Dr Rajika "Reggie" Kuruwita

At the Stars to Life at McMaster for the rest of the week! 🔭

Maybe the worm inside RFK's head was an agent of the Absolute #BaldursGate

Is it just me, but I tend to wear headphones while doing tasks that don't need too much focus (debugging, cleaning up plots), but I don't on tasks that need more focus (writing).

I just wish my colleagues knew I was more open to being interrupted when I'm wearing headphones 🤣

What the hell just NEARLY happened? #eurovision

Oh no, just a super fan dressed up like him hahah the real Tommy is probably resting up for the grand final!

I just took a million screenshots from the show hahahaha. Oh my gosh, my screaming is annoying! I apologise 😅

It was on #Eurovision!!! 🥹 FYI, Tommy Cash borrowed my Australian flag hahahaha.

I know it's small, but it was such a lovely way to wrap what will be my last Live Eurovision experience for a few years.

I don't know where you got that info. All flags (except ones banned by Swiss government) are allowed in the arena. I took my Palestine flag into the arena.

The restrictions are on artists during the parade of flags. They can only carry the flag of the country they are representing.

It'll be nice being back in the Aussies Astro community 😊

I'm moving back to Australia!! 🇦🇺 I'll be continuing as a post doc at the Australian National University, back where it all started.

I have absolutely loved my time in Europe and working with the Astronomical communities here, but it was always the long term plan to go back.

I'm actually hoping my train arrival is delayed by a few more minutes so I can get compensated. It's already 58min late, what's a couple more minutes? Haha

Companies that like to poach grad students might benefit a lot from PromoPlot ;) #AprilFools

arxiv.org/abs/2503.24254

PromoPlot: Covering open-access fees by filling wasted space in corner plots In an effort to reduce drain on grant funds and decrease unused space in publications, we have developed a Python package for inserting advertisements into the space left empty by corner plots. This n...

Finally some practical advice to deal with rising publication costs!

#AprilFools

arxiv.org/abs/2503.24254

Submit your abstracts for the multiplicity in Young Stars Conference!

🔭 ✨

Today is exactly 30 years since my family left Sri Lanka (due to civil war)

I was two years old. I have realised that no matter where I go, I will always be seen as an immigrant, and it is a core part of identity.

I hate Immigration politics, but talk of it makes me wary of who I want to befriend.

Super proud of Germany's song this year! And it's in German!

The time Germany had a song in German was 2007

NGL, I haven't been the most productive this afternoon when THIS IS HAPPENING WHERE I LIVE. Thankfully all my loved ones are safe, but WTF is happening in Germany

I had a few hours to waste... #Strava

Ooohh any recommendations of things to see in Cardiff? I have the Saturday to be a tourist

Just a gal from New South Wales 🇦🇺 hanging out in Old South Wales! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 I'll be visiting Cardiff University for the rest of the week, talking multiple-star formation ✨

I don't think that's an uncommon experience though. With a group postdoc, you do take time learning a new project, maybe even using different tools and doing supervision of students also working on the project.

I feel like a lot of the people I'm losing out to are folks that moved straight onto an independent postdoc from their PhD.

Is doing a group postdoc before moving onto something independent really such a stain on your CV? #AcademicSky

Yes!! I can still remain on the electoral roll in Australia!

I was really afraid of losing my right to vote anywhere in the world...

I do like that no-matter where an EU citizen is living within the EU, they can always vote in local elections. The right to vote is sacred, so please vote 🙏

we get distracted by fees easily but the biggest threat to the university in Australia is the housing crisis

From a journalist friend: Just spreading the word. The CDC is purging data, so people should archive their favorite CDC datasets today, namely ones around race/ethnic diversity, LGBTQ, and reproductive health. Also health data involving climate. The youth risk behavior survey has already gone down.

EXCLUSIVE: NSF starts vetting all grants to comply with Trump’s orders Grantee accounts remain frozen, while union accuses NSF of ignoring rules governing peer review

Exclusive: NSF this week began to search through billions of dollars of grants the agency has already awarded for anything touching on topics that President Donald Trump has criticized. And NSF has blocked grantees and trainees from accessing funds while the review is underway. scim.ag/3El0NZh

Oh a slightly random and positive note:

January is basically over, and I've stuck to my resolution of reading myADS emails when they come! Even saved some papers and made notes in my Zotero along the way 😊

I actually find checking out these papers to be a little mental break haha #AcademicSky

*sigh* applying for a DECRA again, and this time I need a Statutory declaration witnessed by a Justice of the Peace.

Usually not an issue if living in Australia, but I have to basically take a day off to travel to the consulate in Frankfurt and it costs €53 Euro.

All together now: chimps engage in contagious peeing If one animal urinates, others are likely follow, according to a study of captive apes.

Definitely Ig Nobel Prize winning research!

Seriously, it's fascinating

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

My petty gripe: I’ve been yelled at, huffed at and filled with rage at humanity. Why does Sydney hate bikes? As a proud Victorian I’ve warmed to Sydney’s charms – but in this one aspect, Melbourne is light years ahead * More summer essentials I was a proud partaker of the Sydney v Melbourne debate – until I made the move myself. Over three years, me, a…

My petty gripe: I’ve been yelled at, huffed at and filled with rage at humanity. Why does Sydney hate bikes?