Community events at EGU 2026

The European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2026 is around the corner so I am taking the opportunity to highlight some community activities relevant to IAGA sciences (beyond the scientific sessions spread across EMRP, ST, and other divisions).

 

EMRP

Division meeting of Earth Magnetism & Rock Physics (EMRP): Wed, 06 May, 12:45–13:45 (CEST) Room 1.34 (lunch included)

To meet the EMRP Division President (DP) and ECS Rep and team, please check the programme (time still to be defined) for the event 'Meet the EMRP Division Team' at the EGU booth (Hall X2) in the "meet EGU" area.

Medal Lecture MAL25-EMRP Louis Néel Medal Lecture by Francois Renard and EMRP Division Outstanding ECS Award Lecture by Lucille Carbillet: Thu, 07 May, 19:00–20:00 (CEST) Room N1 

Social Event, EMRP division Dinner upon registration only (secure your spot here) Thu, 07 May, 20:30  onward (CEST) off/-ite (Melker Stiftskeller, 3 Schottengasse 1010 Wien)

European Heliophysics Community

 -> heliophysics.eu

 

We invite you to the European Heliophysics Community (EHC) Townhall Meeting at EGU26, taking place on Monday 4 May, 19:00–20:00 CEST in Room -2.33 (Basement).

Heliophysics — the science of the Sun and its interaction with the solar system — spans a broad and active community in Europe, yet lacks a single organisational home. The EHC was formed to address this, and this townhall is an opportunity get updates and help shape its future.

The agenda includes:

• Introduction to the EHC

• Forum report and community outreach update

• Working groups and membership call

• Planning for the 3rd Heliophysics in Europe meeting

• Open discussion and outlook

Whether you work on solar physics, space plasmas, magnetospheres, planetary environments, or ionospheric science — if any of this resonates with you, you may be a Heliophysicist, and we'd love to see you there. ALL are welcome.

Session link: https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU26/session/59097

Best wishes,

The conveners

Charlotte Götz, Manuela Temmer, Jonathan Rae, Yuri Shprits

Early-Career Scientist Events: ST (Solar-Terrestrial) 

Read more at https://blogs.egu.eu/divisions/st/2026/03/30/dont-miss-the-egu-st-early-career-scientist-events-during-egu26/  

• Tuesday, 5 May, 12:30
  ST ECS Picnic (meet at X4 foyer to go to Donapark or Terrace G)
• Wednesday, 6 May, 18:15
  ST ECS Dinner at Prater area
  Register here 

General ECS events 

• Sunday, 3 May, 16:30
  ECS Icebreaker at Copa Beach 
   
• Monday, 4 May, 16:15-18:00, Room -2.82
  Short course ‘How Are Postdocs Doing? Rethinking the Postdoctoral Experience in Geosciences‘

  ..and more short courses here, and networking sessions here!

For an overview, see this post 

 

--- 

- Ashley Smith
  IAGA ICEO Co-Chair

RESULTS from the Space Physics Postdoc Survey

Thanks to everyone who filled out the early-career survey that we distributed in winter 2024-2025. The results are in!

This survey is intended to measure the working conditions and career prospects of non-permanent researchers in the international heliospheric and magnetospheric physics communities.

A PDF of the survey results can be found HERE: 
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16504467

or follow the QR code in this post.

The repo also contains the response data in .csv format, and Python code for plotting.

We are working to write up our interpretation of the results as a peer-reviewed article. We are particularly interested in the challenges faced by post-PhD researchers as they work to advance their careers.

LEARN MORE at the EGU Short Course 1.4: "How are Postdocs Doing? Rethinking the Postdoctoral Experience in Geosciences", Monday, 4 May 2026, 16:15–18:00 Vienna time. We will discuss the survey results to help motivate the panel/group discussion. 

For more information, you may contact the survey administrators: khoraites@spacescience.org , giulia.cozzani@cnrs-orleans.fr , eleanna.asvestari@helsinki.fi , maxime.grandin@fmi.fi

  

The robots are here

There is a proliferation of "AI" chatbots, coding assistants, and, more recently, autonomous agents. There are certainly productivity benefits to be found, but also many risks that we don't understand well. The world of IT and software changes quickly, and with LLMs able to tirelessly churn out millions of lines of code, that pace is increasing enormously. Such rapid change inevitably brings unintended consequences, so what can we do to better prepare ourselves? The first step is awareness.

Image credit: Futurama, 20th Century Fox

I was prompted to write this post after reading Scott Shambaugh - "An AI Agent Published a Hit Piece on Me" (reported by The Register). A maintainer of Matplotlib, a popular Python package, rejected a code contribution originating from an AI software called OpenClaw. Someone set up that bot to roam around GitHub and attempt to fix issues it finds in scientific software. Such automated approaches are quite common now, and the resulting influx of verbose pull requests is causing strain and increased workload on big open source projects. The new thing this time was that the bot proceeded to write a blog post complaining about how unfair the rejection was! Scott explains how other bots might read this, potentially having harmful consequences, such as HR using an AI agent to judge people's behaviour based on their public record. (This rabbit hole also led me to Moltbook, a social network for AI agents!)

