A new era in
astrophysics:

Preparing for early science
with the SKAO

ARTWORK_GORLITZ
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We are pleased to announce the 2025 SKAO General Science Meeting, A new era in Astrophysics: Preparing for early science with the SKAO, to be held in the week 16-20 June in the beautiful town of Görlitz, Germany. Taking place just two years before the SKA telescopes will be tested on the first community-chosen targets, the meeting will bring together scientists from across the globe to discuss and collaborate on the cutting-edge science opportunities that the Observatory will provide in its early years of operations. Online participation will be supported for the whole week for those unable to attend in person.

The meeting will include three days of plenary sessions, plus one and a half days of parallel sessions organised to maximise collaborative discussion between scientists. Presentations from the community will preview early SKAO science, while special Observing with the SKAO sessions will share detailed telescope capabilities, operational policies and observer tools for planning SKAO observations. We particularly encourage the participation of early career scientists, who will be the major users of the SKA telescopes.

Görlitz itself will soon be home to the brand new German Centre for Astrophysics (Deutsches Zentrum für Astrophysik; DZA), a brand new large-scale research centre that will enable top-level astronomical research, the processing of gigantic data streams from next-generation telescopes such as the SKAO’s, and the development of novel technology. We are proud to partner with both the DZA and the Association for Data-Intensive Radio Astronomy (VdR) to bring this exciting event to our community.

Look out for further information very soon.

 

Görlitz

Görlitz is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the east German state of Saxony. Located right on the Neisse river, which forms the border with Poland, it is Germany's easternmost town and headquarters of the DZA.

Görlitz is renowned for its architectural treasures spanning different eras. The setting of the old town has led to it featuring as a backdrop to many well-known films - so much so that it now has the nickname 'Görli-wood'.

Right on the edge of eastern Germany, Görlitz has good connections into Poland and Czech Republic, as well as a local rail line to Dresden.

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Important dates

Abstract submission opens: 13 December 2024

Registration opens: 10 January 2025

Abstract submission closes:  7 February 2025

Speaker notification: Mid-March 2025

In-person registration (reduced rate) closes: 31 March 2025

In-person registration closes: 15 May 2025

Online registration closes: 15th June 2025

Contact Information

EOC contact

SOC contact

Our partners

The SKAO is proud to co-host the meeting with our German partners, DZA and VdR. Together, we aim to foster innovation and collaboration that drives the astronomical community forward.

To learn more about our partners and their contributions to this event, click on the cards below:

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Events Organising Committee

Catherine Gresty, SKAO

Daniela Eckstein, DZA

Philippa Hartley, SKAO

Katharina Henjes-Kunst, DESY; DZA

Mark Jeavons, SKAO

Sarah Lamb, SKAO

Debra Turley, SKAO

Viola Tegethoff, MPIfR; VdR

Wendy Williams, SKAO

Scientific Organising Committee

Nicola Bellomo, Univ. of Padova

Shari Breen, SKAO

Neeraj Gupta, IUCAA

Philippa Hartley, SKAO

Bhal Chandra Joshi, NCRA-TIFR

Michael Kramer, MPIfR

Joseph Lazio, JPL

Katie Mulrey, Radboud Univ.

Jack Radcliffe, Univ. of Pretoria

Eva Schinnerer, MPIA

Rohit Sharma, IIT

Marta Spinelli, Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur

Fatemeh Tabatabaei, IPM (IAC/MPIA/MPIfR)

Viola Tegethoff, MPIfR; VdR

Cath Trott, ICRAR

Jacco van Loon, Keele Univ.

Tessa Vernstrom, CSIRO

Stefan Wagner, DZA; Univ. of Heidelberg

Ke Wang, Peking Univ.

Wendy  Williams, SKAO

Patrick Woudt, IDIA