NOVEMBER 2015 - TOPICS

Short News Director of NOA - Position Open Travel Grant Application (Junior Members) PLATO 'Complementary Science’ - Call for Participation ESO Research Studentship Programme IMPRS PhD positions Leiden Observatory - new PhD positions PhD positions at the University of Amsterdam NEB17 meeting announced First ASTERICS Virtual Observatory School Space Training Course for Young Scientists and Professionals on Earth Observation Upcoming Astronomy Meetings in Greece About this Newsletter

1. Short News

Dr. Vicky Kalogera, E.O. Haven Professor and Associate Chair, Department of Physics & Astronomy, was recently awarded the 2016 Hans A. Bethe Prize from the American Physical Society (APS). The award recognizes outstanding work in theory, experiment or observation in the areas of astrophysics, nuclear physics, nuclear astrophysics or closely related fields. Moreover, Dr. Kalogera was selected as Member of the Committee for Astronomy and Astrophysics (CAA) of the US National Research Council and the US National Academy of Sciences. The council wishes to congratulate Dr. Kalogera for these outstanding achievements. We wish to congratulate Dr. Athanasios Papageorgiou for receiving the FONDECYT 2016 Grant for a 3-years post-doctoral position at the Universidad Catolica de Chile. Dr. Papageorgiou received his PhD in April 2015 from the University of Patras (supervisor: P. Christopoulou).

2. Director of NOA - Position Open

The GSRT has announced an open Call for Applicants for the position of Director of the National Observatory of Athens. The official call document can be found here (deadline: 28/12/2015)

3. Travel Grant Application (Junior Members)

This is the second round of Travel Grant applications for Junior Members, implementing last year's decision of the GC to financially support graduate students who are Junior Members of the Society, in attending international scientific conferences and workshops that are deemed paramount for the completion of their PhD Thesis, according to the rules described in a previous Newsletter. The deadlines for submitting applications is December 15, 2015. The application form can be found under "Announcements" at: http://www.helas.gr/events.php

4. PLATO 'Complementary Science’ - Call for Participation

The main objective of the PLATO ‘Complementary Science’ activities is to exploit the potential of PLATO for scientific programs that are distinct from the core science of the mission. PLATO will provide us with a unique database of variable phenomena, with precision of the order of a few 10-5 per hour, and on all time scales between 1 minute and a couple of years. Registered participants will be updated on PLATO-CS and will be able to provide input on the definition and organisation of the GO procedures. New participants are welcome. Please visit: https://fys.kuleuven.be/ster/Projects/plato-cs/registration

5. ESO Research Studentship Programme

The ESO research studentship programme provides an outstanding opportunity for Ph.D. students to experience the exciting scientific environment at one of the world's leading observatories for a period of up to two years. ESO's studentship positions are open to students enrolled in a university Ph.D. programme in astronomy or related fields. Students accepted into the programme work on their doctoral project under the formal supervision of their home university but they come to ESO to work and study under the co-supervision of an ESO staff astronomer for a period of between one and two years. The closing date for this application round is 15 November 2015. Please visit: http://www.eso.org/sci/activities/FeSt-overview/ESOstudentship.html

6. IMPRS PhD positions

The IMPRS is offering about 25 PhD positions for research topics in various fields of astrophysics. The deadline for applications is November 15, 2015. More details on the IMPRS programme and the admission requirements can be found on the IMPRS website: http://www.imprs-astro.mpg.de/

7. Leiden Observatory - new PhD positions

Leiden Observatory, the oldest university astronomy department in the world (founded in 1633), invites applications for approximately ten new PhD positions. The four-year PhD program consists mostly of research under the supervision of one or more faculty members. Positions are available in all the research areas in which the Observatory is active. These include cosmology, galaxy formation and evolution, interstellar matter and star formation, stars and planetary systems, computational astrophysics, high energy astrophysics, laboratory astrophysics, astrochemistry, and instrumentation. During their thesis, Leiden PhD students are paid as civil servants, which means that they earn competitive salaries and are eligible for both social security and retirement benefits. PhD positions are funded for four years. Application forms and instructions are available here. Complete applications received by December 1, 2015 will receive full consideration.

8. PhD positions at the University of Amsterdam

The Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy (API) at the University of Amsterdam invites applications for multiple PhD positions in astronomy and astrophysics. PhD students execute a vigorous research program, under the supervision of one or more faculty members. Positions will be available in a number of fields of research where the institute is active, including exoplanets and planet formation, compact objects, astroparticle physics and radio transients. More information about our research can be found here. University of Amsterdam PhD students are fully-funded for four years and earn competitive salaries. Instructions for applicants are available here. Applications need to be submitted on or before December 1, 2015.

9. NEB17 meeting announced

The 17th NEB conference on “Recent Developments in Gravity” will be held in Mykonos, Greece, from the 19th to the 22th of September 2016. NEB17 is an international conference devoted to all aspects of Relativity, Gravitation and Cosmology, which is organized every two years by the Hellenic Society for Relativity, Gravitation and Cosmology. NEB17 will focus on recent developments in several areas: gravitational waves, relativistic astrophysics, alternative theories of gravity, mathematical relativity, relativistic cosmology and quantum gravity. The venue of the conference is Saint John Mykonos Hotel, a beach resort at Agios Ioannis bay, located 4 km from Mykonos Town. The list of invited speakers, as well as more information on accommodation and travel, will be announced shortly.

10. First ASTERICS Virtual Observatory School

The ASTERICS project is organising an international Virtual Observatory school between December 15-17, 2015 at the Centro de Astrobiologia, Madrid, Spain. The deadline for registration is November 13, 2015. For more information please go here.

11. Space Training Course for Young Scientists and Professionals on Earth Observation

In light of the international Space Week and to celebrate Greece’s 10th anniversary of becoming a full ESA member, the si-Cluster (coordinated by Corallia and the Hellenic Association of Space Industry) and the Harokopio University, with the support of the European Space Agency and Terra Spatium, are organising a Space training course for young scientists and professionals on Earth Observation data and their applications. The course will take place between December 7-11, 2015. The deadline for applications is November 15 , 2015. For more information please visit this site.

12. Upcoming Astronomy Meetings in Greece

The following meetings are scheduled to take place in Greece during 2015-2016: Solar Variability and its Heliospheric Effects Athens, Greece, 2-6 November, 2015 Astronomical Data Analysis 2016 Summer School Chania, Greece, 22-24 May, 2016 Statistical Challenges in 21st Century Cosmology Chania, Greece, 24-27 May, 2016 Supernova Remnants: An Odyssey in Space after Stellar Death Chania, Crete, Greece, 6-11 June, 2016 European Week of Astronomy and Space Science Athens, 4-8 July, 2016 2nd Hel.A.S. Summer School Athens, 11-15 July, 2016 17th NEB conference on “Recent Developments in Gravity” Mykonos, Greece, September 19-22, 2016

13. About this Newsletter

This Newsletter was sent to all members of Hel.A.S. who have e-mail access. The next edition of the Newsletter will be mailed around December 1st, 2015. Please send your announcements (e.g. appointments/departures, job openings, research opportunities, awards, conferences in Greece) or comments before November 26, 2015. If you do not wish to receive future issues of this Newsletter or the e-mail address to which it was sent is not your preferred one, please inform the Secretary of Hel.A.S.