About the group
Our research areas cover massive stars, star formation, interstellar and circumstellar processes, astrochemistry, cosmology, galaxy formation and evolution, planetary science, extra-solar planets, atmospheric physics and instrumentation.
Our group members are playing leadership roles in many international projects, covering a time line from the present to 2030 or so, which include the Dark Energy Survey, DESI, 4MOST, Ariel, Euclid, JWST, LSST, Subaru PFS, ALMA, JUICE, SKA, LISA, the Hubble Space Telescope, Cassini, LOFAR, Planck, Herschel, e-MERLIN, Kilo Degree Survey and WEAVE.
Our group is part of the Physics and Astronomy Department at UCL. An overview of the group’s research can be found in the most recent Departmental Annual Review.
Explore our main research groups
Astronomical Instrumentation
This is the homepage of the Astrophysics Instrumentation Group or Optical Science Laboratory (OSL).
Cosmology
The Cosmology Group has a range of interests, spanning from the basic properties and evolution of the large scale structure in the Universe back to the initial fluctuations that seeded this structure.
(Exo)Planetary Systems
Includes the Atmospheric Physics Laboratory, which has historically done research into the thermospheres and ionospheres of the Earth and the planets of the Solar System.
Extragalactic Astrophysics
This research encompasses the study of nearby galaxies as well as high-redshift galaxies.
Galactic Astrophysics
This is the home page of the Galactic Astrophysics Group, part of the Astrophysics Group within the Dept. of Physics & Astronomy at UCL.
Gravitational Waves
This is the homepage of the Gravitational Waves Group.
More about the Astrophysics Group
Physics and Astronomy have achieved a Juno Champion Award from the Institute of Physics (IOP). The Project Juno recognises and celebrates good employment practices for gender equality and an equitable working culture. UCL has a Silver Athena SWAN award from the Equality Challenge Unit (ECU), and a Bronze award under ECU’s new Race Equality Charter for higher education.
UCL’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategy aims to foster a positive cultural climate where all staff and students can flourish, where no-one will feel compelled to conceal or play down elements of their identity for fear of stigma. UCL is a place where people can be authentic and their unique perspective, experiences and skills seen as a valuable asset to the institution.
The group also supports a number of centres and hubs:
Department news
Our very own Prof. Raman Prinja wins lifetime achievement award
Professor Raman Prinja (UCL Physics & Astronomy) has received this year’s Ian Robson Lifetime Achievement Award from the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) for his outstanding contributions.
12 Jan 2026
Sir Robert Wilson Lecture 2026
To celebrate UCL’s 200th anniversary, we are delighted to host a very special lecture on 25th February 2026. The lecture will be delivered by the esteemed Professor Giovanna Tinetti (UCL/KCL).
09 Jan 2026
Celebrating Creativity: Jools Clarke Wins the UCL Astrophysics 200th Anniversary Design Competition
To mark UCL’s 200th anniversary, our group launched a special Design Competition — a fun and creative way for our community to showcase their artistic flair while celebrating this milestone year.
16 Dec 2025