Rachel Middleton

Revealing dark matter’s influence on the Universe - Durham University

Our @durhamphysics.bsky.social astronomers have helped create the highest resolution map of the dark matter that threads through our Universe - showing the mysterious substance’s influence on the formation of stars, galaxies and planets. Discover more 👉 www.durham.ac.uk/news-events/...

The concept for one of the BlueMUSE spectrographs. The image from the telescope is split into 16 separate slices and enters the spectrograph at the top left.

@durhamphysics.bsky.social is a major partner in @eso.org’s new BlueMUSE telescope instrument. BlueMUSE will help us see massive stars in the Milky Way and view the distant Universe 👉 www.durham.ac.uk/news-events/...

From the US Air Force to pioneering astrophysicist✨🔭
@astroradioleah.bsky.social shows how diverse experiences lead to scientific innovation. Leah's research is reshaping our understanding of galaxy evolution 👉 www.durham.ac.uk/news-events/...

@durhamphysics.bsky.social
#DUinspire
#DUSpotlightOn

UK’s science superpower hopes hit as Labour slashes physics funding University funding for astronomy and physics research cut by almost a third as government seeks to concentrate budget on areas that prioritise economic growth

"Physics isn't a luxury we can afford to throw away through confusion and cuts."

Following our response to STFC's funding reductions yesterday, it's great to see this news covered in @thetimes.com. (1/4)

www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...

This week we're turning the spotlight on Lewy Body Dementia, working with @lewybodysociety.bsky.social to bring awarness to this underdiagnosed #dementia and the research to tackle it.

www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk

5 graduates in red robes and black flat hats stand in front of Durham cathedral during evening time, with colleagues from QLM Durham.

Heartfelt congratulations to our newest Drs from the Quantum Light and Matter section at Durham, pictured here in front of the cathedral. We wish you all the best with your next steps, and we'll be seeing some of you around the department as new PDRAs!

Research Assistant: Wearable tech & Machine learning Newcastle University seeks a Research Assistant or Associate using wearable technology and machine learning to study mobility fatigue and motor function.

Research Assistant role at Newcastle University applying wearable sensors and machine learning to digital measures of mobility fatigue and Parkinsons symptoms. Closing date: 5th February

www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/job/research...

A montage of three images showing, top: A group of people standing outside a shop front behind a sign reading "Open Lab", bottom left: a quartered medieval coin being held in the palm of someone's hand, and bottom right: an "S" shaped 19th century flesh hook being held across the fingers of someone's hands.

Our archaeologists and The Auckland Project are bringing the history of one of North East England’s ancient palaces to the public.

Open Lab will let people see hundreds of artefacts found during eight years of excavation at County Durham’s Auckland Palace 👉 www.durham.ac.uk/news-events/...

From @ifanghughes.bsky.social part of the @durhamqlm.bsky.social research section in the Department of Physics @durhamphysics.bsky.social @durham.ac.uk

The @durhamphysics.bsky.social now has an account here to tell you about the latest Physics research news @durham.ac.uk

Blind Date With a Book display

Blind Date With a Book display

Beat the Monday blues on a Blind date with a Book! 📖💜

Our books are waiting patiently on our Blind Date bookshelves at the Billy B to be taken on their dates – simply choose a book, check it out, unwrap it and enjoy! 📚

Experts in our Department of Physics, led by Dr Simone Scaringi have discovered a mysterious bow shock wave around a dead star. With the source of this energy leak a mystery, the discovery could challenge understandings of star evolution. Read more 👉 www.durham.ac.uk/news-events/...
@eso.org

Oh my god. It’s actually finally happened. Merry Christmas, everyone!

While searching for something entirely unrelated, today I found (and downloaded!) an amazing book:

A List of Words and Phrases in Every-Day Use by the Natives of Hetton-Le-Hole in the County of Durham, Being Words Not Ordinarily Accepted, or But Seldom Found in the Standard English of the Day.

Healthcare workers have twice the risk of fatal drug overdose compared to other workers 💊

New research finds occupational hazards included workplace access to drugs, clinical knowledge of dosing, and prescribing power.

#MentalHealth #Healthcare #SubstanceUse #WorkplaceHealth

🧵 THREAD

UK aims to widen access to Erasmus after agreeing to join in 2027 Confirmed deal to cost UK £570 million in first year, with ministers targeting 100,000 participants including apprentices and adult learners

UK aims to widen access to Erasmus after agreeing to join in 2027, reports Helen Packer #edusky
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/uk-aims-widen-access-erasmus-after-agreeing-join-2027

Relax, grown-ups: VR is doing fine It’s very different from what we all had imagined it to be.

Paywalled, but the gist is that teenagers (and younger children) using VR more and more - driven by black Friday sales, headsets seen as a good Christmas gift, and lots of social free-to-play apps like Gorilla Tag, UG, VRchat www.theverge.com/column/84235...

🌟🌟ABSTRACT & REGISTRATION SUBMISSION OPEN IN DURHAM !!!
I are pleased to open abstract and registration submission for the next Girls and Women in the Criminal Justice System Conference which will take place at Durham University, on 18 February 2026. pay.durham.ac.uk/event-durham...

