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UK/Ireland Astrophysics Transients Meeting 2026

The UK/Ireland Astrophysics Transients Meeting 2026 will bring together researchers working on transients including supernovae, gamma-ray bursts and more.

  • 7 Sep 2026, 9.00am to 8 Sep 2026, 5.00pm BST (GMT +01:00)
  • Chancellors' Building, 2.6, University of Bath
  • This event is free
Pulteney Bridge, Bath: Photo by Jonathan Billinger
Pulteney Bridge, Bath: Photo by Jonathan Billinger

Overview

UK&I Astrophysics Transients 2026 is a two-day science meeting bringing together researchers in the field of Astrophysical Transients. The theme of the meeting is the observation and theory of Extragalactic Transients, including Supernovae, Gamma-Ray Bursts, Kilonovae, Tidal Disruption events, Fast-Radio bursts, other peculiar or exotic transients at all wavelengths, and multi-messenger events. Topics of the meeting include studies of transients' progenitor stars, explosion/powering mechanisms, rates, environments, theory advancements, and current and future surveys enabling their study.

This meeting will be dedicated to our colleague and co-organizer Patricia Schady, who passed away in March 2026. Some time in the program on Monday afternoon will be devoted to her life and work.

Bath Astrophysics is organizing a SPINS (Science Possibilities Investigating Neutron Stars) conference immediately afterwards. For further information and registration, please see the SPINS meeting website.

Registration

  • Registration and Abstract Submission Opens: 18 May 2026
  • Abstract Submission Deadline: 7 July 2026 Abstract submission is now closed
  • Registration Deadline: 1 September 2026

Registration

Register Here
Should you require an invitation letter from the organisers for visa purposes, please contact astro-transients@bath.ac.uk

Abstract Submission

If you wish to present a talk or poster please complete the abstract submission form. Abstract Submission Form abstract submission is closed

Click here for a list of registered participants.

Meeting Schedule

A downloadable copy of the UK/Ireland Astrophysics Transients Meeting Schedule 2026 will be available here shortly. The meeting scheduling is also detailed below.

Monday 7th September 2026

Start Finish Description Location
09:00 09:50 Coffee & Registation Chancellors' Building Level 2 Foyer
09:50 10:00 Welcome & Opening Chancellors' Building 2.6
10:00 12:00 Session 1: Supernovae Chancellors' Building 2.6
10:00 10:20 Callum Aster (Cardiff University): "SN 2024abvb: a Type Ibn/Icn supernova with evidence of helium and an extreme offset from its host galaxy"
10:20 10:40 Jack Tweddle (University of Oxford): "TITAN DR1: 8378 Spectroscopic SNe Ia in the Nearby Universe"
10:40 11:00 Fionntán Callan (Queen's University Belfast): "Multi-dimensional non-LTE radiative transfer for a double detonation Type Ia explosion model in the photospheric phase"
11:00 11:20 Nikolaos Shiamtanis (University of Southampton): "A Photometric Approach to Type Ia Supernova Science"
11:20 11:40 Andrés Ponte Pérez (University of Birmingham): "Spending Spectra Wisely: Adaptive Cadence Optimisation for Gravitationally Lensed Supernovae in the Rubin Era"
11:40 12:00 Jasvinderjit Khaulsay (Cardiff University): "High resolution spectroscopy of the Type IIn SN2024xuo"
12:00 13:30 Lunch
13:30 14:50 Session 2: SNe & Transients, Other Chancellors' Building 2.6
13:30 13:50 Timothy Hurton (University of Lancashire): "The Effect of Circumstellar Dust on the Mass Estimates of Type II-P Progenitors"
13:50 14:10 Mike Peel (Imperial College London): "Detecting submm transients (and dodging satellites)"
14:10 14:30 Avishai Gilkis (University of Cambridge): "Disappearing Stars: The Hot, Blue Progenitors of Black-Hole Formation"
14:30 14:50 Marcin Glowacki (University of Edinburgh): "Bridging gaps between fast radio burst signals and their host galaxies"
14:50 15:20 Coffee & Poster Break Chancellors' Building Level 2 Foyer
15:20 17:00 Session 3: GRBs & host galaxies & commemorating Patrica Schady Chancellors' Building 2.6
15:20 15:50 Nial Tanvir (University of Leicester): Science review talk
15:50 16:10 Anne Inkenhaag (University of Bath): "Using gamma-ray bursts to probe the faint, distant galaxy population"
16:10 16:30 Berk Topcu (University of Bath): "Investigating the Effect of Spatial Resolution on Derived Physical Conditions of Transient Environments"
16:30 17:00 Commemorating Patricia Schady
17:00 18:00 Drinks Reception Chancellors' Building Level 2 Foyer

