International Centre for Space and Cosmology - Ahmedabad University

The International Centre for Space and Cosmology is a new initiative that will drive cutting edge research in the areas of Space, Astrophysics and Cosmology, train the next generation of researchers, and advance public understanding of this very exci and advance public understanding of this very exciting domain of Physics. and for the dissemination of important developments in these areas amongst the general public. It will also reach out to young students to encourage them to consider a research career in Space and Cosmology, and provide them with information regarding opportunities in these areas. While anchored at Ahmedabad University’s School of Arts and Sciences, it will work in collaboration with colleagues nationally and internationally with related interests. The launch of the new Centre coincides with recent observations by the Event Horizon Telescope (May 2022) of the highly compact and dense object at the centre of the Milky Way galaxy. Using an array of networked radio telescopes around the globe, an image has been obtained showing the ultracompact object at the centre of our galaxy. The JMN (Joshi-Malafarina-Narayan) naked singularity model proposed and published in 2011 by Professor Pankaj Joshi, Director, International Centre for Space and Cosmology and colleagues contributed to the modelling that underlies this discovery. The world over, knowledge of Space and the Cosmos is developing at a fast pace and the key purpose of the Centre will be to contribute to education and research in this frontier research area. The Centre will operate closely with other research clusters at Ahmedabad University and colleagues across the University including those who have an interest in Ancient and Modern Cosmology, Micro and Macro Cosmos and other such areas to create a holistic perspective. The Centre will encourage faculty and students at the University to carry out path-breaking research and make new contributions globally in the Space and Cosmology domain. The Centre will have close interactions with faculty and students at other universities and institutions through collaborations, workshops, conferences, and visitor programmes. The Centre will work towards creating rigorous and in-depth academic programmes around the subjects.