Huge congratulations to the SMILE team, including the team in Leicester who built its ultra-lightweight X-ray optics! SMILE measures how Earth’s magnetic field responds to the solar wind, helping to reduce the worst effects of solar storms before they strike 🔭🎢 le.ac.uk/news/2026/ma...

Worms in Space!! A whole new crew for the International Space Station as a worm laboratory, built at the University of Leicester, has been launched. 🔭🎢 🪱 le.ac.uk/news/2026/ap... 🔭🎢

Three (3!) #postdoc jobs supporting #BepiColombo available right now: Leicester (deadline 31/05), Imperial (10/05), and OU (24/04). Led by @drbuncen.bsky.social on behalf of UK Mercury STFC team. www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DRA913/r... www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DRE596/r... www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DRA038/r...

🎢 Today! Anyone is welcome to join our webinar on researching how pollution affects clouds and climate. Register via the link below! 🎢

Book your place below for the latest in our Earth & Space webinars, by our Dr Adam Povey, talking about his research on how pollution affects clouds and climate. When: Monday 20th April at 16:30 BST For more talks see: le.ac.uk/physics/abou...

🔭🎢 Join our webinar today at 5pm (GMT) to learn from Dr Jenny Carter about her new ESA mission called SMILE, due to launch soon. Sign up here 👉 le.ac.uk/physics/abou... SMILE will take X-ray images of the location that the solar wind first encounters the Earth's magnetic field and of the aurora.

We'd love to gather amateur Jupiter imaging over the next few weeks to provide context for this Jupiter campaign from #JWST (plus Juno with be flying by Feb 25th on #PerijoveDay!). More details here: leighfletcher.substack.com/p/supporting...

Looking to start a PhD in Physics & Astronomy in 2026? The team @physicsuol.bsky.social have announced their STFC-funded projects on offer next year, spanning astrophysics, planetary science, and space instrumentation. Deadline: Jan 18th, contact us to learn more! le.ac.uk/study/resear...

🧪🎢 PhD Project focus: High resolution thermal data for climate adaption to urban heating We're advertising this project with Dr Ghent, providing crucial inputs to climate adaptation and urban greening strategies For details of all our PhD projects look here: www.findaphd.com/phds/departm... 🧪🎢

🧪🎢 PhD Project focus: Carbonyl sulfide (COS) as climate diagnostic: improving space-based observations We're advertising this project with Dr Harrison, doing a complete re-evaluation of infrared spectroscopy of COS For details of all our PhD projects look here www.findaphd.com/phds/departm... 🧪🎢

🧪🎢 PhD Project focus: Impact of Abrupt Permafrost Thaw on Climate Change Projections We're advertising this project with Dr Robert Parker, using Earth Observation to detect and quantify abrupt thaw transitions For details of all our PhD projects look here: www.findaphd.com/phds/departm... 🧪🎢

🧪🎢 Public talk on Robotic Exploration of our Solar System today at 4:30pm (GMT) Join Prof Leigh Fletcher to learn about orbiters like the Juno and JUICE missions at Jupiter, rovers on the surface of Mars, and space telescopes like Hubble and JWST Register here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/robotic-ex...

🧪🎢 PhD Project focus: Sands of Time: Monitoring Aerosols to Improve Climate and Weather Forecasts We're advertising this project with Dr Adam Povey, improving our predictions of dust plume evolution For details of all our PhD projects look here: www.findaphd.com/phds/departm... 🧪🎢

🧪🎢 PhD Project focus: “Chasing the Black Swan”: Toward Robust Frameworks for Predicting Extreme Weather in a Changing Climate We're advertising this project with Dr Tim Trent, and scientists from the UK Met Office For details of all our PhD projects look here: www.findaphd.com/phds/departm... 🧪🎢

I still can’t believe they said my name!! I got the Global Space Award 2025 in the category of Science Breakthrough for my leadership of the M-MATISSE mission concept to Mars! A really wonderful night! Next step is to do our super best for the mission to be selected in June 2026!

Leicester has partnered with the China Scholarship Council to provide #PhD funding for Chinese students, with astro/planetary @physicsuol.bsky.social specifically mentioned as a priority. If you have contacts with Chinese undergrads, please do share - deadline Dec 11th. le.ac.uk/study/resear...

