Andrew Pontzen
@apontzen.bsky.social
I do cosmology. Previously music. Prof at Durham, director of the Institute for Computational Cosmology from Jan 2026. Funded by Royal Society and ERC. Author of THE UNIVERSE IN A BOX http://pontzen.uk/book
Reposted by Andrew Pontzen
I should probably repost this, since it’s about… er… me.
Yay me!
Yay me!
📣Researchers from our @nustem.bsky.social
outreach group are celebrating after winning a prestigious @instituteofphysics.bsky.social
award recognising their work with children and young people across the North East and beyond. 🥇
#STEM #outreach #NorthumbriaUniversity
💡Discover more:
outreach group are celebrating after winning a prestigious @instituteofphysics.bsky.social
award recognising their work with children and young people across the North East and beyond. 🥇
#STEM #outreach #NorthumbriaUniversity
💡Discover more:
Northumbria University STEM outreach project wins Institute of Physics award
Researchers from an outreach group at Northumbria University are celebrating after winning a prestigious 2025 Institute of Physics (IOP) award recognising their work with children and young people acr...
www.northumbria.ac.uk
October 21, 2025 at 6:15 PM
I should probably repost this, since it’s about… er… me.
Yay me!
Yay me!
Reposted by Andrew Pontzen
Looking for some weekend listening? 🎧
Prof Andrew Pontzen, in our Department of Physics, looks at the search for element 120 on the periodic table - and what motivates scientists to pursue something possibly only produced in the violent explosions of stars 💥
👉 www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
Prof Andrew Pontzen, in our Department of Physics, looks at the search for element 120 on the periodic table - and what motivates scientists to pursue something possibly only produced in the violent explosions of stars 💥
👉 www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
New Elements - BBC Sounds
What does it take to make something which has never existed on Earth before?
www.bbc.co.uk
October 3, 2025 at 11:16 AM
Looking for some weekend listening? 🎧
Prof Andrew Pontzen, in our Department of Physics, looks at the search for element 120 on the periodic table - and what motivates scientists to pursue something possibly only produced in the violent explosions of stars 💥
👉 www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
Prof Andrew Pontzen, in our Department of Physics, looks at the search for element 120 on the periodic table - and what motivates scientists to pursue something possibly only produced in the violent explosions of stars 💥
👉 www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
This was enormous fun to make for Radio 4 - thanks to everyone at the LBNL heavy element group for being so welcoming
The search for element 120 is on! Cosmologist Andrew Pontzen visits @BerkeleyLab to chat with our Heavy Element Group, exploring the quest for new elements.
Listen to the fascinating story of scientists pushing the boundaries of discovery on the BBC's latest audio program: https://loom.ly/Scj0t3I.
Listen to the fascinating story of scientists pushing the boundaries of discovery on the BBC's latest audio program: https://loom.ly/Scj0t3I.
September 11, 2025 at 3:43 PM
This was enormous fun to make for Radio 4 - thanks to everyone at the LBNL heavy element group for being so welcoming
Today, our EDGE simulations are in Nature with the brilliant @astroeth.bsky.social paper on the formation of globular clusters, the clumps of ancient stars that have puzzled astronomers for centuries. Turns out to happen all by itself when you crank up the resolution. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
September 10, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Today, our EDGE simulations are in Nature with the brilliant @astroeth.bsky.social paper on the formation of globular clusters, the clumps of ancient stars that have puzzled astronomers for centuries. Turns out to happen all by itself when you crank up the resolution. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Andrew Pontzen
The first paper (arxiv.org/abs/2508.21126) presenting our new set of galaxy formation simulations is now out!
This is the culmination of years of work by a large team.
The COLIBRE project will hopefully be a new milestone in the physics included in large-scale galaxy simulations.
(Sound on!)
This is the culmination of years of work by a large team.
The COLIBRE project will hopefully be a new milestone in the physics included in large-scale galaxy simulations.
(Sound on!)
September 1, 2025 at 8:59 AM
The first paper (arxiv.org/abs/2508.21126) presenting our new set of galaxy formation simulations is now out!
This is the culmination of years of work by a large team.
The COLIBRE project will hopefully be a new milestone in the physics included in large-scale galaxy simulations.
(Sound on!)
This is the culmination of years of work by a large team.
The COLIBRE project will hopefully be a new milestone in the physics included in large-scale galaxy simulations.
(Sound on!)
