My heart is so full! The “Charting Substellar Worlds” conference was a great success. Amazing science talks and community building. Conference organizing was so stressful, but so worth it in the end. Along with talks and we had s’mores, karaoke, and even some folks surfing 🏄🏾‍♂️.

I am delighted to share that my first paper has now been accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics and is now on the arXiv!! arxiv.org/abs/2603.24663 In this paper I disentangle the drivers of variability in three early L-dwarfs using HST/WFC3. More info below 🧵!!

Disentangling auroral, cloud and magnetic spot driven variability in three early L-dwarfs with HST/WFC3

Variability monitoring provides an unparalleled insight into the atmospheric processes of brown dwarfs and directly imaged exo-planets. Inhomogeneous clouds, aurorae and magnetic spots have all been p...

arxiv.org

Proud to announce that my first PhD paper has now been accepted and is live on arXiv!! arxiv.org/abs/2603.24662 In this paper I provide the first analyses of JWST spectra of a sample of young, co-eval L dwarfs, focusing on the silicate absorption and whether there are any equator-to-pole variations.

Clouds with a silicate lining: Using JWST spectra to probe atmospheric diversity in young AB Dor L dwarfs

We present the first full JWST NIRSpec Prism and MIRI LRS 0.6 - 14 $μ$m (R ~ 100) spectra and analysis of five ~ 133 Myr L dwarf members of the AB Doradus moving group and one probable $\sim 500$ Myr ...

arxiv.org

TWO recently accepted papers on arxiv today from our group, led by PhD students @maddielam.bsky.social and @astrotoole.bsky.social. If you like brown dwarfs, variability, clouds, aurorae and/or magnetic spots there is something here for you! 👀 arxiv.org/abs/2603.24662 arxiv.org/abs/2603.24663

I had such a great time visiting Oxford yesterday and getting a preview of all the cool science coming out of the exoplanets groups. Thanks so much for hosting me @airbornegrain.bsky.social @jaynebirkby.bsky.social ! 🪐

Planets @ Oxford@oxoplanets.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Today’s Astrophysics colloquium was given by Dr Johanna Vos (@johannavos.bsky.social) about exoplanet weather! Very cool learning how we can study clouds, winds, and aurora on exoplanetary worlds!

Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Cycle 1 Call for Proposals is Open! roman-docs.ipac.caltech.edu/roman-propos... Proposal Deadline: March 17, 2026 www.nasa.gov/missions/rom... "Roman is slated to launch by May 2027, but the team is on track for launch as early as fall 2026." #NASA #astronomy #AAS

🔭 A bit late, but I've finally put together a zenodo archive for the JWST observations and retrievals of SIMP-0136, based on my paper from earlier this year. If you want to play around with this super interesting models, or dive into the results, it's all available at zenodo.org/records/1785...! 🧪

Happy to share my insights on the potential of Doppler imaging with the ELT at #ExoELT last week! Also my first time at #ESO Garching!

CDT in Aerosol Science is welcoming applications for fully-funded PhD studentships as part of our 8th cohort to start in autumn 2026: www.aerosol-cdt.ac.uk/2026-projects/ Aerosol science is crucial to so many things, check out the linked project catalogue for studentships! #PhD #academicjobs

We are hiring a new Assistant Professor in Astrophysics at Trinity College Dublin!! ☘ Job ad here: aas.org/jobregister/... Deadline: Jan 02 2026 Please share widely! 🪐🔭

Seeking PhD candidates that want to do a thesis on exoplanet atmosphere retrieval + machine learning inference. Please apply by 31 October to Dr. Max Dax's and my shared project here: is.mpg.de/news/new-max... . Abstract for the thesis project is attached to this thread below!

New Max Planck Artificial Intelligence Network Starts Call for Applications for its Ph.D. Program

The Max Planck Artificial Intelligence Network is a Ph.D. Program that provides doctoral researchers with fully funded Ph.D. fellowships and a pool of outstanding faculty comprising directors and inde...

is.mpg.de

New unified model of equatorial winds on giant planets helps to explain some of the zonal wind observations 🔭 I and my colleagues have made for Neptune and Uranus over the past few decades - www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

From gas to ice giants: A unified mechanism for equatorial jets

A bifurcation in equatorial jet formation can explain the differences between the gas and ice giants.

science.org

The phosphine molecule, PH3, has been proposed as a biosignature in rocky planets. In @science.org, Burgasser et al. report phosphine in a brown dwarf atmosphere. "We therefore caution against the use of phosphine as a biosignature". #stellarastro #exoplanet ☄️ www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Observation of undepleted phosphine in the atmosphere of a low-temperature brown dwarf

The atmospheres of low-temperature brown dwarfs and gas giant planets are expected to contain the phosphine molecule, PH3. However, previous observations have shown much lower abundances of this molec...

science.org

New JWST Data Shows Rogue Planet With a Colorful Combo of Wavelengths, Strong Storms, and Beautiful Auroras www.discovermagazine.com/new-jwst-dat...

