Topic: Kepler

Join Ekaterina Ilin’s ERC-funded PLANETARE project at the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research. The work develops statistical searches for planet-induced stellar flaring using Kepler, TESS and PLATO observations, studies how the signatures change with stellar age, and models magnetic interactions between stars and planets. The four-year position is based in Göttingen, Germany, with TVöD EG 13 remuneration. The start date is negotiable between January and October 2027. Apply through the institute’s online recruitment portal by 30 October 2026.

Philip Jones traces the development of optical tweezers from early ideas about light exerting force on matter. The lecture follows Kepler’s observations of comet tails, Maxwell’s account of radiation pressure and Ashkin’s trapping experiments. It then examines how a focused light field can isolate and manipulate individual microscopic particles. Applications extend beyond the biological work recognised by the 2018 Nobel Prize to chemical and physical research, where gentle manipulation and isolation from surrounding material provide distinctive experimental tools.