The 2nd SUPA Annual Gathering and Exhibition was very well attended with just short of 300 registrations. The event, again billed as a “Showcase and Celebration of Physics in Scotland” took place in the superb venue of the Royal College of Physicians in Edinburgh. Following a warm welcome from Professor Sir Tim O'Shea, Principal & Vice-Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh, and the SUPA CEO, the morning sessions allowed each of the SUPA Theme Leaders to introduce invited talks from their areas on recent research highlights, significant progress and major breakthroughs.

Keynote Speakers:

Theme Leader: Declan Diver, Glasgow

Plasma Physics research areas include magnetically-confined plasmas, laser-plasmas, space plasmas, relativistic non-neutral plasmas, technological plasmas and laboratory simulations of space plasma. The Strathclyde and UWS groups have formed a strong collaboration in laser-driven plasma nuclear physics. They have been the first to create medical isotopes, induce heavy ion fission and investigate transmutation of nuclear waste and neutron spallation using high intensity laser beams.

Areas of strength:
Non-neutral plasmas and plasma diagnostics
High intensity laser-plasma interactions
Laser-plasma based nuclear science

SUPA does several things to support the career development of researchers.  Keep in mind that only about 6% of PhD students will go on to become Professors (various sources discuss this controversial figure here).  An academic career is only one of many exciting options available to students.  

These monthly seminars allow our students to meet virtually people who have pursued a variety of careers after completing a PhD in physics.  Informal conversations with these invited guests help students develop their own career plans.  

Offered each year in the spring, this course was developed in collaboration with SUPA’s non-academic partners.  Learn about skills that can be developed outside of academia in these recorded interviews.   

Students are encouraged to attend lectures live. Interacting with the lecturer and other students has a positive impact on learning.

Students who only watch recorded lectures may miss the chance to ask questions or request clarifications.
Participating in the lectures as they happen also creates a regular schedule for student learning.

Please use the lecture recordings as a way to review what happened in the lecture, not as a replacement for attending.

SUPA invites all members of the community to submit an application to bring a distinguished visitor to Scotland. The visit can last from 1 week to 3 months. Funding of £3500 is available. Only 1 visitor will be selected. The visitor will be asked to present the keynote talk at the SUPA Annual Gathering. Therefore, the visitor must be present in Scotland and is expected to attend the Annual Gathering in the last week of May 2025. The visitor is encouraged to offer seminars, workshops or lectures for graduate students and these should be described in the application. These lectures should complement current SUPA courses. Applications should also describe the potential for collaborative research during the visit and in the future. A one-page report on the visit must be submitted within one month of the end of the visit. This report should assess the impact of the visit and include a brief breakdown of the financial claim which will be made to SUPA. Applications will be available soon. Applications will close at the end of January 2025 and a decision will be announced within 2 weeks.

The SUPA Graduate School gives you access to expertise from eight universities to enhance your training during your studies. To this end SUPA has been delivering innovative video-conferenced courses since 2006 from the dedicated video conference (VC) rooms in each of the member institutions.

In January 2024 we started to use Zoom, and have upgraded several classrooms to use  SUPA Zoom rooms systems, with improved audio, HD video and fast content transfer, with a more flexible approach for joining in classroom or online.   Instructions on how to use the system can be found on the walls of the VC rooms, and at My.SUPA VC instruction page. You can also contact your local IT team for additional support.

We hope you find the experience of using the VC rooms enjoyable, we are happy to receive feedback on positive aspects, areas for improvement, or additional functionality that you would like to see. Contact webmaster@supa.ac.uk with any feedback.