New JWST Data Shows Rogue Planet With a Colorful Combo of Wavelengths, Strong Storms, and Beautiful Auroras

Learn about SIMP-0136, a rogue planet emitting wavelengths that reveal patchy clouds and auroras similar to the Northern Lights.

discovermagazine.com

🔭 It's paper day! Today I'm sharing the latest in a series of papers looking at the weather on other worlds, in this case bringing you the weather report from a nearby T-dwarf, SIMP-0136. 🪐 🧵 to follow...

We have job opportunities in the APEx department at MPIA - please spread the word! Postdocs: aas.org/jobregister/... Tenure-track staff: aas.org/jobregister/... Max Planck Research Group Leaders: aas.org/jobregister/... + happy to host ERC, Humboldt, and other third-party funds.

So great to see another incredible JWST variability study by Akhmetshyn et al. on the planetary-mass object SIMP 0136. These kinds of datasets reveal the most important details about the atmosphere and how they change over time. We are officially in in the era of exoplanet weather! 🪐☁️

AstroArxiv@astroarxiv.bsky.social · last yr.

Mapping atmospheric features of the planetary-mass brown dwarf SIMP 0136 with JWST NIRISS. Roman Akhmetshyn et. al. https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.00149

I rarely see Planetarium Astronomer jobs being advertised in the UK, we have a distinct lack of Planetariums. The Royal Observatory in Greenwich is currently hiring for one! app.vacancy-filler.co.uk/salescrm/Car...

Planetarium Astronomer | Royal Museums Greenwich

About usRoyal Museums Greenwich is a collection of diverse historical sites. The sites are the National Maritime Museum, Cutty Sark, the Royal Observatory, and the Queen’s House. Each of these sites h...

app.vacancy-filler.co.uk

Super excited for this accepted HST+VLA program led by Cian O'Toole, who hopes to expand our knowledge of extrasolar aurorae into the UV 🔭

Cian O'Toole@astrotoole.bsky.social · last yr.

I'm absolutely delighted to share that my Hubble Space Telescope proposal has been accepted! We will search for the first UV detection of an aurora outside the solar system on the brown dwarf 2M1047, using simultaneous observations from HST and the VLA. Stay tuned for some very exciting science! 🔭📡

We are so excited for Dr McCarthy @alliemccarthy.bsky.social to join the group @tcddublin.bsky.social 🪐☁️

Philip Muirhead@philipmuirhead.bsky.social · last yr.

Congratulations to Dr. Allison McCarthy, who successfully defended her PhD “The Physical Basis for L and T Dwarf Variability” on Friday! Allie is now off to Trinity College Dublin for a postdoc with the ExoAimsir group led by Prof. Johanna Vos! 🪐🔭 @alliemccarthy.bsky.social @johannavos.bsky.social

Attended my first ever conference last month at #EASCork! Super inspiring to hear about what’s going on in exoplanets and brown dwarfs!

Very proud of Cian O'Toole who gave his very first conference talk at #EAS2025 last week. 🔭 He is investigating the drivers of variability in three brown dwarfs using observations from HST, VLA and a new framework for modelling variable atmospheres. Paper is incoming so watch this space! 📄📄📄

It’s a beautiful day in Cork to kick off our symposium on giant exoplanets and brown dwarfs #EAS2025

Looking forward to speaking at Astronomy on Tap this Wednesday in Cork! 🍻💫 Tickets available at this link www.eventbrite.ie/e/astronomy-...

Astronomy on Tap Cork: European Astronomical Society Edition

Public talks about astronomy from professional astrophysicists right here in Cork while you enjoy a pint and maybe a pizza too!

eventbrite.ie

Introducing...your sneak peek at the cosmos captured by NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory! Can you guess these regions of sky? This is just a small peek...join us at 11am US EDT for your full First Look at how Rubin will #CaptureTheCosmos! 🔭🧪 #RubinFirstLook ls.st/rubin-first-look-livestream

NEWS: #NASAWebb has directly imaged a cold exoplanet in an extremely misaligned orbit for the first time. The observations have surprised researchers in more than one way: webbtelescope.pub/3ZSctun #AAS246 🔭 🧪

Macquarie has put out the call for fully-funded PhD applications in all areas of astronomy, to start January 2026: aas.org/jobregister/... Applications due 2 July to astrohdrinfo@mq.edu.au. International scholarships will be competitive, typically expecting publication and/or excellent GPA.

Together with Sebastiaan Haffert our review on “High-Contrast Coronagraphy” is out - writing an ARA&A review has been on my academic bucket list, and I’m very proud of the result. It uses the showyourwork! framework, making it a completely reproducible paper. #FAIR #astrodon #exoplanets

Less than a month till the deadline to apply for this PhD place!

Denis Sergeev@meteodenny.bsky.social · last yr.

Exciting PhD opportunity at @exeter.ac.uk: Forecasting Martian Dust Storms (funded by @ukspaceagency.bsky.social)! Please share widely! More details: www.exeter.ac.uk/study/fundin...

The Minister for Heritage has announced that the Historic Astronomical Observatories of Ireland have been added to the World Heritage Tentative List, in a bid to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Irish historical observatories seek UNESCO status

The Minister for Heritage has announced that the Historic Astronomical Observatories of Ireland have been added to the World Heritage Tentative List, in a bid to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

rte.ie