Wecome to the Institute of Astronomy
It gives us much pleasure, as co-Directors of the Institute of Astronomy, to welcome you to postgraduate life at the IoA. We hope you will find it a really enriching experience and a great environment in which to conduct your research.
Scientific creativity thrives on interaction and at the IoA there are numerous opportunities for people to get together and share scientific ideas. We hope that as well as becoming fascinated with your own research quest, you will be stimulated by the breadth of science being pursued here. The wide range of talks, both by locals and our many visitors, for example at our seminar and colloquia series, will give you insight into the most exciting areas of contemporary astronomy. But chance conversations, for example at one of the regular morning coffee or afternoon tea breaks - both amongst your peer group and more widely in the IoA - are likely to be equally valuable. And don't forget the possibilities for passing your own knowledge to others - there are plenty of opportunities for public outreach and for teaching and mentoring undergraduate students.
Graduate students in the IoA have an excellent track record when it comes to submitting their theses on time, so clearly the buzz of activity around the IoA cannot be too distracting. Nevertheless, there may well be times when it's hard to achieve the right balance between your own research and acquiring a broader astronomical education (not to mention the rest of life beyond the IoA). If you become worried about setting your priorities, don't hesitate to get guidance from those around you, especially your supervisory team or the postgraduate coordinator. We are all here to help you.
Many of you will be embarking on what will turn into a lifetime of astronomical research, while others will use this time to go deeply into a fascinating subject but then go on to other things. Whichever category you are in, we hope you have a very happy and productive time here.
Co-Directors and Heads of Department: Cathie J Clarke & Mark Wyatt