Reposted by Andrew Pontzen
In his recent public lecture at Perimeter Institute, cosmology professor @apontzen.bsky.social explored how computing helps us decode cosmic history and our place in the universe.
Watch the talk on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPkW...
Watch the talk on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPkW...
The Universe in a Box: Simulating the Cosmos with Supercomputers
YouTube video by Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
www.youtube.com
July 31, 2025 at 3:37 PM
In his recent public lecture at Perimeter Institute, cosmology professor @apontzen.bsky.social explored how computing helps us decode cosmic history and our place in the universe.
Watch the talk on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPkW...
Watch the talk on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPkW...
Reposted by Andrew Pontzen
At today’s Cheltenham Science Festival event on @vrubinobs.bsky.social, @apontzen.bsky.social asked the questions while Hiranya Peiris and
@chrislintott.bsky.social explained why Rubin is unique and shared their excitement about the opportunities that the forthcoming data will provide 🔭
@chrislintott.bsky.social explained why Rubin is unique and shared their excitement about the opportunities that the forthcoming data will provide 🔭
June 7, 2025 at 10:09 PM
At today’s Cheltenham Science Festival event on @vrubinobs.bsky.social, @apontzen.bsky.social asked the questions while Hiranya Peiris and
@chrislintott.bsky.social explained why Rubin is unique and shared their excitement about the opportunities that the forthcoming data will provide 🔭
@chrislintott.bsky.social explained why Rubin is unique and shared their excitement about the opportunities that the forthcoming data will provide 🔭
Excellent news, and two of the nicest people in astronomy too. Just saying.
Congratulations Prof Ryan Cooke from our Department of Physics - the joint recipient of the 2025 Gruber Foundation Cosmology Prize, for his work with Prof Max Pettini @cambridgeastro.bsky.social. measuring the composition of the Universe just after the Big Bang.👉 www.durham.ac.uk/news-events/...
May 16, 2025 at 2:33 PM
Excellent news, and two of the nicest people in astronomy too. Just saying.
Reposted by Andrew Pontzen
Is anything in the #Universe truly invisible?
Prof @apontzen.bsky.social in our Department of Physics joins Prof Hannah Fry and @daraobriain.bsky.social on BBC Radio 4’s Curious Cases, 10am (BST), Saturday 19 April, to discuss: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
#comedy #physics #curiouscases
Prof @apontzen.bsky.social in our Department of Physics joins Prof Hannah Fry and @daraobriain.bsky.social on BBC Radio 4’s Curious Cases, 10am (BST), Saturday 19 April, to discuss: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
#comedy #physics #curiouscases
BBC Radio 4 - Curious Cases, Series 23, Invisibility Quest
Hannah Fry and Dara Ó Briain search the universe for stuff we can't see
www.bbc.co.uk
April 18, 2025 at 5:49 AM
Is anything in the #Universe truly invisible?
Prof @apontzen.bsky.social in our Department of Physics joins Prof Hannah Fry and @daraobriain.bsky.social on BBC Radio 4’s Curious Cases, 10am (BST), Saturday 19 April, to discuss: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
#comedy #physics #curiouscases
Prof @apontzen.bsky.social in our Department of Physics joins Prof Hannah Fry and @daraobriain.bsky.social on BBC Radio 4’s Curious Cases, 10am (BST), Saturday 19 April, to discuss: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
#comedy #physics #curiouscases
Reposted by Andrew Pontzen
If you're into your science podcasts, check out BBC R4 Inside Science this week, as the lovely @apontzen.bsky.social,
@amsterdammed.bsky.social and I have a nice long geeky chat about the new dark energy results from @desisurvey.bsky.social 🤓
📻: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
#cosmology 🔭
@amsterdammed.bsky.social and I have a nice long geeky chat about the new dark energy results from @desisurvey.bsky.social 🤓
📻: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
#cosmology 🔭
Congrats to @desisurvey.bsky.social - it's looking more & more like dark energy isn't Einstein's cosmological constant! If you've woken up to the news & are searching for the publications, they don't appear to be on arxiv 🤷♀️ but they are online. 🔭 #cosmology 🧪
ℹ️: data.desi.lbl.gov/public/paper...
ℹ️: data.desi.lbl.gov/public/paper...
![A graph of the evolution of the dark energy (vertical axis) as a function of time (redshift on the horizontal axis) - showing an offset from the cosmological constant (a flat horizontal line). Here is the figure caption from the paper:
FIG. 12. Comparison of the constraints on the equation of
state of dark energy using the CPL parametrization and a bin-
ning reconstruction approach, using DESI+CMB+DESY5.