A 2 by 2 array of images. They depict the four Stokes parameters for potassium vapour as a function of frequency in the vicinity of the D1 resonance. For a natural abundance potassium vapour cell of length 25 mm containing 60 Torr of neon buffer gas. The applied magnetic field is 1160 G, with the vapour cell stem temperature, increasing from 75∘C to 135∘C , in 15∘C increments.

Theoretical ElecSus calculations of the on-resonance (i.e. = 0 GHz) normalised Stokes parameter magnitude for (a) S0, (b) S1, (c) S2 and (d) S3 for a vapour cell stem temperature range between 75–135∘C and magnetic fields, in Faraday geometry, of 750 G, 1000 G, and 1200 G for three neon buffer gas filling pressures of 0 Torr, 60 Torr, and 100 Torr .

Experimental and theoretical Stokes parameters of the potassium D1 line as a function of linear detuning in a 25 mm natural abundance potassium vapour cell with 60 Torr of neon buffer gas, when filled at room temperature and atmospheric pressure, subject to a magnetic field of (1160 ± 4) G. The solid lines represent the experimental data, while the dashed lines represent the ElecSus theoretical fit to the data. The Stokes parameters shown are (a) S0, (b) S1, (c) S2 and (d) S3 for five vapour cell stem temperatures of 93 ∘C, 103 ∘C, 110 ∘C, 118 ∘C, and 129 ∘C . The vapour cell body temperature was maintained at 20 ∘C above the stem temperature. The residuals, shown below each main subplot, for = 93 ∘C are shown as a demonstration of excellent agreement between experimental data and the ElecSus model.

Hot off the press!
Experimental and theoretical characterisation of Stokes polarimetry of the K D1 line with neon buffer gas broadening
doi.org/10.1088/1361...
via @ioppublishing.bsky.social
Performed with colleagues at
@durhamqlm.bsky.social
Atoms, lasers, and magnets!
🧪 #physics ⚛️ #optics 💡

Why young voices matter in mental health research This month's guest expert is Katie Oke, Lived Experience Young Advisor for a study on adolescent depression at the University of Oxford I started university in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic. Lik...

Whether refining research questions or updating tests to make them more inclusive, Katie Oke’s work as a Lived Experience Young Advisor is helping research deliver real-world impact.

Find out how in our latest 'Behind the Research' newsletter ⤵
www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-yo...

Researchers outline a unified approach to lifestyle psychiatry and mental health - Durham University

A global team of experts has created the first ever framework for lifestyle psychiatry. It outlines how interventions in sleep, diet, physical activity & social connection can improve our mental health.🧠The work is published in @bmj.com Mental Health.
👉 bit.ly/4pq5frS

@maastrichtu.bsky.social

LBDA Research: Spotlight on Caregiving

If you or someone you provide care for is participating in a clinical trial, you already know that care partners play a key role in research studies.

Read more: www.lbda.org/research-spo...

#LBD #LewyBodyDementia

We're third in the #UK in the @timeshighered.bsky.social Interdisciplinary Science Rankings 2026 - testament to how our research crosses traditional boundaries to address today's global challenges: www.durham.ac.uk/news-events/...
#THEunirankings #THEISR #THEISF #highered

What does science say about our inner monologues? : Short Wave Emily Kwong is pretty sure she lacks an inner monologue, while the inner monologue of producer Rachel Carlson won’t stop chatting. But how well can a person know their inner self? And what does scienc...

Great talking to Emily and Rachel from @npr.org's Short Wave podcast about the mysteries of inner speech - and how difficult it is to get good data on who uses it and who doesn't. www.npr.org/2025/11/19/n... #innerspeech

The North-South divide is as wide as ever Ninety years after Orwell exposed northern hardship, new data shows deprivation remains stark across England’s North

It is 90 years since George Orwell travelled to the north of England to learn about the living conditions of the northern working-class, during the long Depression of the 1930s.

Today’s figures show not much has changed.

Interested in doing a PhD on how #psychedelics (or other psychoactive substances) impact psychological or social processes @durhampsych.bsky.social ?

Have a look at the NINE DTP scheme, now open. DM me if interested.

Impactful Durham researchers recognised in global highly cited list - Durham University

Six of our researchers have been named among the world’s most highly cited in @clarivate.com's 2025 list 👏
Their pioneering work spans cosmology, galaxy formation, supercomputing & 6G communications.
👉 bit.ly/4nQZv9p

@clarivateag.bsky.social
#HighlyCited2025 #DUinspire #DUresearch

Please mark your calendar for our next Research Methods Cafe!
Wednesday, 19 November, 11.30-13.00. Another great topic for discussion!

@dramypearson.bsky.social from our @durhampsych.bsky.social is part of a research team exploring terminology associated with different forms of neurodivergence. Find out more about their work 👉
www.durham.ac.uk/research/cur...

#autism #adhd #dyslexia #neurodiversity #psychology

Dr Clarissa Giebel and Emma Williams from the University of Liverpool are looking for participants living with a neurodegenerative condition or caring for a family member or friend with a neurodegenerative condition, to take part in research.

Read More: buff.ly/mJuyogH

@liverpooluni.bsky.social