The ultra depressing moment when I've finally gotten back to working on a paper and see its already been a year since I produced some of the analysis pickles for said paper 🙃. I guess an intercontinental move, data migration, setting up at a new institution and computing cluster will do that...

Annoyed at how long it took me to FINALLY start using VS Code. But to be fair, I am an older grumpy academic, set in my ways. #AcademicSky

*sigh* I know that an international move, and getting set up at a few workplace is intense, and it's reasonable I missed some abstract submission deadlines for conferences. But I am bummed to not be able to mingle with the star formation community at some upcoming meetings.#AcademicChatter

I have student projects available for all levels! Interested in simulating star formation and interactions with the star-forming cloud? Have a look at these! I work with students to align the project to their skills, interests, and academic level. 🔭✨#Astronomy rajikalk.github.io/html_pages/s...

The local supercomputer is down for maintenance, so I guess I finally have time to catch up my myADS paper notifications that I've been ignoring for weeks 😅 #astronomy #academia

I was lucky enough to be interviewed on ABC Brisbane radio! I got to talk about stargazing and my work! 😊 www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

AUSTRALIAN REALTORS! If you're going to attach a floor plan of an apartment to the listing, can you at least make sure the scale is CORRECT. measured one to be over 200m^2, and few others >120m^2, which was way too large for the price. Just list the area. That really should be standard.

"Not hearing anything? Turn up volume" "Not hearing anything? Turn up volume" "Not hearing anything? Turn up volume" "Not hearing anything? Turn up volume" "Not hearing anything? Turn up volume" Please hit the X 🙏🙏🙏. I want to focus on the talk, but I can't. Is it just me?

I turn 33 today, and survived the gommage (because I finished #ClairObsur Expedition 33 😂)

Rediscovered music I composed for my high school exams. Inspired by the Voyager space craft 🔭. My thought of the parts were: 1. The launch, 2. Discovering the weirdness of space, 3. Excitement about what's to come. I was embarrassed, but it's not bad for a 16yo 😅 on.soundcloud.com/YiUFgvT8gMtr...

Moving back to Australia, which I am excited about. But there are definitely little things I'm already missing during my rental hunting. Namely: 1. I hate that the m^2 isn't listed and I need to calculate it from floor plans 2. I'm going to miss hardwood floors. So much easier to clean than carpet!

At the Stars to Life at McMaster for the rest of the week! 🔭

Maybe the worm inside RFK's head was an agent of the Absolute #BaldursGate

Is it just me, but I tend to wear headphones while doing tasks that don't need too much focus (debugging, cleaning up plots), but I don't on tasks that need more focus (writing). I just wish my colleagues knew I was more open to being interrupted when I'm wearing headphones 🤣

What the hell just NEARLY happened? #eurovision

It was on #Eurovision!!! 🥹 FYI, Tommy Cash borrowed my Australian flag hahahaha. I know it's small, but it was such a lovely way to wrap what will be my last Live Eurovision experience for a few years.

I'm moving back to Australia!! 🇦🇺 I'll be continuing as a post doc at the Australian National University, back where it all started. I have absolutely loved my time in Europe and working with the Astronomical communities here, but it was always the long term plan to go back.

I'm actually hoping my train arrival is delayed by a few more minutes so I can get compensated. It's already 58min late, what's a couple more minutes? Haha

Companies that like to poach grad students might benefit a lot from PromoPlot ;) #AprilFools arxiv.org/abs/2503.24254

Finally some practical advice to deal with rising publication costs! #AprilFools arxiv.org/abs/2503.24254

Submit your abstracts for the multiplicity in Young Stars Conference! 🔭 ✨

Today is exactly 30 years since my family left Sri Lanka (due to civil war) I was two years old. I have realised that no matter where I go, I will always be seen as an immigrant, and it is a core part of identity. I hate Immigration politics, but talk of it makes me wary of who I want to befriend.

