News
December 2025
Building the European Heliophysics Community
Centre for Fundamental Physics
18 December 2025Heliophysics is a broad discipline studying the Sun, its sphere of influence, and how it affects the bodies in the solar system – our space environment. Heliophysics is inherently cross-disciplinary, and includes components of solar physics, space plasma physics, ionosphere-thermosphere physics, magnetospheric physics, planetary physics, small body physics, and space weather. ... [more]
Evidence for a new Higgs boson decay
Centre for Fundamental Physics
8 December 2025Physicists at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), together with international collaborators, have found evidence of the decay of Higgs bosons to muons. Muons are particles typically found in cosmic rays and have a low mass, and because of this the Standard Model of particle physics predicts that this decay ... [more]
October 2025
Dr Christopher Chen appointed as a Fellow of the American Physical Society
Centre for Fundamental Physics
10 October 2025We are delighted to announce that Dr Christopher Chen, Reader in Space Plasma Physics in the Astronomy Unit of the School of Chemical and Physical Sciences, has been made a Fellow of the American Physical Society. This prestigious honour recognises Dr Chen's "…outstanding use of in-situ solar-wind spacecraft observations to ... [more]
July 2025
New research reveals presence of helicity barrier the the near-Sun solar wind
Centre for Fundamental Physics
9 July 2025New research utilising data from NASA's Parker Solar Probe has provided the first direct evidence of a phenomenon known as the "helicity barrier" in the solar wind. This discovery, published in Physical Review X by Queen Mary's Astronomy Unit researchers, offers a significant step towards understanding two long-standing mysteries: how ... [more]
May 2025
Dr Florian Koller Awarded Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship to work in the QMUL Astronomy Unit
Centre for Fundamental Physics
30 May 2025QMUL Astronomy Unit member Dr Florian Koller has been awarded a prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship to continue working in the AU's space plasma group. Dr Florian Koller, a current postdoctoral researcher in the Astronomy Unit of Queen Mary University of London's Department of Physics and Astronomy, has been ... [more]
April 2025
A vast molecular cloud, long invisible, is discovered near the solar system
Centre for Fundamental Physics
28 April 2025An international team, including members from the QMUL Astronomy Unit, uncovers a hidden celestial structure using innovative far-ultraviolet techniques. An international team of scientists, led by a Rutgers University-New Brunswick astrophysicist and including Dr Thomas Haworth of Queen Mary University of London, has discovered a potentially star-forming cloud that is ... [more]
Queen Mary particle physicists lead pioneering study of high-mass W-bosons at CERN
Centre for Fundamental Physics
25 April 2025Particle physicists at Queen Mary have used data from the Large Hadron Collider at CERN to help measure a key elementary particle, known as the W-boson, in mass regions never explored before. Their work explores previously uncharted mass regions, offering fresh clues about the forces that shape our universe. The ... [more]
Queen Mary Physicists Share 2025 Breakthrough Prize in Physics
Centre for Fundamental Physics
12 April 2025Physicists at Queen Mary University of London are celebrating this week after being named among the winners of the prestigious 2025 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics. The award honours the global scientific collaborations behind the ATLAS, CMS, LHCb and ALICE experiments at CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in Geneva, Switzerland – the ... [more]
![ATLAS detector endcap [Photo credit ATLAS collaboration].](/content/news/images/ee6e3bdfe7c71f1788e1408b408bae2a.jpg)
Particle Physicists Share 2025 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics
Centre for Fundamental Physics
11 April 2025Particle Physicists Share 2025 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics Particle Physicists at Queen Mary University of London are celebrating this week after being named among the winners of the prestigious 2025 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics. The award honours the global scientific collaborations behind the ATLAS, CMS, LHCb and ALICE experiments at ... [more]
February 2025
A Night of Science and Engineering: exploring Tomorrow's World at Queen Mary
Faculty of Science and Engineering
24 February 2025Queen Mary University of London's third annual Night of Science and Engineering brought together leading industry partners, researchers, academics, policymakers, and the public for an evening of discovery, innovation, and collaboration. Held in the historic Octagon venue on 20 Feb, this year's event, themed 'Tomorrow's World', showcased groundbreaking research that is ... [more]
January 2025
New Royal Society URF awardee to lead exoplanet research project
Centre for Experimental and Applied Physics
27 January 2025Dr Andrew Winter has been awarded £1.8 million grant from the Royal Society's University Research Fellowship (URF) programme. He will join Queen Mary's School of Physical and Chemical Sciences in April and lead a groundbreaking project investigating the influence of neighbouring stars on planetary system formation. "The observed exoplanet population is ... [more]
New study furthers our understanding about the origins of energetic cosmic particles in the universe
Centre for Fundamental Physics
13 January 2025A new study, published today in Nature Communications by a team including members from the QMUL Astronomy Unit, has shed new light on how shock waves throughout the Universe can accelerate electrons to high energies. Cosmic ray particles are ultra-relativistic particles traveling near the speed of light, permeating the universe. ... [more]
November 2024
Queen Mary lecturer appointed co-spokesperson of MINERvA, a major international particle physics experiment.
