SMASH MSCA

09/09/2026

fellow Ankur Bhardwaj from the University of Nova Gorica presented a poster at IAC 2026, the International Aerosol Conference, held in Xi’an, China, from 30 August to 5 September. 🌍

In this work, Ankur and the team, Prof. Grisa, Dr. Luka, and Dr. Jesus, are tackling the uncertainty gap in climate models by using machine learning to integrate PTAAM and SP2 aerosol measurements.

By combining high-sensitivity aerosol light-absorption data with single-particle resolution through Graph Neural Networks, their approach supports more accurate Mass Absorption Cross-section values for Black Carbon and mineral dust. 🌡️🔬

These better-constrained aerosol parameters can help reduce uncertainties in global warming predictions and improve our understanding of aerosol impacts on climate.

08/09/2026

Congratulations to fellow Nikki Arendse, who won the poster prize at HAMLET – Machine Learning in Physics in Copenhagen, Denmark! 🇩🇰

At the conference, Nikki presented a hand-painted watercolour poster showcasing her SMASH research on inferring lensed supernova time delays using transformers. 🌌

Her creative and scientific approach highlighted both the quality of the research and the originality of its presentation. 🎨

More info on the event: https://indico.nbi.ku.dk/event/2253/

07/09/2026

fellows contributed to the 5th LSST Regional Meeting with three excellent presentations. 👏👏👏

🇬🇧 Members of our Centre for Astrophysics and Cosmology took part in the 5th LSST Regional Meeting, with many of them presenting their work. Among them were our SMASH fellows and PhD students working on LSST and machine learning.

The timing could hardly be better: LSST has just started its ten-year survey of the southern sky. In his talk, Željko Ivezić, Director of Rubin Observatory, shared that the site was hit by a storm of a scale not seen in 70 years. The good news is that operations are expected to be back online within a month.

Congratulations to everyone who presented!

🇸🇮 Člani našega Centra za astrofiziko in kozmologijo so se udeležili 5. regionalnega srečanja LSST, kjer so mnogi predstavili svoje delo. Med njimi so bili tudi naši štipendisti programa SMASH in doktorski študenti, ki delajo na LSST in strojnem učenju.

Čas ne bi mogel biti boljši: LSST je pravkar začel svoj desetletni pregled južnega neba. Željko Ivezić, direktor observatorija Rubin, je v svojem predavanju povedal, da je lokacijo prizadelo neurje, kakršnega ni bilo že 70 let. Dobra novica je, da naj bi observatorij spet začel delovati v enem mesecu.

Čestitke vsem, ki so predstavljali!

31/08/2026

Lots of inspiring talks, discussions, and exchanges at the yearly EUCAIF Conference, this time hosted in beautiful Heidelberg. 🇩🇪

The event brought together researchers working at the forefront of AI for fundamental physics, with lively conversations taking place across working group panels, coffee breaks, and conference dinners.

It was a great opportunity to discuss the fast developments shaping the field, connect with the community, and explore new ideas for future research. ⚛️

16/07/2026

fellows Justyna Skibińska and Muniba Ashfaq took part in the European Summer School on Artificial Intelligence 2026, ESSAI, in Vienna, Austria. 🇦🇹

The summer school offered a wide range of courses covering advanced machine learning, deep learning, digital humanities, and research career development.

For Justyna and Muniba, ESSAI was a valuable opportunity to gain new knowledge, connect with researchers from around the world, and broaden their scientific horizons. 🤝

A big thank you to all the organisers, including Vida Groznik, General Chair of ESSAI and one of the SMASH supervisors, for making this inspiring event possible.

The knowledge and connections gained at ESSAI will support our fellows’ research and inspire their future work. 🔬

14/07/2026

fellow Matjaž Puh attended the ECMWF Machine Learning Pilot Project All-Hands Meeting in Wildhaus, Switzerland. 🇨🇭

The event brought together meteorological services and research institutions to share progress and exchange ideas on machine-learning-based weather prediction.

Matjaž presented his work on regional data-driven weather forecasting for the Eastern Alps and Northern Adriatic using the Anemoi framework developed within the Pilot Project. His research focuses on transfer learning and adapting pretrained models to the Slovenian domain. 🌦️

The meeting also provided valuable discussions on model verification, ensemble forecasting, data assimilation, and the challenges of integrating machine learning into operational weather prediction.

These exchanges will help refine the next steps of his project and identify promising directions for future research.

13/07/2026

fellow Lukas Kugler participated in the 8th Workshop on Machine Learning and Data Assimilation for Dynamical Systems, MLDADS, held as part of the 26th International Conference on Computational Science at the DESY campus in Hamburg. 🇩🇪

The workshop brought together researchers working at the intersection of machine learning, data assimilation, and dynamical systems. It provided a valuable forum for presenting recent advances, exploring new methods for modeling and forecasting complex systems, and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration. 🤝

For Lukas, MLDADS was an opportunity to present his research to an international audience and engage with leading experts in machine learning and data assimilation, including pioneers in latent space data assimilation. 🔬

08/07/2026

fellow David Calhas gave a talk titled “Survival Analysis with Neural Networks”. 🧠

The talk was connected to his secondment at Queen Mary University of London, where he worked with Petra Proitsi and her lab on research related to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

His work focuses on identifying patient profiles whose symptoms progress at different speeds and using clinical and genomic features to better understand and explain symptom progression. 🩺

This research highlights how machine learning can support more personalized approaches to studying neurodegenerative diseases.

06/07/2026

fellow Areeb Ahmed attended the Machine Learning Summer School on Reliability & Safety, MLSS R&S 2026, in Kraków, Poland. 🤖

Over five days, the summer school explored key topics in AI safety, reliability, and the robustness of machine learning systems, bringing together researchers in AI security for insightful talks, discussions, and knowledge exchange. 🛡️

A big thank you to ML in PL, ELLIS Unit Warsaw, IDEAS Research Institute, Jagiellonian University, and GMUM for organizing such a valuable event.

The insights gained during the week will support Areeb’s ongoing research and future work in AI security and trustworthy machine learning. 🔬

30/06/2026

fellow Judita Mamužić contributed to the theatre play Komarji at SNG DRAMA Ljubljana . 🎭

As part of the production, several physicists from the Institut "Jožef Stefan" jo were interviewed about the LHC, particle physics, the Higgs boson discovery, the LHC startup, and what it is like to work at CERN and in science.

These recordings were incorporated into the play, bringing voices from the scientific community into a theatre setting and connecting particle physics with the wider public in a creative way. ⚛️

The play Komarji is still being performed at Drama Theatre in Ljubljana.

More info: https://www.drama.si/dogodek/komarji/