The solid green line shows the best-fit w(z) based on w0 and
wa inference and the green contours around it represent the
68% and 95% confidence intervals. We also show in blue the
constraints from the binning approach [47], with the hori-
zontal bars indicating the bin width (which is fixed) and the
vertical bars representing the 1σ error. Additionally, we in-
clude in gray the 1D posterior for each binning parameter.
The ΛCDM limit corresponds to the horizontal gray dashed
line.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ok3ms3dzop7gcwejp7lswhpi/bafkreiaa64kyfu7u5ber7u6kwk2zzkuet66j6o3l4lr5ftl5sef67pzham@jpeg)
March 27, 2025 at 6:10 PM
If you're into your science podcasts, check out BBC R4 Inside Science this week, as the lovely @apontzen.bsky.social,
@amsterdammed.bsky.social and I have a nice long geeky chat about the new dark energy results from @desisurvey.bsky.social 🤓
📻: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
#cosmology 🔭
@amsterdammed.bsky.social and I have a nice long geeky chat about the new dark energy results from @desisurvey.bsky.social 🤓
📻: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
#cosmology 🔭
Reposted by Andrew Pontzen
Professor @apontzen.bsky.social, cosmologist at UCL, takes us on a journey through 13.8 billion years of cosmic history. How do scientists model the universe’s past & future? What’s our cosmic fate? Discover the role of simulations in unlocking deep space secrets.
humanists.uk/events/in-co...
humanists.uk/events/in-co...
In conversation with Andrew Pontzen
humanists.uk
March 7, 2025 at 12:37 PM
Professor @apontzen.bsky.social, cosmologist at UCL, takes us on a journey through 13.8 billion years of cosmic history. How do scientists model the universe’s past & future? What’s our cosmic fate? Discover the role of simulations in unlocking deep space secrets.
humanists.uk/events/in-co...
humanists.uk/events/in-co...
Reposted by Andrew Pontzen
We're excited to chair the "A multi-scale and multi-tracer view of the cosmic web" session - with @emeegray.bsky.social @apontzen.bsky.social, @abdrake.bsky.social, Tianyi Yang, and me!
Abstract submissions are open for NAM 2025!
Here's what sessions are on offer as part of our Cosmology & Large-scale Structure strand!
Submit your abstracts here: conference.astro.dur.ac.uk/event/7/abst...
@royalastrosoc.bsky.social
Here's what sessions are on offer as part of our Cosmology & Large-scale Structure strand!
Submit your abstracts here: conference.astro.dur.ac.uk/event/7/abst...
@royalastrosoc.bsky.social
March 7, 2025 at 11:45 AM
We're excited to chair the "A multi-scale and multi-tracer view of the cosmic web" session - with @emeegray.bsky.social @apontzen.bsky.social, @abdrake.bsky.social, Tianyi Yang, and me!
Reposted by Andrew Pontzen
Don’t try this at home!
Your black hole will explode and kill you in one quadrillionth of a second, courtesy of Mr Hawking
Your black hole will explode and kill you in one quadrillionth of a second, courtesy of Mr Hawking
January 3, 2025 at 11:56 PM
Don’t try this at home!
Your black hole will explode and kill you in one quadrillionth of a second, courtesy of Mr Hawking
Your black hole will explode and kill you in one quadrillionth of a second, courtesy of Mr Hawking
I think I like this idea too…
We are tired of writing a zillion letters of recommendation that aren’t helping our amazing students get into grad schools, or our colleagues select good candidates! Thank You to the authors for this… 🔭🧪📖
arxiv.org/abs/2412.08715
arxiv.org/abs/2412.08715
On the Use of Letters of Recommendation in Astronomy and Astrophysics Graduate Admissions
Letters of recommendation are a common tool used in graduate admissions. Most admissions systems require three letters for each applicant, burdening both letter writers and admissions committees with ...
arxiv.org
December 13, 2024 at 6:34 PM
I think I like this idea too…
This is wonderful for so many reasons. Lawrence Bragg at the Royal Institution. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vwjc...
Electromagnetic Waves - with Sir Lawrence Bragg
YouTube video by Ri Archives
www.youtube.com
December 2, 2024 at 12:00 PM
This is wonderful for so many reasons. Lawrence Bragg at the Royal Institution. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vwjc...