Congratulations to our Prof Nial Tanvir and the rest of the international ENGRAVE collaboration awarded the Danish Government's inaugural Into Change Award for their work discoving the formation sites of the heaviest elements

🔭🧪🎢 PhD Project focus: AGN variability: hidden signals in the noise We're advertising this project with Prof Simon Vaughan, analysing AGN with methods that go beyond traditional models and assumptions For details of all our PhD projects look here: le.ac.uk/study/resear... 🔭🧪🎢

🔭🧪🎢 PhD Project focus: Novel Pu Gd oxides for Space Nuclear Power Systems We're advertising this project with Dr Emily Jane Watkinson, investigating new options to power exploration of the outer solar system For details of all our PhD projects look here: le.ac.uk/study/resear... 🔭🧪🎢

🔭🧪🎢 PhD Project focus: From gamma-ray bursts to fast radio bursts: the nature of astrophysical transients across the electromagnetic spectrum We're advertising this project with Dr Starling, where you'll be rapidly responding to astrophysical events Follow the link for all our PhD projects 🔭🧪🎢

🔭🧪🎢 PhD Project focus: SMILE: Northern Lights, Camera, Action! We're advertising this project with Prof Steve Milan, using ESA's new SMILE spacecraft to study connections between aurora and electrical currents in space For details of all our PhD projects look here: le.ac.uk/study/resear... 🔭🧪🎢

🔭🧪🎢 PhD Project focus: Towards a unified model of the Milky Way's dynamics We're advertising this project with Dr Paul McMillan, using Hamiltonian mechanics to understand our galaxy's history For details of all our PhD projects look here: le.ac.uk/study/resear... 🔭🧪🎢

🔭🧪🎢 PhD Project focus: Revealing Mercury’s surface composition with BepiColombo MIXS We're advertising this project with Dr Martindale, using first data from BepiColombo to determine whether surface minerals have been lifted there by asteroids For details of all our PhD projects look here:

🔭🧪🎢 PhD Project focus: Exploring the Atmospheres of Uranus & Neptune with JWST We're advertising this project with Prof Leigh Fletcher, using infrared spectral data to investigate the changing atmospheres of the ice giants For details of all our PhD projects look here: le.ac.uk/study/resear... 🔭🧪🎢

🔭🧪🎢 PhD Project focus: SMILE! Novel X-ray views of the magnetosphere We're advertising this project with Dr Jennifer Carter, analysing data from SMILE (launch early 2026) to understand Earth's magnetosphere and the solar wind For details of all our PhD projects look here: le.ac.uk/study/resear...

🔭🧪🎢 PhD Project focus: Discovering and characterizing extra-solar planets with the Next Generation Transit Survey and TESS We're advertising this project with Dr Matt Burleigh, analysing data on long-period exoplanets For details of all our PhD projects look here: le.ac.uk/study/resear... 🔭🧪🎢

🔭🧪🎢 PhD Project focus: The astrophysics and environments of the most luminous galaxies We're advertising a project with Prof Andrew Blain, using survey data to understand the brightest infrared bursts in dusty galaxies For details of all our PhD projects look here: le.ac.uk/study/resear... 🔭🧪🎢

🔭🧪🎢 PhD Project focus: Study Phobos' surface with MMX We're advertising this project with Dr Chrysa Avdellidou, analysing Phobos' craters to determine its origin. For details of all our PhD projects look here: le.ac.uk/study/resear... 🔭🧪🎢

🔭🧪🎢 PhD Project focus: Understanding protoplanetary disc evolution We're advertising this project with Prof Richard Alexander, making simulations of accretion of planet-forming discs onto their star. For details of all our PhD projects look here: le.ac.uk/study/resear... 🔭🧪🎢

🔭🧪🎢 The next Open Day at the University of Leicester is tomorrow! Come and see what studying Physics here is all about! Sign up here: le.ac.uk/open-days Gain a world-class Physics education while learning from experts in Space science, Astrophysics and Earth Observation Science. 🔭🧪🎢

Thanks to the team at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory for hosting me today: home of Dragonfly quadcopter to Titan (model below), Parker Solar Probe, New Horizons to Pluto, DART asteroid impactor, and more. Talked HabWorlds, JWST, heliophysics and exoplanets, all in one exhausting day.

