The EDUCATE centre

EDUCATE: Excellence Dark Universe Centre and Technology Enabler, with Professor Ariel Goobar as the main applicant, is granted nearly SEK 30 million. Co-applicants include Jon Gudmundsson, Timothy Linden, and Hiranya Peiris from the Department of Physics, as well as Christian Ohm from KTH Royal Institute of Technology.

Image: Composite of the pillars of creation by NASA, and the Sunrise super computer by Samuel Avraham.

Excellence Centre on Dark Matter and Dark Energy

Other key individuals involved are Sara Strandberg, Jens Jasche, and Christophe Clement. The centre is organized within the Oskar Klein Centre, which is a joint venture between Stockholm University and KTH.

"Despite dark matter and dark energy constituting 95 percent of the cosmic composition, we still know nothing about their nature. The mystery of the universe's dark side is undoubtedly among the most fascinating scientific questions we face," says Ariel Goobar.

Learn more about EDUCATE in one minute

Video production: Jonas Enander and Vetenskapsrådet

Next generation research capabilities

In the coming years, new sensitive particle detectors will be built, and groundbreaking astronomical observation programs will be carried out. The new generation of instruments requires advanced analysis techniques to handle the volume and complexity of the data. Therefore, a strong emphasis will be placed on developing new algorithms and machine learning techniques to optimize the acquisition of new knowledge.

There are plans to establish a dedicated branch of the doctoral program under the centre's auspices, enabling students to be trained and develop the necessary skills for the optimal utilization of upcoming observations.

"By hosting visits from leading international experts, we will be able to offer world-class education. We are also keen on interaction with representatives from the business sector, specifically high-tech companies. Our ambition is for the interaction with the industry to lead to cross-fertilization between cutting-edge basic research and the most advanced industrial applications," says Ariel Goobar.

Activities

The EDUCATE centre is currently pursuing three activities:

The organisation of three new courses (Data analysis with machine learning, Advanced Astroparticle Physics and Advanced Cosmology).
Recruitment of an assistant professor in data-intensive methods in fundamental physics, astrophysics and cosmology.
Establishing industry connection for interchange between the academy and industry concerning machine learning techniques.

Future research

The study of the dark universe involves both astronomical facilities, including the newly inaugurated Vera Rubin Observatory in Chile, experiments searching for dark matter particles of cosmic origin, e.g., the planned axion searches with ALPHA, and the ATLAS experiment at CERN, where the interactions have high enough energy to mimic the physics of the early universe, possibly facilitating the generation of dark matter particles. In all instances, novel analysis techniques and instrumentation is needed for the exploration of novel physics.

News Feed

AI for Science symposium bridges academia and industry

In September, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences hosted AI for Science in Beijer Hall, co-organized with the new EDUCATE Centre of Excellence. The two-day meeting brought together researchers and technology leaders to compare strategies for using AI across disciplines—from cosmology and particle physics to fusion, materials discovery and weather forecasting.

Learn more about the event here!

Photographer: Samuel Avraham.

EDUCATE Hiring Postdoctoral researchers in Machine Learning for Cosmology & Astrophysics

We seek outstanding postdoctoral researchers, with background in computational, theoretical and/or observational projects, to develop and deploy cutting-edge machine-learning and AI methods for astrophysics and cosmology, enabling precision tests of fundamental physics with current and next-generation galaxy and time-domain surveys. You will work closely with our teams on the Rubin Observatory ‘s LSST, Euclid, ZTF, and LS4.

LSST telescope launched – New era of research at the Oskar Klein Centre

The Vera Rubin Observatory's new LSST telescope is now operational, marking the start of a new era in astronomical research at the Oskar Klein Centre (OKC) and EDUCATE. With funding previously granted by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation totaling SEK 30 million, OKC now significantly enhances its capability to explore fundamental questions about the universe.

LSST telescope launch opens a new era of research at the Oskar Klein Centre

Photographer: Stephen Thorp

Older News

High School Students Explore Particle Physics in Masterclass at Vetenskapens Hus

On Monday, the Oskar Klein Centre (OKC) and EDUCATE hosted an International Particle Physics Masterclass att Vetenskapens Hus, welcoming 13 enthusiastic high school students from Stockholm and Västerås. Organized as part of the International Particle Physics Outreach Group (IPPOG), the event introduced students to the fundamentals of particle physics, the workings of CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC), and the ATLAS experiment.

Students learning more about CERN particle physics.

Contact

EDUCATE Steering Group

Christophe Clément, Department of Physics (ELPA), SU
clement@fysik.su.se

Ariel Goobar, Department of Physics (CoPS), SU, Chair
ariel@fysik.su.se

Jens Jasche, Department of Physics (CoPS), SU
jens.jasche@fysik.su.se

Junu Jeong, Department of Physics (CoPS), SU
jun-woo.jeoung@fysik.su.se

Tim Linden, Department of Physics (CoPS), SU
linden@fysik.su.se

Christian Ohm, Division of of Particle Physics, Astrophysics & Medical Imaging, KTH
chohm@kth.se

Sara Strandberg
Professor, SU Physics

Researchers

Julia Salwén, Department of Physics (CoPS)
PhD student working on “beyond the standard model Higgs” with ATLAS Run-3 data and on the preparation of radiation-hard electronics for the High Luminosity LHC.

Damir Duvnjak, Department of Physics (CoPS)
PostDoc: started in July and works with instrumentation — partly on the HL-LHC and partly on CERN’s future accelerator, i.e. either the FCC or the next collider.

Last updated: 2025-10-15

Source: Oskar Klein Centre