There are many concerns with AI tools - the environmental cost, cybersecurity problems, IP theft, the impact of cognitive offloading, inequitable access and control, a swamp of other ethical issues, and the annoyance of companies trying to force AI indiscriminately into everything (Copilot?). Yet their continued presence is inescapable. We should think carefully about where and how to apply these tools, and, unfortunately, how to protect ourselves against them.

- Ashley Smith
  IAGA ICEO Co-Chair

A Memorable Experience at the IAGA-IASPEI Meeting 2025

Hello Readers,

I am Sunil Kumar Ramatheerthan, working at the Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences, and the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics at Charles University, both located in Prague, Czech Republic. I am delighted to share my experience attending the IAGA/IASPEI Joint Scientific Meeting 2025, held from 31 August to 5 September 2025 at the Lisbon School of Engineering (ISEL), Portugal.

This conference holds a special place in my academic journey as it was my first scientific meeting where I had the opportunity to chair a session. Taking on this responsibility significantly enhanced my networking opportunities and boosted my confidence as an emerging researcher in the fields of atmospheric and space sciences.

During the meeting, I presented a talk titled “Vertical coupling between sudden stratospheric warming and the European mid-latitude ionosphere” and chaired a session on “Coupling Processes in the Atmosphere-Ionosphere System”, which featured five insightful talks. Although I was a bit nervous at first, I soon became more comfortable and thoroughly enjoyed the experience of chairing the session.

Throughout the conference, I had the chance to engage with several experts working on vertical coupling between the atmosphere and ionosphere. Their valuable feedback on my presentation not only refined my perspective but also led to potential collaborative research opportunities.

The scientific program included numerous interesting oral and poster sessions. I especially enjoyed the poster sessions during the coffee breaks, they provided a great opportunity to explore diverse research topics and engage in informal yet meaningful scientific discussions. As one of the IAGA School participants, I got the opportunity to present my research on camera as part of the outreach project “Lights, Camera, IAGA ECS in Action!”, a science communication initiative supported by the IAGA Outreach Grant and coordinated by Dr. Katia Pinheiro.

There was also a social gathering for early-career researchers (ECRs), organized by the IAGA and IASPEI committees, which provided a relaxed space to discuss career development, networking, and collaboration opportunities.

In the end, this meeting proved to be an excellent platform to share my research, gain valuable insights from both experts and ECRs, and draw inspiration and motivation from the scientific discussions and visions for future work.

IAGA-IASPEI School 2025: My Experience

Hello Readers,

I am Sunil Kumar Ramatheerthan, a final-year PhD student at the Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences, and the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics at Charles University, both located in Prague, Czech Republic. In this blog, I would like to share my experience attending my first summer school, the International Association of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy (IAGA) and International Association of Seismology and Physics of the Earth's Interior (IASPEI) school, held from 24 to 30 August 2025 at the Lisbon School of Engineering (ISEL) in Lisbon, Portugal.

The IAGA-IASPEI school was an excellent opportunity to learn, connect, and engage with researchers and students from around the world in the fields of geomagnetism and aeronomy. I arrived in Lisbon from Prague, where I am currently pursuing my PhD. The school began with an informal gathering on 24 August, where I had the pleasure of meeting participants from diverse scientific backgrounds.

The school lectures began the next morning with an excellent talk by Dr. Julie Carlut on the Earth's magnetic field and paleomagnetism, followed by Dr. Anna Morozova’s engaging lecture on ionospheric space weather, which was especially relevant to my research. Her talk provided insights into solar activity, the ionosphere, and the economic impacts of space weather.

The following day featured two enriching lectures and practical sessions, Dr. Ondřej Santolík’s session on plasma waves and Dr. Ivana Klomšková’s on lightning discharges, both of which were technically and theoretically stimulating.

On Wednesday, a joint session with IASPEI participants, led by Dr. Ciaran Beggan, focused on digitizing archive data, where we gained hands-on experience using specialized software tools and working in teams. In the afternoon, we visited the Quake Museum in Lisbon, which offered a fascinating overview of the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, the experiences of earthquakes, as well as other major seismic events and advances in seismological science. Sharing this experience with both IAGA and IASPEI participants made it even more enjoyable and memorable.

On Thursday, Dr. Chris Finlay discussed magnetic field modeling using data from ground observatories and satellites, followed by a hands-on session with Swarm satellite data using the VirES platform.

On Friday, Dr. Alexander Grayver introduced electromagnetic induction methods in geophysics, providing valuable insights into subsurface exploration. The school concluded with our final practical sessions, the certificate ceremony, and a treat kindly arranged by Dr. Barbara Leichter and Dr. Ashley Smith.

The week ended on a lovely note with a relaxed Tagus riverside dinner, a perfect way to celebrate the learning, teamwork, and new friendships built throughout the program.