Fantastic first part of the week at ESAC at the BepiColombo @science.esa.int Science Working Team meeting… just a bit over a year before arriving to Mercury! ✨✨ very exciting, and always great to go back home, even if just for a few days!

🐱 Our newest student! 🐱 Learning about the vast current flowing along the Earth's magnetic field to the ionosphere is as captivating for cats as it is for our students. It took a seat and stayed for the lecture as @bscredrojo.bsky.social explained the "Birkeland currents" to our 3rd years! 😻

🔭🧪🎢 As a summer research project, our undergraduate Bagirdam Dharmalingam studied greenhouse gas above the UK! ☀️ Learn more about out Earth Observation research here le.ac.uk/physics/rese... Learn about studying Physics at Leicester here 👉 le.ac.uk/study/physics

🔭🧪🎢 This summer project, which two of our students, Jack Fuller and Luke Smith, worked on looked at what happens when you mill through the surface of materials with lasers! Summer projects are open to our undergraduates every year. Learn about studying Physics at Leicester 👉 le.ac.uk/study/physics

🔭🧪🎢 Our undergraduate, Kieran Bujdoso, spent his summer project here analysing meteorites. Learn more about our meteorite research here 💫 🪨 : le.ac.uk/physics/rese... Learn about studying Physics at Leicester here 👉 le.ac.uk/study/physics

Our 3rd year William Spanswick did a summer project here studying the Martian ionosphere! This is him telling the department about it before term started Learn more about our research here 🛰️ le.ac.uk/physics/rese... Learn about studying Physics at Leicester here 👉 le.ac.uk/study/physics

🔭🧪🎢 As a summer project our undergraduate student Emily Stedall looked at "The Evolution and Impact of Accretion Disk Winds in an X-Ray Binary System" 🔭🧪🎢 Learn more about studying Physics at Leicester here 👉 le.ac.uk/study/physics

🔭🧪🎢 Every year we run the summer research projects for some of our undergraduates. Daniel Booth looked at identifying mid-infrared counterparts to gamma-ray bursts, and he presented his work before term started 🔭🧪🎢

🔭🧪🎢 Every year we run some summer research projects for our undergraduates. Before term, Ayushma Paudel told us about helping to monitor food security! Learn about our Earth observation research 🌍 le.ac.uk/physics/rese... Learn about studying Physics at Leicester 👉 le.ac.uk/study/physics

🔭🧪🎢 Our next open day is tomorrow, Saturday 13th September, and you are all welcome! Book your place here: le.ac.uk/open-days You can learn about the exciting research done here at the university that you can get involved with as an undergraduate. 🔭🧪🎢

🔭🧪🎢 Our next public open day is this weekend! On 13th September, come and see what studying physics at the University of Leicester can be like. You'll also witness some of the highlights of our internationally renowned space research. Book your place here: le.ac.uk/open-days 🔭🧪🎢

🔭🧪🎢 Just over a week until our next public open day! On 13th September, come and see what studying physics at the University of Leicester can be like. You'll also witness some of the highlights of our internationally renowned space research. Book your place here: le.ac.uk/open-days 🔭🧪🎢

Just over 2 weeks until our next public open day! On 13th September, come and see what studying physics at the University of Leicester can be like. You'll also witness some of the highlights of our internationally renowned space research. Book your place here: le.ac.uk/open-days

How many universities do you know with their own space elephant? This is 'Ele-gene Voyager' (by Marta Zubieta), celebrating @uniofleicester.bsky.social roles in space exploration @physicsuol.bsky.social and DNA fingerprinting. Part of the Loros #StompRoundLeicester

Fancy joining the #PlanetaryScience team at @uniofleicester.bsky.social? We have 3 postdoc positions open: Mercury with BepiColombo with Emma Bunce; the Martian ionosphere with @bscredrojo.bsky.social; or Jupiter's auroral lightshow with @jnic.bsky.social. Visit jobs.le.ac.uk and search "Physics"

🔭 A postdoc opportunity here at the University of Leicester! 🔭

An extragalactic explosion was a massive star exploding, with a jet that was trapped in a 'cocoon' by the outer layers of the star or the dense matter surrounding it. Our researchers helped explain this using data from the Einstein Probe and ground telescopes. le.ac.uk/news/2025/ju...

Leicester scientists building the Soft X-ray Imager for ESA and CAS's Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer being highlighted by the UKSA during #NAM2025