Tuesday 8th September 2026

Start Finish Description Location
09:30 10:00 Arrival & Coffee Chancellors' Building Level 2 Foyer
10:00 12:00 Session 4: GRBs Chancellors' Building 2.6
10:00 10:20 Issie Worssam (University of Birmingham): "Waiting in the wings: extended emission GRBs from time propagation"
10:20 10:40 Samuel Shilling (Lancaster University): "Measurements of the geometric properties of GRBs and their implications on the luminosity—decay correlation"
10:40 11:00 Cairns Turnbull (Liverpool John Moores University): "The Oates Relation: testing a structured jet origin"
11:00 11:20 Dimple (University of Birmingham): "Revisiting Gamma-Ray Burst Classification with Data-Driven Approaches"
11:20 11:40 Mayurakshi Mukherjee (SISSA): "Why are most GRBs not emitting in HE Gamma-rays?"
11:40 12:00 Helena-Margaret Grabham (Liverpool John Moores University): "Righting the Radio Light Curve of the BOAT (GRB 221009A)"
12:00 13:30 Lunch
13:30 14:50 Session 5: TDEs and Transients, Other Chancellors' Building 2.6
13:30 13:50 Conor Omand (Liverpool John Moores University): "Unmasking r-process Signatures in Hyper-accreting Black Hole Outflows"
13:50 14:10 Peter Clark (University of Southampton): "Dragon Slaying: Removing active galactic nuclei from tidal disruption event samples"
14:10 14:30 Rob Eyles-Ferris (University of Leicester): "EP260302a: a new and extreme relativistic tidal disruption event"
14:30 14:50 William Stone (Liverpool John Moores University): "Revisiting Double Tidal Disruption Events as an Alternative Channel for Extreme Nuclear Transients"
14:50 15:20 Coffee & Poster Break Chancellors' Building Level 2 Foyer
15:20 16:40 Session 6: TDEs and other transients Chancellors' Building 2.6
15:20 15:30 Matthew Quilt (University of Southampton): "ANTEATER: First Results for the Discovery of Ambiguous Nuclear Transients with LSST and 4MOST"
15:40 16:00 Zoë McGrath (Liverpool John Moores University): "Analysis of LFBOTs AT2026dbl and AT2026nik"
16:00 16:20 Lauren Eastman (University of Oxford): "Andromeda’s Disappearing Star: M31-2014-DS1"
16:20 16:40 Kendall Ackley (University of Warwick): "Searches for fast optical counterparts to gravitational-wave events with GOTO"
16:40 - Closing Remarks Chancellors' Building 2.6

Code of Conduct

The code of conduct for the UK/Ireland Astrophysics Transients Meeting 2026 can be accessed here.

Organisers

Lead organisers

Hendrik van Eerten & Patricia Schady* (University of Bath)

Further scientific organising committee

Kim Page (University of Leicester)
Joe Lyman (University of Warwick)
Ben Gompertz (University of Birmingham)
Samantha Oates (Lancaster University)
Dan Perley (Liverpool John Moores University)
Lisa Kelsey (University of Cambridge)
Antonio Martin-Carrillo (University College Dublin)
Phil Wiseman (University of Southampton)

Further local organising committee members

David Tsang (University of Bath)
Sayan Kundu (University of Bath)
Anne Inkenhaag (University of Bath)
Duncan Neill (University of Bath)
Jianghui Yuan (University of Bath)
Berk Topcu (University of Bath)

* This meeting will be dedicated to Patricia Schady (University of Bath obituary).

Local Information

This event will be held at the Chancellors' Building room 2.6 on our Claverton Down campus.

Accommodation

Because our campus is located on a hilltop outside of the city centre, we recommend that visitors use our on-campus accommodation.

On-campus options

Book a room at Polden, our campus accommodation, for £88 per night. Each room includes a 3/4 size double bed (four feet wide), an en-suite shower room with toilet, and tea and coffee making facilities. To start your day right, a continental breakfast is served in the café next door — included in your room rate. Parking on campus is free of charge, but you must register your vehicle prior to arrival, using the link that will be emailed to you.

Towels will be provided but no toiletries. Make sure you bring your own or visit our campus shop.

Book Your Accommodation Here

Off-campus options

If you prefer to stay off-campus a list of hotels, B&Bs, and guest houses is available here. For up-to-date pricing and availability follow the link through to each accommodation's page. If staying off-campus please see Travel below for more information on how to get to our Claverton Down campus.

Travel

Local Bus

The First West of England Bath Unibus service runs between Bath and the University campus. The Unibus services are:

  • the U1
  • the U2
  • the U3
  • the U4

Links to timetables and tickets are available on the University of Bath bus services webpage.

Train

There are frequent services from London, Bristol and South Wales to Bath Spa Railway station (BTH).

Visit nationalrail.co.uk or trainline.com for train timetables, fares and cheap advance tickets.

Car

If travelling by car, and staying off-campus, please consult the campus visitor parking information. Information on parking payment and where to park can be found on those pages.

Coach

Visit National Express to plan journeys to Bath. There are frequent daily services between London Victoria, Heathrow Airport and Bath.

Air travel

Our nearest airport is Bristol International Airport.

The A4 Air Decker bus service will take you directly from the airport to Bath.

You can also catch the Bristol Flyer Airport Express from the airport to Bristol Temple Meads rail station to travel to Bath by train.

There are regular connections by rail and coach from London Heathrow and London Gatwick.

Food

Discover some of the University of Bath's catering outlets on campus and opening times here.

Location

This event will be held on our Claverton Down campus.


Chancellors' Building, 2.6 University of Bath Claverton Down Bath BA2 7AY United Kingdom

Contact Us

If you have any questions about the workshop, please contact us.