Super proud of Germany's song this year! And it's in German! The time Germany had a song in German was 2007

NGL, I haven't been the most productive this afternoon when THIS IS HAPPENING WHERE I LIVE. Thankfully all my loved ones are safe, but WTF is happening in Germany

I had a few hours to waste... #Strava

Just a gal from New South Wales 🇦🇺 hanging out in Old South Wales! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 I'll be visiting Cardiff University for the rest of the week, talking multiple-star formation ✨

I feel like a lot of the people I'm losing out to are folks that moved straight onto an independent postdoc from their PhD. Is doing a group postdoc before moving onto something independent really such a stain on your CV? #AcademicSky

Yes!! I can still remain on the electoral roll in Australia! I was really afraid of losing my right to vote anywhere in the world... I do like that no-matter where an EU citizen is living within the EU, they can always vote in local elections. The right to vote is sacred, so please vote 🙏

we get distracted by fees easily but the biggest threat to the university in Australia is the housing crisis

From a journalist friend: Just spreading the word. The CDC is purging data, so people should archive their favorite CDC datasets today, namely ones around race/ethnic diversity, LGBTQ, and reproductive health. Also health data involving climate. The youth risk behavior survey has already gone down.

Exclusive: NSF this week began to search through billions of dollars of grants the agency has already awarded for anything touching on topics that President Donald Trump has criticized. And NSF has blocked grantees and trainees from accessing funds while the review is underway. scim.ag/3El0NZh

Oh a slightly random and positive note: January is basically over, and I've stuck to my resolution of reading myADS emails when they come! Even saved some papers and made notes in my Zotero along the way 😊 I actually find checking out these papers to be a little mental break haha #AcademicSky

*sigh* applying for a DECRA again, and this time I need a Statutory declaration witnessed by a Justice of the Peace. Usually not an issue if living in Australia, but I have to basically take a day off to travel to the consulate in Frankfurt and it costs €53 Euro.

Definitely Ig Nobel Prize winning research! Seriously, it's fascinating www.nature.com/articles/d41...

My petty gripe: I’ve been yelled at, huffed at and filled with rage at humanity. Why does Sydney hate bikes?

I'm so grateful for this opportunity to expand my research group at @mpsgoettingen.bsky.social thanks to the Lise Meitner Excellence Program 🪐 www.mps.mpg.de/studying-pla...

I'm taking two rest days in a row! Reddit would have me believe I'm going to lose all my gains, but I'm pretty pooped.

Wow

🧵: I am getting texts on what scientists should do in this perilous and scary moment. My advice: your biggest power is to organize through your professional societies. A few ideas -

If Australian govt had guts and vision they’d lure all the top US research scientists here who’ve had funding and projects frozen by Trump, and fund them and locals as a dream team.

Starting today, same-sex marriage is officially legalized in Thailand. It’s the first country in Southeast Asia to recognize marriage equality.

Here's an e-mail that just went out to NASA agency wide. 🔭

The Trump admin has cancelled the panels that approve NIH grants, & is also banning scientists from communicating with the public, attending conferences, and hiring. NIH is the largest funder of biomedical research in the world. This will severely halt the development of many lifesaving treatments.

When applying for jobs, do you use your uni/work/professional email, or your personal one? For the last few job rounds I have used my work one. But this time, I am seriously worried that my work email is not working with some automated system because of a dash... #AcademicSky

AOC: I don’t care what Elon Musk is doing behind the presidential seal, but in this country we hate Nazis. Kind of like a foundational defining thing. Two of the foundational things about American history is that we beat the confederates and we beat the Nazis.

As the transgender community continues to fight for civil rights in the U.S., one of the most common arguments against progress is that transgender people are a recent phenomenon. But it’s a fight that’s been happening here for decades and around the world for centuries. ⤵️

Stop using EM's autism as an excuse for his salute. I am pretty high on the spectrum and never once in my life have I ever done that. Using autism, or any mental health issue for heinous behaviour is NOT a valid excuse. Get a better one and stop tarring neurodivergent people with the same brush.

Every astronomer the first time they do reduce radio observations 🥴 #radioastronomy #astronomy

Extremely proud and excited to have been part of the team behind today's @eso.org news item about WASP-127 b and its crazy winds (read here: www.eso.org/public/news/...) ... but even more BLOWN AWAY (!) by the incredible animation that I didn't know was going to be attached to it!!! 🤯🪐🔭🧪