Reposted by Andrew Pontzen
Job! jobs.ncl.ac.uk/job/Newcastl...
Data sonification, working with excellent people at Newcastle Uni, also perhaps with excellent people at Northumbria Uni, more excellent people at Life science centre, and just maybe possibly some of us @nustem.bsky.social. Or we'd probably, you know, meet.
Data sonification, working with excellent people at Newcastle Uni, also perhaps with excellent people at Northumbria Uni, more excellent people at Life science centre, and just maybe possibly some of us @nustem.bsky.social. Or we'd probably, you know, meet.
Research Assistant/Associate in Data Sonification for Planetaria & Science Centres
Research Assistant/Associate in Data Sonification for Planetaria & Science Centres
jobs.ncl.ac.uk
November 20, 2024 at 11:08 AM
Job! jobs.ncl.ac.uk/job/Newcastl...
Data sonification, working with excellent people at Newcastle Uni, also perhaps with excellent people at Northumbria Uni, more excellent people at Life science centre, and just maybe possibly some of us @nustem.bsky.social. Or we'd probably, you know, meet.
Data sonification, working with excellent people at Newcastle Uni, also perhaps with excellent people at Northumbria Uni, more excellent people at Life science centre, and just maybe possibly some of us @nustem.bsky.social. Or we'd probably, you know, meet.
Turns out stars aren’t just giant blobs after all! When individual stars are resolved in galaxy simulations, things change a lot. Beautiful work from Eric Andersson, Martin Rey + EDGE team arxiv.org/abs/2409.08073
EDGE-INFERNO: Simulating every observable star in faint dwarf...
Interpretation of data from faint dwarf galaxies is made challenging by observations limited to only the brightest stars. We present a major improvement to tackle this challenge by undertaking...
arxiv.org
September 13, 2024 at 11:08 AM
Turns out stars aren’t just giant blobs after all! When individual stars are resolved in galaxy simulations, things change a lot. Beautiful work from Eric Andersson, Martin Rey + EDGE team arxiv.org/abs/2409.08073
First day in a new institution. Status: ready for new challenges!
September 2, 2024 at 9:49 AM
First day in a new institution. Status: ready for new challenges!
Is it just me or is making decent docs with sphinx actually a total nightmare? Writing docs is hard enough without the toolset being so obtuse
March 25, 2024 at 8:10 PM
Is it just me or is making decent docs with sphinx actually a total nightmare? Writing docs is hard enough without the toolset being so obtuse
A huge thrill to talk in the RI lecture theatre again. www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2Pe...
How computer models help us understand the universe - with Andrew Pontzen
How can scientists study the past, present and future of the cosmos? Find out how computers can help.Buy Andrew's book 'The Universe in a Box' here: https://...
www.youtube.com
February 29, 2024 at 8:19 PM
A huge thrill to talk in the RI lecture theatre again. www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2Pe...
My final plug for this event at The Royal Institution on Monday
- find out how algorithms and physics combine to teach us about the universe... www.rigb.org/whats-on/uni...
- find out how algorithms and physics combine to teach us about the universe... www.rigb.org/whats-on/uni...
The universe in a box | Royal Institution
Explore the future of our universe, and how scientists are using computers to unravel its mystery.
www.rigb.org
February 3, 2024 at 10:44 AM
My final plug for this event at The Royal Institution on Monday
- find out how algorithms and physics combine to teach us about the universe... www.rigb.org/whats-on/uni...
- find out how algorithms and physics combine to teach us about the universe... www.rigb.org/whats-on/uni...
Shameless self-promotion, but what better new year gift can you buy for yourself than an evening at the Royal Institution? Dark matter, genius algorithms and hidden figures from science history collide - should all be fun: www.rigb.org/whats-on/uni...
The universe in a box | Royal Institution
Explore the future of our universe, and how scientists are using computers to unravel its mystery.
www.rigb.org
January 4, 2024 at 11:42 AM
Shameless self-promotion, but what better new year gift can you buy for yourself than an evening at the Royal Institution? Dark matter, genius algorithms and hidden figures from science history collide - should all be fun: www.rigb.org/whats-on/uni...
Writing unit tests for parallel code 😱 send help
November 8, 2023 at 11:20 AM
Writing unit tests for parallel code 😱 send help
Reposted by Andrew Pontzen
'Tis the season to teach the bitwise operators...
October 31, 2023 at 2:56 PM
'Tis the season to teach the bitwise operators...