Centre for Fundamental Physics
25 November 2024Queen Mary University of London's Abbey Waldron, Lecturer in Particle Physics, has been appointed as co-spokesperson (one of two scientific leaders) of MINERvA, a significant international particle physics experiment. Based at Fermilab near Chicago, MINERvA investigates how neutrinos interact with a range of nuclei in materials spanning from lead to ... [more]
September 2024
The large scale galaxy distribution is not as symmetric as we thought
Centre for Fundamental Physics
25 September 2024Astronomy Unit PhD Student Pritha Paul has led a study, published in Physical Review Letters, showing that large scale galaxy distribution is not as symmetric as we thought. In cosmology, it is generally expected that galaxy clustering on large scales is invariant under parity transformations. In three dimensions, a parity ... [more]
August 2024
Queen Mary University of London seeks 30 new academics in AI, Machine Learning and Computer Science
Faculty of Science and Engineering
26 August 2024Queen Mary University of London is renowned for its cutting-edge research, ranked 14th in the world and 5th in the UK for the quality of our research (THE World University Rankings 2024) and in the top 100 universities worldwide according to the US News & World Report rankings. Home to world-renowned researchers, Queen ... [more]
July 2024
Jesse Coburn Wins RAS Keith Runcorn Thesis Prize
Centre for Fundamental Physics
1 July 2024Jesse Coburn, a PhD student at Queen Mary University of London, has been awarded the Royal Astronomical Society's Keith Runcorn Thesis Prize for his doctoral work, which was carried out in QMUL's Astronomy Unit. It has been announced today that Dr Jesse Coburn, a former PhD student in the Space & ... [more]
June 2024
New NOvA results add to mystery of neutrinos
Centre for Fundamental Physics
20 June 2024The international NOvA collaboration presented new results at the Neutrino 2024 conference in Milan, Italy, on June 17. The collaboration doubled their neutrino data since their previous release four years ago, including adding a new low-energy sample of electron neutrinos. The new results are consistent with previous NOvA results, but with improved ... [more]
Expression of Interest for Royal Society University Research Fellowships
Centre for Fundamental Physics
12 June 2024The School of Physical and Chemical Sciences at Queen Mary University of London is looking to support applicants for the Royal Society University Research Fellowship (URF). The URF is a prestigious fellowship programme offered by the Royal Society to support outstanding scientists in the early stages of their careers. It ... [more]
Expression of Interest for Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions Fellowships
Centre for Fundamental Physics
12 June 2024The School of Physical and Chemical Sciences at Queen Mary University of London is looking to support applicants for the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowships (MSCA). The MSCA Fellowships support researchers who are in the early stages of their careers. To be eligible, researchers must have a PhD and ... [more]
April 2024
Where are all these rogue planets coming from?
