University of Leicester, Physics & Astronomy
LightNews LightNews
banner
physicsuol.bsky.social
University of Leicester, Physics & Astronomy
@physicsuol.bsky.social
200 followers 11 following 65 posts
Posts Replies Media Videos
physicsuol.bsky.social
🧪🎢 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... 🧪🎢
Land Surface Temperature (LST) view of London, UK, on 30 July 2024 from Sentinel 3a. The LST data have been downscaled using Vis/SWIR inputs from Landsat 9 and Sentinel 2a and a bottom-of-atmosphere optimal estimation methodology to refine the estimates from 1 km data to 100 m. Global Climate Chapter Cover Image from the “BAMS State of the Climate, 2024”. Image produced by the Land Surface Temperature Group in NCEO-Leicester.
December 11, 2025 at 3:55 PM
physicsuol.bsky.social
🧪🎢 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... 🧪🎢
IR spectrum of COS from the Coblentz Society's evaluated infrared reference spectra collection. https://webbook.nist.gov/cgi/inchi?ID=C463581&Type=IR-SPEC&Index=0
December 11, 2025 at 10:05 AM
physicsuol.bsky.social
🧪🎢 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... 🧪🎢
Thawing permafrost can result in the loss of terrain, as seen in this image where part of the coastal bluff along Drew Point, Alaska, has collapsed into the ocean. Credit: Benjamin Jones, USGS
December 10, 2025 at 2:40 PM
physicsuol.bsky.social
🧪🎢 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... 🧪🎢
Ship tracks are one of the clearest signs of how human aerosol emission can alter the properties of clouds and, thereby, the Earth's energy budget. Credit: https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/20248/ship-tracks-in-the-northern-pacific
December 10, 2025 at 10:10 AM
physicsuol.bsky.social
🧪🎢 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... 🧪🎢
December 9, 2025 at 3:51 PM
physicsuol.bsky.social
🔭🧪🎢 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... 🔭🧪🎢
The Uranus and Neptune systems as seen by JWST/NIRCam (Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale). Uranus and its classical satellites are shown on the left against a background of galaxies; Uranus and Neptune are shown on the right replete with reflective rings and clouds. NIRSpec and MIRI will be used to provide full spectroscopy of the Uranus and Neptune atmospheres.
November 18, 2025 at 4:33 PM
physicsuol.bsky.social
🔭🧪🎢 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...
SMILE will have two imagers; the SXI with a view of the dayside magnetopause (purple), and the UVI with a view of the Northern Hemisphere aurora (green). The University of Leicester led the build of the SXI, shown in the inset. Credit: Composite by J. A. Carter, background NASA.
November 17, 2025 at 4:21 PM
physicsuol.bsky.social
🔭🧪🎢 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... 🔭🧪🎢
The NGTS telescopes operating in their shed at ESO’s Paranal Observatory, Chile Credit: ESO/G. Lambert
November 14, 2025 at 2:48 PM
physicsuol.bsky.social
🔭🧪🎢 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... 🔭🧪🎢
The environments and internal structure of example HotDOGs. The left panel shows an ALMA image of structure in the distribution of cosmic dust around HotDOG W2246, see Diaz-Santos et al. (2018) above in Science. The right panel shows gas around another HotDOG in the background, with ALMA velocity information highlighted in the centre, see the space.com reference above.
November 13, 2025 at 2:36 PM
physicsuol.bsky.social
🔭🧪🎢 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... 🔭🧪🎢
Stickney crater on martian moon Phobos as observed by HiRISE camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
November 12, 2025 at 2:28 PM
physicsuol.bsky.social
🔭🧪🎢 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... 🔭🧪🎢
Artist’s impression of a disc wind dispersing a planet-forming disc around a young star. Credit ESO / M. Kornmesser.
November 11, 2025 at 12:05 PM
physicsuol.bsky.social
🔭🧪🎢 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. 🔭🧪🎢
Decorative
November 7, 2025 at 4:59 PM
physicsuol.bsky.social
🐱 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! 😻
October 23, 2025 at 4:13 PM
physicsuol.bsky.social
🔭🧪🎢 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
Student giving talk
October 16, 2025 at 12:29 PM
physicsuol.bsky.social
🔭🧪🎢 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
October 14, 2025 at 12:27 PM
physicsuol.bsky.social
🔭🧪🎢 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
title slide Keiran explaining his work
October 9, 2025 at 12:21 PM
physicsuol.bsky.social
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
October 7, 2025 at 12:13 PM
physicsuol.bsky.social
🔭🧪🎢 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
Title slide Emily giving her talk
October 2, 2025 at 12:05 PM
physicsuol.bsky.social
🔭🧪🎢 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 🔭🧪🎢
September 30, 2025 at 9:15 AM
physicsuol.bsky.social
🔭🧪🎢 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
Title slide Student speaking
September 26, 2025 at 12:37 PM
physicsuol.bsky.social
🔭🧪🎢 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 🔭🧪🎢
Students busy solving maths problems Student with impressive looking lab equipment
September 9, 2025 at 8:51 AM
physicsuol.bsky.social
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
decorative decorative
August 28, 2025 at 9:57 AM
physicsuol.bsky.social
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
SXI being built
July 10, 2025 at 2:33 PM
physicsuol.bsky.social
Our Prof @leighfletcher.bsky.social is giving a plenary talk at the National Astronomy Meeting presenting JWST observations of the solar system's gas giants! #NAM2025
Prof Leigh Fletcher presenting results of JWST observations of Saturn Prof Leigh Fletcher presenting results of JWST observations of Saturn
July 9, 2025 at 10:34 AM
physicsuol.bsky.social
🧪🎢 The University of Leicester open day is tomorrow! (Saturday 5th July) Come and see how great studying Physics in Leicester would be! 🧪🎢

(Pictured, students and staff at their project presentations)
Staff and students from Physics at University of Leicester at the 4th year project poster day, 2025
July 4, 2025 at 1:24 PM