Interested in working and learning as part of an internationally diverse team at a fantastic research institute? I am currently advertising a PhD student position to work with me at the Leibniz-Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP), as part of my Leibniz Junior Research Group “Cosmic Choreographies – Studying Systems of Satellite Galaxies and Their Phase-Space Correlations”. Please see the full job ad (pdf) for more details.

Application deadline: December 31, 2021
Start date: around June 1st, 2022
Location: Leibniz-Institute for Astrophysics, Potsdam, Germany

Candidates who would increase the diversity of my group and the institute are especially encouraged to apply! Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about this position or the underlying research.

A little while back I was interviewed by Susanne Päch for HYPERRAUM.TV, a German online TV site focussing on science and research related topics. The resulting video “Klein, aber oho!” on the topic of dwarf galaxies is now online on their website, and also accessible on YouTube.

The Klaus Tschira Stiftung published a press release (in German) portraying me, as one of those they support in collaboration with German Scholars Organization e.V. (GSO), in their series asking scientists six questions ranging from their research, what they learned during the pandemic, to what they wish from the funding fairy.

I had the pleasure to contribute to a new outreach initiative by the Leibniz Association (and in association with T-Online): “Zehn Fragen, ein Experte – das Wissenschaftsquiz”, an online knowledge quiz in which you can test your knowledge of astronomy and space in ten questions. It was a lot of fun to come up with these question, which are aimed at being sufficiently challenging, fun, and informative at once. Unfortunately, the quiz is only available in German.

Here’s a link to the quiz, titled “Was ist eigentlich dunkle Materie? Testen Sie Ihr Astro-Wissen!”.

In early 2020, I gave a presentation in the public talk series Babelsberger Sternennächte of the Leibniz-Institute for Astrophysics, Potsdam (AIP). It was very well attended, but still only people in Potsdam could participate. Now that everything has moved online, I had the pleasure to record that talk, titled “Dark Matter and the Dance of Dwarf Galaxies”, for the new Virtual Babelsberger Sternennächte.

As of May 20, it is available online on YouTube, and I’ve also embedded it below.

I am absolutely thrilled to announce that my proposal for a junior research group here was selected for funding by Leibniz-Gemeinschaft via the Leibniz Competition. The project will start next summer, and is located here at at the Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik Potsdam (AIP). There has been an official press announcement from the Leibniz Association, and more details can be found in the AIP’s press release.

The five-year project is about phase-space correlations of satellite galaxies, planes of satellites and more. It’s incredible that this topic, which I started to work on 10 years ago and which was met with a lot of skepticism, grew into such a success that I can now give people jobs. I will be hiring two PhD students, have already advertised one postdoc position in dwarf galaxies / near-field cosmology (with an observational emphasis). Application deadline is December 31, 2020, and the position is for up to five years total. Please reach out if you have any questions about this position or the application process.

I am incredibly grateful and want to thank everyone who made this success possible. Without those who gave me opportunities, support, mentoring, or collaborated with me over the years, this success wouldn’t have happened. Thank you!