger picture :)

Never have I so wanted to ditch the conference and become a beach bum.

All kudos to Ukraine for holding out against Russian invasion for four years. May they continue to hold strong. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/f...

UCSB is building new accommodation for postdocs. I love that trees on the site are being relocated and not just cut down.