Cosmology

Zack Gelles examines how black-hole rotation twists magnetic fields near light cylinders, where plasma accelerates into inflows and outflows. Semi-analytic models and simulations connect this structure to polarization changes detectable with radio interferometry, offering constraints on black-hole spin and relativistic jets. Kritti Sharma presents fast radio bursts as probes of cosmic baryons. Dispersion measures and secure host redshifts constrain gas in galaxy groups and clusters, while correlations with large-scale structure and other tracers map matter along burst sight-lines. The talk considers how future burst surveys can measure baryonic feedback and its evolution alongside other cosmological observations. Online via Stanford KIPAC Zoom. Friday 25 September 2026, 10:40–11:30 PDT (America/Los_Angeles; UTC−7). Follow Join the zoom meeting on the event page. The organizer lists faculty, staff, members and students as the audience. This is one session with two speakers; individual talk start times are not supplied.

Paco Villaescusa surveys the growing role of numerical simulations and AI in cosmology. Quijote and Backlight explore how much information about the Universe can be recovered beyond conventional summary statistics, including nonlinear structure and higher-order relationships. CAMELS addresses uncertainty in galaxy formation and other astrophysical processes, while DREAMS examines dark-matter predictions in the presence of baryonic effects. The seminar then considers automated research workflows through Denario, a system that develops hypotheses, plans analyses, writes and executes code, and interprets results. It discusses possibilities opened by combining simulation libraries with coordinated AI systems, while framing these as research directions. The speaker is a computational cosmologist at the Flatiron Institute.

Lurdes Ondaro Mallea examines whether current models of the kinematic Sunyaev–Zeldovich signal accurately recover diffuse baryons and the strength of astrophysical feedback. The analysis uses hydrodynamic simulations to generate mock stacked measurements for realistic DESI-like galaxy samples, separating contributions from gas density, velocities and nonlinear astrophysics. It tests baryonic changes to density and velocity fields, satellite galaxies, nonlinear velocities and velocity reconstruction. Neglecting satellites can underestimate halo gas fractions at today's measurement precision; further corrections become significant for future datasets. The talk explains how including these effects can improve gas-distribution measurements and assessments of feedback. Online via Zoom. Monday 28 September 2026, 11:00–12:00 PDT (America/Los_Angeles; UTC−7). Follow Join the zoom meeting on the organizer's event page. Lurdes Ondaro Mallea is affiliated with Cambridge. Organized by the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology (KIPAC), Stanford University. This listing advertises the verified remote option.

Tanmay Vachaspati, joined by Maulik Parikh, explores the limits of knowledge in cosmology and particle physics. The discussion moves from large-scale cosmic structure, the cosmic microwave background and black holes to the Higgs particle, symmetry breaking and magnetic monopoles. These established research landscapes frame questions about what remains unknown and whether some questions could be fundamentally unknowable. This is part of the Beyond Center’s Thinking Beyond series on major questions in science. Speakers: Tanmay Vachaspati and Maulik Parikh, Arizona State University. Organized by the Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science. Monday 28 September 2026, 18:00 America/Phoenix (Arizona, UTC−07:00). Online via Zoom. Use Register Here on the official event page to complete the event-specific Zoom registration; registration is required. The registration page confirms the date and time.

The University of Cambridge's Handley Lab seeks a researcher to connect fundamental theories with cosmological and astrophysical observations using AI-assisted scientific software and GPU-accelerated inference. The role includes developing physical predictions, Bayesian methods including nested sampling, publishing research and shaping an independent research programme. The post is based at the Kavli Institute for Cosmology and Institute of Astronomy, with funding initially available until 30 September 2030. Appointment is at Grade 7 or Grade 9 according to experience; Grade 9 requires Faculty Board approval. Salary: £37,694–£59,966. Applications close on 25 September 2026 at 23:59 GMT, as stated by the employer. Submit a cover letter, CV, publications, research statement, evidence of computational skills and two academic referee contacts through the university recruitment system. A PhD, completed or near completion, in physics, astronomy, applied mathematics or a related field is required. Reference LG51052.

