5th Graduate School on Astro-Particle Physics

18 Jan 2026, 14:00 → 23 Jan 2026, 15:00 Europe/Berlin

Physikzentrum Bad Honnef

Anna Franckowiak (Ruhr-University Bochum), Johannes Albrecht (TU Dortmund University), Julia Tjus (Ruhr-University Bochum)

Unifying view on cosmic interacting matter

The 5th Graduate School on Astro-Particle Physics will take place from January 18 to January 23, 2026 in Physikzentrum Bad Honnef. The school is organised by the

Collaborative Research Center "Cosmic Interacting Matter" (CRC1491)

and is generously supported by the

Wilhelm and Else Heraeus-Foundation

as Bad Honnef Physics School.

© Johannes Werthebach (IceCube/NSF), TUDO

The school is aimed at Master- and PhD-students and is composed of lectures accompanied by practical exercise sessions, which are meant to give further insights into specific topics.

The school will provide comprehensive lectures on

• Introduction to Astroparticle physics (Foteini Oikonomou)
• Astrophysical Plasmas and Cosmic Ray Propagation (Daniel Verscharen)
• Cosmic Ray Flux Calculations and Particle Physics Input (Michael Schmelling)
  
  

More specialized lectures will be on

• Radio Astronomy (Laura Spittler)
• Neutrino Astronomy (Dorothea Samtleben)
• Galactic Magnetic Fields (Marijke Haverkorn)
• Multi-Messenger Astronomy (Marek Kowalski)
• Gravitational Waves (Michela Mapelli)
  
  

All lectures will be accompanied by extended discussion sessions which are guided to ensure a vivid participation of the students.

In addition, the participants will get an introductory lecture to Machine Learning (ML) from experts of the LAMARR Institute for Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence with dedicated hands-on sessions that will be co-chaired by computer scientists from LAMARR and physicists from particle- and astroparticle physics.

Highlight of the school will be an evening lecture by Jocelyn Bell Burnell.

An excursion to the 100m radio telescope in Effelsberg and the 25m historical Stockert radio telescopes will allow participants to collect their own radio data and later analyze them in a hands-on session.

In addition to the lectures, there will be an opportunity to present your own research during a Poster Session.

Costs for accommodation and full board are 200 Euros (100 Euros for DPG members) for the entire week and have to be paid by the participants directly to the Physikzentrum. There will be no additional fee to attend the school.

The application deadline is December 15, 2025.

In case of questions, please contact the Local Organizing Committee:

• Anna Franckowiak
• Johannes Albrecht

Sunday 18 January

14:00 → 18:30 Arrival

18:30 → 20:00 Dinner

20:00 → 21:30 Introductory Talk

Speakers: Anna Franckowiak (Ruhr-University Bochum), Johannes Albrecht (TU Dortmund University), Julia Tjus (Ruhr-University Bochum)

Monday 19 January

09:00 → 10:30 Introduction to Astroparticle Physics (1/2)

Speaker: Foteini Oikonomou (Norwegian University of Science and Technology)

10:30 → 11:00 Coffee

11:00 → 12:30 Astrophysical Plasmas and Cosmic Ray Propagation (1/2)

Speaker: Daniel Verscharen (University College London)

12:30 → 14:00 Lunch

14:00 → 15:30 Cosmic Ray Flux Calculations and Particle Physics Input (1/2)

Speaker: Michael Schmelling (Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics)

15:30 → 16:00 Coffee

16:00 → 18:30 Poster Session

18:30 → 20:00 Dinner

Tuesday 20 January

09:00 → 10:30 Introduction to Astroparticle Physics (2/2)

Speaker: Foteini Oikonomou (Norwegian University of Science and Technology)

10:30 → 11:00 Coffee

11:00 → 12:30 Astrophysical Plasmas and Cosmic Ray Propagation (2/2)

Speaker: Daniel Verscharen (University College London)

12:30 → 14:00 Lunch

14:00 → 15:30 Cosmic Ray Flux Calculations and Particle Physics Input (2/2)

Speaker: Michael Schmelling (Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics)

15:30 → 16:00 Coffee

16:00 → 18:30 Introduction to Machine Learning

Speakers: Mirko Bunse (Lamarr Institute for Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence), Quentin Führing (TU Dortmund University)

18:30 → 20:00 Dinner

20:00 → 21:30 Special Guest Talk

Speaker: Jocelyn Bell Burnell

Wednesday 21 January

09:00 → 11:00 Radio Astronomy

Speaker: Laura Spitler (Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy)

11:00 → 18:30 Excursion

18:30 → 20:00 Dinner

Thursday 22 January

09:00 → 10:30 Neutrino Astronomy (1/2)

Speaker: Dorothea Samtleben (Leiden University)

10:30 → 11:00 Coffee

11:00 → 12:30 Galactic Magnetic Fields

Speaker: Marijke Haverkorn (Radboud University)

12:30 → 14:00 Lunch

14:00 → 15:00 Multi-Messenger Astronomy

Speaker: Marek Kowalski (Humboldt University of Berlin)

15:00 → 15:30 Coffee

15:30 → 18:30 Introduction to Machine Learning

Speakers: Mirko Bunse (Lamarr Institute for Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence), Quentin Führing (TU Dortmund University)

18:30 → 20:00 Dinner

20:00 → 21:30 Wine Tasting

Friday 23 January

09:00 → 10:00 Neutrino Astronomy (2/2)

Speaker: Dorothea Samtleben (Leiden University)

10:00 → 11:30 Gravitational Waves

Speaker: Michela Mapelli (Center for Astronomy of Heidelberg University)

11:30 → 12:00 Coffee

12:00 → 12:30 Summary of School & Prices

Speakers: Anna Franckowiak (Ruhr-University Bochum), Johannes Albrecht (TU Dortmund University), Julia Tjus (Ruhr-University Bochum)

12:30 → 14:00 Lunch

14:00 → 15:00 Departure