The Other Worlds Laboratory (OWL) at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) will soon be accepting applications for the seventh annual Exoplanet Summer Program (ESP), from July 14 – August 1, 2025. Within the program, we wish to foster new and existing research collaborations by outstanding visitors, with stays of 1 to 3 weeks.
About
The purpose of the program is to allow visitors to generate new ideas, nurture existing research projects and collaborations, and foster new ones. There is no theme or focus area — in this fast-moving exoplanets field, we want the participants to drive the discussion and work on areas they feel are most pressing and exciting.
The ESP program is modest in terms of planned activities, besides a daily coffee and morning seminars with active discussion. It is not a conference and is mostly unstructured. It is a workshop to imagine and make progress on new ideas. Participants can expect access to shared offices on campus, discussion common areas, and of course immersion in Santa Cruz’s natural beauty. Typically 25-35 visitors are on campus each week, along with local participants.
Eligibility
Faculty, researchers, postdocs, and PhD students are invited to apply. (Sorry, Masters students are not accepted.) We are particularly interested in supporting researchers from backgrounds and from regions of the world that are underrepresented in exoplanetary sciences today.
Apply
Eligibility: Faculty, researchers, postdocs, and PhD students at any level are invited to apply. There is no registration fee. On-campus housing is available for OWL Summer visitors at a rate of approximately $125/night. Some travel, housing, and food expenses can be reimbursed for some participants, with a focus on early career researchers. See the google form for more details.
Apply: Applications will be accepted from Feb 15 – March 15, via this google form. As part of the application, please include a 2-page PDF, which includes 1 page on the science you would like to pursue in Santa Cruz, and a 1-page CV.
The current roster of planetary investigators and research at UC Santa Cruz can be found at http://owl.ucsc.edu/. We welcome joint applications by small groups wishing to work together on projects, although each individual person must apply online.
Please contact OWL by e-mail at owlsummer2025@gmail.com, with additional questions about the OWL program.