DURHAM University has launched a campaign celebrating its world-leading research in astronomy and cosmology.

From dark matter to black holes and a role in the development of some of the world’s most powerful telescopes, Durham is at the forefront of space exploration.

And the university’s success is not just about aiming for the stars, with staff and students also applying their skills to life on Earth.

Durham is ranked seventh in the world, joint third in Europe and joint first in the UK for its space science research in the Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers 2020 list from the Web of Science Group.

The Ogden Centre for Fundamental Physics is home to Durham’s world leading space scientists Picture: Durham University

The Ogden Centre for Fundamental Physics is home to Durham’s world leading space scientists Picture: Durham University

This list identifies scientists and social scientists who have published multiple research papers ranking in the top one per cent for citations – including the university’s professors Carlos Frenk, Adrian Jenkins and Tom Theuns.

On top of this, one of the major research programmes with Durham involvement – The EAGLE Project – is among the most popular research papers of the past decade with scientists across the world.

EAGLE aims to understand how galaxies form and evolve and from 2015, when the paper was published, to 2020, scientists had cited the findings more than 1,500 times in their own research.

The James Webb Space Telescope face-on, from the NASA Goddard cleanroom observation window Picture: NASA Goddard

The James Webb Space Telescope face-on, from the NASA Goddard cleanroom observation window Picture: NASA Goddard

2021 is also set to be another exciting year for the University’s researchers with the planned launch of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) this October.

Durham’s Centre for Advanced Instrumentation (CfAI), based jointly at the university’s campus in the city and at NETPark, in Sedgefield, has helped build components for the JWST, which will succeed the Hubble Space Telescope.

Durham’s astronomers will also be among the first to use the JWST to hunt for dark matter and investigate early galaxy formation.

The CfAI is also playing a role in the development of the HARMONI instrument for the European Southern Observatory’s new Extremely Large Telescope, currently being built in Chile’s Atacama Desert.

Increasingly the skills of Durham’s space scientists are being employed in everyday life with projects involving business and industry and healthcare providers, looking at everything from improving washing powders to better quality x-ray images in medical diagnoses.

Durham’s astrophysicists are part of a team using an astronomical technique to spot the signs of coffee leaf rust in plants Picture: Durham University/University of York/Imperial College London

Durham’s astrophysicists are part of a team using an astronomical technique to spot the signs of coffee leaf rust in plants Picture: Durham University/University of York/Imperial College London

Particle physics and cosmology research students are also using their knowledge of maths and big data in the fight against Covid-19.

They’re part of a team of experts, including the UN and fellow academics, who are working to model the spread of the virus in different scenarios at the Kutupalong-Batukhali Expansion Site region of the Cox’s Bazar refugee operation in Bangladesh, home to 600,000 people.

And if you like a morning coffee to kick-start your day, Durham’s researchers are part of a team using an astronomical technique to spot the signs of coffee leaf rust in plants.

Coffee leaf rust is a highly destructive fungal disease with the potential to wipe out vast areas of crops and entire plantations.

Durham’s astrophysicists are part of a team using an astronomical technique to spot the signs of coffee leaf rust in plants Picture: Durham University/University of York/Imperial College London

Durham’s astrophysicists are part of a team using an astronomical technique to spot the signs of coffee leaf rust in plants Picture: Durham University/University of York/Imperial College London

As many hill farmers in developing countries who rely on coffee production for their livelihoods don’t want to use fungicides for ecological reasons, or can’t afford them, early detection of the disease is vitally important.

l If you want to know more about Durham University’s work in astronomy and cosmology, including study opportunities, please visit: www.durham.ac.uk/research/themes/cosmology/