Centre for Fundamental Physics
1 April 2024What are rogue planets and how did they come into existence? This article cites research in a new paper by Dr Gavin Coleman in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. Dr Gavin Coleman is a Postdoctoral Research Assistant in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Queen Mary ... [more]
March 2024
A Night of Science and Engineering: Queen Mary showcases cutting-edge research and innovation
Faculty of Science and Engineering
3 March 2024Queen Mary University of London held its second annual Night of Science and Engineering last evening at the university's Octagon venue. The event brought together over 200 leading industry partners, researchers, academics, policymakers, and the public, for an evening of exploration, engagement, and celebration of Queen Mary's Faculty of Science and ... [more]
New video celebrating Queen Mary's outstanding science and engineering
Faculty of Science and Engineering
1 March 2024A new video has been released featuring academic staff, post doctural research assistants and PhD students talking about the amazing science and engineering that they undertake at Queen Mary University of London and how this is underpinned by our diversity and core values. [more]
February 2024
Radiation from massive stars shapes planetary systems
Centre for Fundamental Physics
29 February 2024Astronomers have discovered a unique planetary system where a young star is being stripped bare of its planet-forming material at an astonishing rate. This unprecedented observation, published in the Science and featured on its cover, provides a crucial clue to understanding the diverse and puzzling worlds beyond our solar system. ... [more]
December 2023
New research journal launched by Astronomy Unit member
Centre for Fundamental Physics
8 December 2023Dr Enrico Camporeale, Senior Lecturer in Queen Mary's Astronomy Unit, has become the founding editor-in-chief of the new journal, Journal of Geophysical Research (JGR): Machine Learning and Computation. The journal, published by the American Geophysical Union (AGU) was launched in November 2023 and has just opened for submissions. JGR: Machine Learning ... [more]
November 2023
New James Webb Space Telescope observations reveal potential for earth-like planets in harsh environments
Centre for Fundamental Physics
30 November 2023A new study published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters suggests that planets like Earth, including those with water, could form even in the harshest known star-forming environments. These environments, drenched in intense ultraviolet radiation from massive stars, were previously thought to be too hostile for planet formation. The study, led ... [more]
September 2023
QMUL Astronomy Unit win SEPnet award for public engagement
Centre for Fundamental Physics
28 September 2023The Astronomy Unit has jointly topped the Research Group category at the biennial SEPnet Public Engagement awards, being one of only two groups chosen as "Highly Commended". SEPnet noted how the QMUL Astronomy Unit has embedded outreach and public engagement within the culture of the group. Over the last year, ... [more]
Dr Ed Gillen receives €1.5 million European Research Council Grant to study exoplanet evolution
Faculty of Science and Engineering
5 September 2023Dr Ed Gillen, from Queen Mary's Astronomy Unit, has been awarded €1.5 million from the European Research Council to support a team to investigate how exoplanetary systems evolve into potentially habitable environments. With over 5000 exoplanets discovered to date, and many more expected in the coming years, we are living through a ... [more]
August 2023
QMUL's Astronomy Unit members deliver a series of talks at the Royal Institution
Centre for Fundamental Physics
31 August 2023Five academics from QMUL, including four from the Astronomy Unit, have delivered a series of talks at the Royal Institution, covering topics in Astronomy from stars, to gravitational waves and cosmology. The talks have attracted a large audience, both in person and on YouTube, and are part of the Astronomy ... [more]
July 2023
Queen Mary Part of New Leverhulme Grant for Astrobiology
Centre for Fundamental Physics
13 July 2023Queen Mary's new inter-school astrobiology initiative has been awarded a prestigious Leverhulme Trust Research Project grant. Led by Thomas Haworth from the Queen Mary Astronomy Unit and Christopher Duffy from the Digital Environment Research Institute (DERI), with involvement from Conrad Mullineaux from the School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences (SBBS), ... [more]
June 2023
A new Tatooine-like multi-planetary system identified
Centre for Fundamental Physics
13 June 2023Researchers in QMUL's Astronomy Unit were involved in the discovery of a new multi-planetary system orbiting two stars, only the second such system known to exist. An international team of astronomers has announced the second-ever discovery of a multiplanetary circumbinary system. The team involves researchers from Europe and the USA, ... [more]
