Opportunities

Upcoming External Events

U.S. National Committee (USNC) for the International Union of Radio Science (URSI) 2026 National Radio Science Meeting, January 6–9, 2026

This meeting will include scientific sessions, a plenary session, an invited Hans Liebe Lecture, commission meetings, workshops/short courses, exhibits, a Women in Radio Science (WIRS) reception, a student paper competition, and a student mentoring luncheon. Authors have their choice of submitting either one-page abstracts or two-page summaries and having them archived on IEEE Xplore.  The deadline for submission to the Call for Papers is September 12, 2025!

Aspen Center for Physics Winter Conference (AspenWinter 2026): Theoretical Physics for Artificial Intelligence, January 11–16, 2026

Some of the world’s most ambitious and consequential experiments are taking place not in particle accelerators or space telescopes but in silicon, training ginormous neural networks. The results have been transformative, yet much of the progress has been driven by empirical advances, with theoretical understanding struggling to keep pace. This meeting will explore how the tools and insights of theoretical physics can deepen our understanding of modern artificial intelligence. The meeting will bring together physicists and computer scientists, with a shared goal of illuminating the principles underlying successful machine-learning methods—and ultimately guiding the development of better architectures and algorithms. Apply at https://aspenphys.org/winter-conferences/! Apply by September 15, 2025!

EDUCADO–MWGaiaDN Training School on Astro-AI and Machine Learning, March 2–6, 2026

Organized jointly by the EDUCADO and MWGaiaDN MSCA Doctoral Networks, this training school brings together leading experts in artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), high-performance computing, and data visualization. Over the course of five days, participants will take part in a structured programme of expert-led lectures and hands-on training sessions, providing ample opportunities for direct engagement with lecturers and peers, and fostering scientific exchange and collaboration across research environments and disciplines. This training school is ideally suited for early-career researchers in astronomy and astrophysics, but is equally valuable for any scientist interested in applying state-of-the-art AI/ML techniques to the exploration, analysis, and visualization of large observational, experimental, or simulation-based datasets.  The application deadline is February 1, 2026!

Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) Language AI in the Space Sciences workshop, March 9–12, 2026

This interdisciplinary event will bring together researchers and practitioners at the intersection of natural language processing, artificial intelligence, and space sciences. Potential topics include multi-modal AI for data and publications, research workflow management, AI agents for data discovery, chatbots, retrieval-augmented generation, literature mining, named entity recognition, citation analysis, text generation, best practices for deploying language technologies, ethical AI, and transparency and bias in scientific applications.  Abstract submissions will be accepted from September 22–November 14,  2025, and the Abstract Selection Notifications will be in December 2025–January 2026! The registration form will open on December 8 and will close on February 6!

Past External Events

Northwestern University and Toyota Technological Institute at Chicago Junior Theorists Workshop 2025, December 8–9, 2025

The focus of this workshop will be on junior researchers in all areas of theoretical computer science (including foundations of data science and machine learning). Register by December 4, 2025!

The Thirty-Ninth Annual Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems (NeurIPS) 2025 Weak Lensing Uncertainty Challenge, Until November 16, 2025

Participants are tasked with developing models that can accurately infer key cosmological parameters Ω_m and S_8 from a dataset designed to mimic weak lensing observations. However, due to limitations in our simulations and the modeling of various systematic effects, there may be a mismatch between the simulated data and real observations. This simulation-model mismatch, or distribution shift, can introduce significant biases in parameter inference. Participants’ models should predict both point estimates ( Ω_m , S_8 ) and their corresponding one-standard deviation uncertainties ( σ Ω_m , σ S_8 ). The point estimate and the uncertainties could be obtained by, for example, sampling the posterior with Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC), or from a Maximum Likelihood Fit estimator. Top participants will be awarded monetary prizes (up to 2,000 USD) and invited to present at the NeurIPS 2025 workshop in San Diego in December 2025.

Foundation Models for Science Workshop at the University of Toronto, November 3–5, 2025

This three-day event will explore how large-scale machine-learning models can be used to solve scientific problems across scientific disciplines. The workshop will feature keynotes, tutorials, social events, and a hackathon, where the attendees will solve predefined problems in small groups. Attendees will also have the opportunity to attend the Foundation Models for Science Symposium at the Vector Institute for AI, held on November 6–7. Fifty attendees can be accomodated.  The application deadline is July 31, 2025!

AI in Science Summit 2025 (AIS25), November 3–4, 2025

The AI in Science Summit is the inaugural Flagship Event launching the Resources for AI Science in Europe (RAISE). It is being held in Copenhagen, Denmark. The summit welcomes scientists, industry leaders, investors, and policy makers to exchange ideas, network, and shape the future investments in AI research in Europe. The paper-submission deadline is September 1, 2025! Register by October 26, 2025!

NASA Cosmic Origins Early Career Workshop, October 21–23, 2025

This workshop aims to provide insights to early-career scientists about the wide range of work done in the Cosmic Origins Program, explain and demonstrate the tools and opportunities available to them, and answer any questions they may have.

Computing Community Consortium (CCC) Community Chat: Envisioning Possible Futures for AI Research, October 22, 2025, 12:30–1:00 p.m.CT

This event will feature David Jensen (University of Massachusetts, Amherst), lead author of the CCC white paper Envisioning Possible Futures for AI Research. Coauthors will also join for the live Q&A.

OpenACC Open Accelerated Computing (OAC) Summit 2025, October 7–9, 2025

This summit serves as a platform to examine the latest research and development efforts at the intersection of AI and high-performance computing. The deadline to submit a talk proposal is September 5, 2025!

NASA International Space Apps Challenge, in Partnership with the Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA), October 4–5, 2025

NASA Space Apps is the world’s largest hackathon, hosted in over 500 locations. In Chicago, you’ll join a collaborative effort to tackle real challenges provided by NASA and present your solutions to expert judges. Come with a team—or we’ll help you form one. Perfect for first-time hackers, computer science students, engineers, or anyone looking to build their portfolio. This free event is designed for anyone passionate about space science, data, and innovation. This is an especially great opportunity for students to gain hands-on experience and expand their professional network.  The registration link will go live on July 17, 2025!

2025 CIERA Annual Public Lecture: A New Eye on the Universe Opens: The Vera C. Rubin Observatory, October 3, 2025

Each year, Northwestern University’s Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA) invites a renowned speaker to campus for our Annual Public Lecture. This year’s speaker is Harvard astronomer and experimental physicist Professor Christopher W. Stubbs. This year marks the birth of an ambitious new scientific project. Based in Chile, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory will take a decade-long time-lapse movie of the entire Southern sky, using the largest digital camera ever made. First-look images were released this summer, and the project is now transitioning into full operation. Professor Stubbs’ talk will describe how the unprecedented torrent of 20 terabytes per night will propel projects ranging from searches for potentially hazardous asteroids to mapping out the history of cosmic expansion. In particular, the Rubin data will provide new insights into “dark matter,” the mysterious substance that comprises 90% of the mass in our own Milky Way galaxy, as well as “dark energy,” which is driving the runaway expansion of the Universe. Stubbs will also describe the evolution of the project itself, and the romance of working in the high Atacama desert.