News at MPA

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. more

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.
  more

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'.
  more

Today, the European Research Council (ERC) announced that two researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics will receive an Advanced Grant to pursue ambitious projects. MPA director Eiichiro Komatsu will investigate New Physics from the Polarized Light of the Cosmic Microwave Background (NewPhysCMB), while Sherry Suyu, who is also a professor at the Technical University Munich, will be constraining the Hubble constant, Supernova Ia progenitors, and emissions of tidally disrupted stars near black holes (LENS-ON-FIRE). In total, 319 leading researchers across Europe were selected to receive funding worth €838 million in the framework of the EU’s Horizon Europe programme. more

Eight Max Planck Society scientists have been awarded Advanced Grants from the European Research Council (ERC) in its latest funding cycle, each receiving up to €2.5 million for a period of five years to conduct their research projects. more

Today, the Hobby-Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment (HETDEX) - which recently completed the largest survey ever taken of the early universe – has released all of its immense, information-rich database to the public. Built from more than half a petabyte of raw and processed data, it will allow astronomers to study how the first galaxies formed and evolved, measure how gas and stars were distributed within these galaxies, map the large-scale structure of the cosmos, and investigate rare and unexpected objects not easily found in traditional surveys. more

The Finnish Astronomical Society has honoured the new MPA postdoc Alexander Rawlings with the prestigious Väisälä Prize for the best PhD thesis in astronomy completed in Finland between 2024 and 2025. more