February 2023
Dr Tom Haworth awarded €2m from European Research Council to investigate planet forming discs
Centre for Fundamental Physics
3 February 2023Dr Thomas Haworth from QMUL's Astronomy Unit has been awarded a European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator Grant worth €2m to investigate how planet forming discs evolve in different environments. We now expect that pretty much every star in our Galaxy hosts at least one planet. We also have overwhelming evidence ... [more]
December 2022
Astronomy Unit members, together with NASA and Edinburgh scientists, use James Webb Space Telescope data to unveil young stars in early stages of formation
Centre for Fundamental Physics
15 December 2022James Webb Space Telescope infrared capabilities pierce through dust clouds to make rare find. Queen Mary University of London, Royal Observatory and American scientists have taken a "deep dive" into one of the James Webb Space Telescope's iconic first images and have discovered dozens of energetic jets and outflows from ... [more]
September 2022
QMUL Astronomy Unit member Dr Andrea Larosa awarded the AGU Fred L. Scarf Award
Centre for Fundamental Physics
6 September 2022Dr Andrea Larosa has been awarded the AGU Fred L. Scarf Award for his work on magnetic switchbacks and Langmuir waves with the NASA Parker Solar Probe mission. It has been announced today that Dr Andrea Larosa, a postdoc in the Space & Astrophysical Plasmas group of QMUL's Astronomy Unit, has ... [more]
August 2022
QMUL Astronomical Observatory undergoes significant upgrade
Centre for Fundamental Physics
11 August 2022The QMUL Astronomical Observatory is undergoing a major upgrade to allow full remote operation of the dome and telescopes. This will greatly expand the range of projects that students will be able to carry out as part of their final-year projects. The Department of Physics & Astronomy is investing in a ... [more]
June 2022
Queen Mary Science and Engineering researchers awarded UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships to tackle heart irregular heart rhythms and explore turbulence in space plasma
Centre for Fundamental Physics
15 June 2022Dr Caroline Roney and Dr Christopher Chen are among 84 promising leaders awarded fellowships totalling £98 million. The fellowships support the most promising science and research leaders to tackle major global issues and to commercialise their innovations in the UK. Professor Wen Wang, Queen Mary's Vice-Principal and Executive Dean for Science and ... [more]
April 2022
Dr Sijme-Jan Paardekooper awarded ERC grant to investigate how planets are formed from dust
Centre for Fundamental Physics
27 April 2022Dr Sijme-Jan Paardekooper has been awarded € 2,314,680 from the European Research Council (ERC) to study how dust distribution impacts the formation of planets. Planets form in discs of gas and dust around young stars. Within these discs, micron-sized dust particles need to clump together to grow 14 orders of magnitude to form ... [more]
December 2021
Parker Solar Probe enters the magnetic atmosphere of the Sun
Centre for Fundamental Physics
14 December 2021The NASA Parker Solar Probe mission has become the first spacecraft to enter the solar corona – the magnetically dominated atmosphere of the Sun. Researchers from the AU played a key role in the research confirming this historic event in space exploration. Parker Solar Probe launched in 2018 to explore the mysteries ... [more]
September 2021
Dr Christopher Chen awarded medal for outstanding contributions to space science
Faculty of Science and Engineering
15 September 2021Dr Christopher Chen from Queen Mary University of London has won American Geophysical Union's James B. Macelwane Medal for his significant contributions to the geophysical sciences as an early career scientist. American Geophysical Union (AGU) is a nonprofit organization that supports 130,000 enthusiasts to experts worldwide in Earth and space sciences, ... [more]
May 2021
Important plasma waves in the solar atmosphere identified by QMUL Astronomy Unit researchers
Centre for Fundamental Physics
11 May 2021AU researchers have confirmed the existence of magnetic plasma waves, known as Alfvén waves, in the Sun's photosphere. The study, published in Nature Astronomy, provides new insights into these fascinating waves that were first discovered by the Nobel Prize winning scientist Hannes Alfvén in 1947. The vast potential of ... [more]
January 2021
Research finds black holes could reach 'stupendously large' sizes
Centre for Fundamental Physics
21 January 2021A recent study suggests the possible existence of 'stupendously large black holes' or SLABS, even larger than the supermassive black holes already observed in the centres of galaxies. The research, led by Queen Mary Emeritus Professor Bernard Carr in the School of Physics and Astronomy, together with F. Kühnel (... [more]