Attending the IAGA-IASPEI School 2025 was a truly rewarding experience. I learned a great deal about geomagnetism and space physics, but more importantly, I had the opportunity to meet inspiring researchers and share ideas with people who share my curiosity and passion for the field. It’s an experience I will definitely carry with me as I continue my research journey. 

A new view of lunar magnetism

One of the enduring mysteries about the Moon is whether it ever had an internal-generated magnetic field, and if so, when the core dynamo ceased. New research by Tinghong Zhou, John Tarduno, Rory Cottrell, and Eric Blackman at the University of Rochester and collaborators from the University of Notre Dame, UC Santa Cruz, and the University of Arizona, in a study supported by NSF and NASA, have provided new insights into this lunar puzzle, narrowing down the potential lifespan of the Moon’s dynamo to its first ~140 million years. The new study focused on analyzing magnetic field intensity (called paleointensity) recorded in Apollo samples that are between 4.36 to 3.7 billion years old. Using an advanced technique known as single-crystal paleointensity analysis, the researchers were able to obtain accurate measurements of the Moon’s ancient ambient surface magnetic field environment – which indicated negligible field strengths. This evidence for the absence of a dynamo resolves the long-lasting paradox between the previously hypothesized long-lived lunar dynamo and energy considerations, namely that the tiny lunar core would have been unable to power a strong, sustained magnetic field.

Figure 1: Astronaut John Young stands on the rim of the Plum Crater on the Moon. Image source: NASA, Apollo Lunar Surface Journal, Apollo Image Library Hasselblad Magazine, 109/G (B&W), AS16-109-17804.

A key part of this new understanding of lunar magnetic history comes from a focus on magnetic carriers meeting the demanding requirements of paleointensity theory. Single-domain magnetic grains, which are very small, some 20 to 200 nm in size, are required. In contrast, larger magnetic grains are far less reliable because their internal domain walls can move with time and during laboratory treatments, corrupting any original magnetic signal. Magnetic minerals in lunar rocks are dominated by these problematic multidomain grains, making paleointensity analysis very challenging. The single-crystal paleointensity technique used in the study by Zhou and others builds on an earlier study led by the University of Rochester and focuses on silicate crystals that contain single-domain magnetic grain inclusions to meet the paleointensity recording requirement. The authors tested the fidelity of their records by CO2 laser heating in different fields and in the presence or absence of an applied field. These tests exclude thermal alteration and provide a measure of recording efficiency. The authors found high recording efficiencies, indicating that if surface fields had been present, they would have been recorded. Hence, the absence of a paleointensity indicates absence of a surface field.

In addition to the single crystal paleointensity, the study also employed whole rock paleointensity on 3.7-billion-year-old Apollo basalts using a non-thermal technique. Unlike thermal methods that measure magnetization acquired from natural cooling, non-thermal methods rely on additional assumptions and empirical calibrations. The results from the non-thermal technique showed abnormally high and inconsistent paleointensities. These anomalies could indicate shock magnetization from lunar impacts or issues with the multidomain grains and/or the applied non-thermal method. Because non-thermal analysis of whole rocks is the basis for some calls for an episodic lunar dynamo, the researchers conclude there is no robust evidence for such a phenomenon from Apollo samples.

Figure 2: Lunar magnetic history indicated by paleointensity data. Single crystals suggest a null lunar magnetic field since 4.36 Ga, while some whole rock data obtained by non-thermal methods yield abnormally high values that might be related to large multidomain magnetic grains and/or impact induced magnetic field. Figure modified from Tarduno et al., 2021 and Zhou et al., 2024.

If the Moon did not have a dynamo for most of its history, the early Earth’s (for example, during the Archean and Hadean eons) atmosphere can be transferred to the Moon, which would be unshielded by an intrinsic field, and preserved in its regolith. With a smaller Earth-Moon distance and the stronger solar wind in the Archean and Hadean, this transfer would have been enhanced. By studying the volatiles trapped in the lunar regolith, we might have opportunities to better understand the composition of the early Earth’s atmosphere and the conditions that influenced the evolution of life.

Tinghong Zhou is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Rochester mentored by Professor John A. Tarduno. Her research focuses on the long-term evolution of the geomagnetic field and its correlation with the Earth’s deep interior, and the origin of the lunar magnetism. Email address: tzhou16@ur.rochester.edu

IAGA Sponsorship for Meetings

IAGA provides sponsorship for people interested in organising meetings under its remit, especially for students, early career researchers or scientists in developing countries. The funding can be used for various purposes such as registration fee waiver or enabling participation of participants who otherwise wouldn't be able to travel by supporting their travel/accommodation costs. There are two rounds of applications open- end of May and November- each year with outcomes aimed for June and December, respectively.

The ideal time for submitting funding request is a year before the event, with details of the meeting such as venue, dates and scientific focus. The submission is made to the Secretary General and is evaluated by the Executive Committee. The funding capacity may differ for different years but in general, the maximum amount is about 3000 EUR.

More details can be found here. Please feel free to leave your queries in the comments below and we will answer them.