LOFAR ERIC coordinates the development and efficient operation of LOFAR (the LOw Frequency ARray), a vital radio astronomy instrument for world-class scientific research with cohesively operated facilities located in several countries.
We are happy to announce that the 8th LOFAR Data School (LDS2026) will take place at ASTRON, the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (Dwingeloo, The Netherlands) from 16 to 23 September 2026.
RATIONALE
The goal of the school is to assist the participants in the generation and analysis of LOFAR science ready data. The school will cover the major calibration data techniques for processing interferometric and beamformed observations. Parallel sessions will focus on the analysis of interferometric and tied array data based on the most common science cases addressed by LOFAR data (e.g. wide field imaging and imaging of extended faint sources, extraction of polarized emission, search for exoplanets, analysis of solar emission, ionospheric science, pulsar and high time variability analysis etc). An overview of the LOFAR2.0 upgrade will be presented and attention will be given to the opportunities this new facility opens up.
INFORMATION FOR PARTICIPANTS
Presentations and tutorials will be given at a level appropriate for someone new to LOFAR. It is a prerequisite to study the online modules of radio astronomy, radio interferometry and the LOFAR system, which are currently being prepared and will be shared with the participants in the Spring of 2026. This will ensure that time at the school is dedicated to gaining hands-on experience with LOFAR data processing. Minimum requirements include some familiarity with scripting languages and in particular Python.
Participants are expected to bring their own laptops with fairly recent operating systems (Linux or macOS).
This edition of the school will have a slightly different format - running from Wednesday to Wednesday, over a weekend. One day of the weekend is reserved for an excursion. The organizers believe that this will allow for more interaction and flexibility as well as improve the learning experience of the participants.
Attendance will be limited to approximately 50 participants. Remote participation is not offered. All potential LOFAR users are encouraged to apply.
VENUE AND REGISTRATION
The school will be hosted by ASTRON (Dwingeloo). The participants will be accommodated at the nearby Fletcher hotel De Borken, where they should make their own reservation and also pay for the accommodation themselves. Details on how to make the hotel reservation will be circulated in due course.
The registration fee will be around 200 Euro. This will cover the welcoming reception, coffee/tea and lunches, the School dinner, the visit to the LOFAR core, shuttle bus transport between ASTRON and Hoogeveen train station on the first and last day of the School, and local transport between the hotel and ASTRON (either by bicycle or, if needed, by shuttle bus). The organizers will consider waiving the costs and support travel for a limited number of participants.
Food restrictions and dietary requirements can be specified at the time of the registration.
The school website is under development and will be functional in in early 2026 when we expect to open the registration.
Note that registration to the School is on a first come - first serve basis, however the organizers reserve the right to make the final selection.
For any questions please contact us at: lofarschool@astron.nl.
LOC: A. Shulevski (co-chair), E. van der Wateren (co-chair), A. Ahmadi, N. Peters, V. Kondratiev, E. Orrù, L. Elpenhof
First Announcement
We are happy to announce that the 8th LOFAR Data School (LDS2026) will take place at ASTRON, the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (Dwingeloo, The Netherlands) from 16 to 23 September 2026.
We are excited to announce that the LOFAR Family Meeting 2025 will be held in Paris, France, from 22 to 26 September 2025!
The conference will take place at the Paris Institute of Planetary Physics (IPGP), located in the historic Latin Quarter, just steps away from the beautiful Jardin des Plantes.
Sweden and the United Kingdom have joined the LOFAR ERIC (European Research Infrastructure Consortium) as a member, following the decision of the Council on 26 March 2025. This significant expansion brings the total membership to eight countries, marking an important milestone in the growth of this pioneering research infrastructure.
The LOFAR ERIC Council has appointed Dr. Michiel van Haarlem as the new Executive Director of the European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC), established by the European Commission in December 2023.
On December 20, 2023 the European Union officially established the LOFAR ERIC: a European Research Consortium Infrastructure. The activities of the Dutch International LOFAR Telescope (ILT) foundation are now continued by the European LOFAR ERIC.
To celebrate this milestone, delegates of all ten participating countries came to the Netherlands, the hosting country of the LOFAR ERIC and location of the LOFAR core.
The LOFAR Family meeting 2024 will take place from 3 - 7 June 2024 in Leiden. It is hosted by Leiden Observatory, the astronomical institute of Leiden University, in the Netherlands. Established in 1633 to house the quadrant of Rudolph Snellius, it is the oldest operating university observatory in the world.
The Low Frequency Array European Research Infrastructure Consortium (LOFAR ERIC) is looking for a new executive director, who will play a pivotal role in representing LOFAR ERIC to all relevant stakeholders and ensure the efficient joint operation of the LOFAR facilities.
We write to follow the announcement you have received from René Vermeulen describing his imminent extended leave, starting on 1 March.
We take this first opportunity to extend our heartfelt thanks and appreciation for René in leading LOFAR to its current heights. René’s painstaking work has enabled LOFAR to build from a nascent Dutch facility into an ever-growing and strong European collaboration of members, now numbering 10 countries.
LOFAR ERIC (European Research Infrastructure Consortium) has been officially launched at its first Council meeting today. The world-leading LOFAR (LOw Frequency ARray) Distributed Research Infrastructure has already revolutionised low-frequency radio astronomy research, resulting in an avalanche of scientific publications in the past decade. LOFAR ERIC is now a single legal entity across the European Union.
