Juma Kamulali is the first astrophysics PhD graduate from Kyambogo University in Uganda. In collaboration with the partner group of the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics (MPA), he conducted ground-breaking research that introduces a powerful new machine-learning tool, MAISTEP, which enables the precise determination of stellar properties from basic observational data. Applying this method to thousands of exoplanet-host stars, Kamulali discovered a clearer, deeper 'radius valley' between super-Earths and sub-Neptunes, shedding new light on planetary evolution and atmospheric loss.

On 8 July, the Max-Planck-Institut für Astrophysik (MPA) honoure two outstanding early-career researchers, Teresa Braun and Aniket Bhagwat, with the Kippenhahn Prize for groundbreaking papers that have significantly advanced our understanding of the Sun and the early universe. The prize, which was established to promote excellence in scientific writing and original thinking, recognizes not only the depth of their discoveries but also the clarity and rigor of their presentation.
 

The IAU has announced the winners of its annual PhD prizes, including MPA postdoc Claude Cournoyer-Cloutier, who was recognised for her thesis on the 'Dynamics and Feedback of Massive Binaries in Young Massive Star Clusters'.
 

Eric Rohr came to MPA to benefit from the numerical and scientific expertise here, and was not expecting the full programme of social events.