1 Sterrekundig Instituut Utrecht [ Christoph U. Keller Director Chair of Experimental Astrophysics

2 Golden Age of Astronomy  Big problems:  Dark Matter  Dark Energy  Life in the Universe  Big Telescopes:  Hubble Space Telescope, Chandra, XMM-Newton  Fermi, Herschel, Planck, Solar Dynamics Observatory  Very Large Telescope  LOFAR  Big Future  European Extremely Large Telescope  James Web Space Telescope  Advanced Technology Solar Telescope  Square Kilometer Array

3 Sterrekundig Instituut Utrecht  BSc in Physics and Astronomy  MSc in Astrophysics and Space Research  Astrophysics of stars, stellar systems and their environments  Theory, numerical simulations, observations, data analysis, instruments  High-Energy and Exoplanets with SRON  Optical/IR Instrumentation  Cross-disciplinary research with physics

4 Bachelor’s Education  Common BSc in Physics and Astronomy  Year 1: Het fascinerend heelal  Year 2: Ontstaan en evolutie van het heelal, Inleiding bouw en ontwikkeling van sterren  Year 3: Planets and Exoplanets, Astrofysische Gasdynamica, Observationele Astrofysica 1, Numerieke Methoden voor Sterrenkundigen  3-month research thesis

5 Master’s Education  MSc in Astrophysics and Space Research  Core courses:  Galaxies  Stellar Evolution  Stellar Atmospheres  Theoretical Astrophysics  Astronomical Data Analysis  Optional courses: General Relativity in Astrophysics, Nucleosynthesis, Binary Stars, Solar Physics, Large Scale Structures in the Universe, High-Energy Astrophysics, Astronomical Telescopes and Instruments, Project Management for Scientists  Research thesis work for one year

6 Outlook  Job prospects:  About 8 MSc students per year  About 6 PhD positions per year  More than 80% of UU PhD students are still working in astronomy and related field  Increase permanent staff from 8 to 11  Enhance space research  Move to new, joint building with SRON  Host national optical/infrared engineering group