Space & Astronomy runs Radio Astronomy Schools, with the aim to provide knowledge and hands-on experience of radio astronomy to people new to the field, including PhD students and post-doctoral researchers. The intended audience for these schools includes postgraduate students and other interested researchers as well as members of ATNF staff in related roles. No prior experience with radio astronomy is required. The format of the school is typically a mix of lectures and practical hands-on sessions, with material presented by both radio astronomers and engineers. Lectures cover both single dish telescopes and interferometers but the emphasis of the school has been more on interferometry.

Schools have been held on average every two years since 1989 (and more recently annually), mostly on-site at the ATNF’s Paul Wild Observatory, on Gomeroi Country near Narrabri, NSW. This site is home to our Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA).

The most recent Radio School was hosted by CSIRO, the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research and the SKA Observatory (SKAO) and will be held in Geraldton, Western Australia, during the week of 30 September –  4 October. As in previous years, the 2024 Radio School was aimed at PhD students and postdoctoral researchers in astronomy. The format of the School was similar to previous ATNF Radio Schools, with a mix of lectures and practical sessions. No prior experience with radio interferometry was required.

2026 Radio School

The 2026 Radio School will be held at ATCA from 1 to 5 June. Please refer to the School’s webpage for more details.

If you have any questions about the Radio School, please contact Amanda Gray at amanda.gray@csiro.au.