Three-year fellowships at the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics in Garching near Munich, Germany, supporting an independent research programme and interaction with institute researchers. Areas span stellar and binary astrophysics, transients, gravitational waves, computational astrophysics and cosmology, galaxies and supermassive black holes, star formation, large-scale structure, gravitational lensing, the cosmic microwave background and physical cosmology. Fellows receive computing resources, travel support and access to the wider Garching astronomy community. Published annual gross salary is EUR 67,500–77,700 depending on experience, with 30 days of holiday and public-service benefits. Applicants must have completed their PhD within the past six years. Submit a CV, publication list identifying accepted refereed papers, research statement covering previous work and plans at MPA (suggested three to five pages), and three referees through the official portal. A cover letter is optional. Applications and confidential reference letters are due 15 November 2026. The portal is currently accepting registrations for this call.

Three-year fellowships at the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics in Garching near Munich, Germany, supporting an independent research programme and interaction with institute researchers. Areas span stellar and binary astrophysics, transients, gravitational waves, computational astrophysics and cosmology, galaxies and supermassive black holes, star formation, large-scale structure, gravitational lensing, the cosmic microwave background and physical cosmology. Fellows receive computing resources, travel support and access to the wider Garching astronomy community. Published annual gross salary is EUR 67,500–77,700 depending on experience, with 30 days of holiday and public-service benefits. Applicants must have completed their PhD within the past six years. Submit a CV, publication list identifying accepted refereed papers, research statement covering previous work and plans at MPA (suggested three to five pages), and three referees through the official portal. A cover letter is optional. Applications and confidential reference letters are due 15 November 2026. The portal is currently accepting registrations for this call.

Haruki Ebina discusses the marked power spectrum as a two-point approach to non-Gaussian density information, reducing the data-vector and covariance challenges of direct bispectrum analysis while retaining perturbative modelling. Recent work incorporates survey geometry, bringing applications to observations closer. Time permitting, he will also cover high-redshift DESI Run 2 cosmology and perturbative modelling of fast-radio-burst dispersion measures. Samuel Goldstein presents new constraints on fundamental physics from the cosmic microwave background and large-scale structure: axions using Atacama Cosmology Telescope observations, primordial non-Gaussianity, multi-field inflation using DESI, and component-separated temperature, polarization, thermal Sunyaev–Zeldovich and kinetic Sunyaev–Zeldovich maps from early Simons Observatory data. Speakers: Haruki Ebina, UC Berkeley, and Samuel Goldstein, Columbia University. Organized by Stanford KIPAC. Tuesday 29 September 2026, 10:40–11:30 America/Los_Angeles (PDT). Online via Zoom using Join the zoom meeting on the official event page. The organizer lists the intended audience as Faculty/Staff, Members and Students. Only remote attendance is verified for this listing.

Tanmay Vachaspati, joined by Maulik Parikh, explores the limits of knowledge in cosmology and particle physics. The discussion moves from large-scale cosmic structure, the cosmic microwave background and black holes to the Higgs particle, symmetry breaking and magnetic monopoles. These established research landscapes frame questions about what remains unknown and whether some questions could be fundamentally unknowable. This is part of the Beyond Center’s Thinking Beyond series on major questions in science. Speakers: Tanmay Vachaspati and Maulik Parikh, Arizona State University. Organized by the Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science. Monday 28 September 2026, 18:00 America/Phoenix (Arizona, UTC−07:00). Online via Zoom. Use Register Here on the official event page to complete the event-specific Zoom registration; registration is required. The registration page confirms the date and time.

The University of Cambridge's Handley Lab seeks a researcher to connect fundamental theories with cosmological and astrophysical observations using AI-assisted scientific software and GPU-accelerated inference. The role includes developing physical predictions, Bayesian methods including nested sampling, publishing research and shaping an independent research programme. The post is based at the Kavli Institute for Cosmology and Institute of Astronomy, with funding initially available until 30 September 2030. Appointment is at Grade 7 or Grade 9 according to experience; Grade 9 requires Faculty Board approval. Salary: £37,694–£59,966. Applications close on 25 September 2026 at 23:59 GMT, as stated by the employer. Submit a cover letter, CV, publications, research statement, evidence of computational skills and two academic referee contacts through the university recruitment system. A PhD, completed or near completion, in physics, astronomy, applied mathematics or a related field is required. Reference LG51052.