6th Summer School
Galaxy Formation and Evolution in a Cosmological Context
AKSS, Spetses (Greece), 30th August – 5th September 2026
PRE-REGISTRATION DEADLINE: 10TH APRIL 2026
Attendance is limited to 28 participants to keep the School lively and interactive.
Lecturers:
- Andrea Cattaneo (Observatoire de Paris) - School Coordinator
- Julien Devriendt (University of Oxford)
- Andrea Ferrara (Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa)
- Nicolas Prantzos (Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris)
- Adrianne Slyz (University of Oxford)
- Sandro Tacchella (University of Cambridge)
- Benedetta Vulcani (Osservatorio di Padova)
Aim:
To bridge the gap between master courses and the knowledge required to lead an autonomous research project.
Andrea Cattaneo and Olivier Le Fèvre (deceased in 2020) started the first Summer School Galaxy Formation and Evolution in a Cosmological Context at the Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Marseille in 2013. In 2017 the School moved to Spetses, where it is hosted by the AKSS Foundation and has attracted a more international audience.
Since 2013 the School has already trained 145 students from 26 countries.
Programme
The School is structured around 6 lecture courses:
- Models of galaxy formation in a cosmological context (Andrea Cattaneo)
- The formation of galaxies in cosmological simulations (Julien Devriendt/Adrianne Slyz)
- Galaxy formation and evolution in deep surveys (Sandro Tacchella)
- Galaxy formation and evolution: the role of the environment (Benedetta Vulcani)
- The first stars and cosmic reionisation (Andrea Ferrara)
- Galactic chemical evolution (Nicolas Prantzos)
| Date | Time | Topic | Lecturer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 29/8 | Any time | Arrival at the AKSS | |
| Sun 30/8 | 09:00-11:00 | Setting up cosmological simulations: initial and boundary conditions | J. Devriendt |
| Sun 30/8 | 11:30-13:30 | Galaxy formation and evolution with observations/surveys | S. Tacchella |
| Sun 30/8 | 18:00-20:00 | From primordial fluctuations to virialised haloes | A. Cattaneo |
| Mon 31/8 | 09:00-11:00 | Collisionless N-body simulations | A. Slyz |
| Mon 31/8 | 11:30-13:30 | Stellar-mass build-up on cosmic and resolved scales | S. Tacchella |
| Mon 31/8 | 18:00-20:00 | From the primordial spectrum of density fluctuations to the halo mass function | A. Cattaneo |
| Mon 31/8 | 20:00-22:00 | Dinner at the AKSS | |
| Tue 1/9 | 09:00-11:00 | Hydrodynamics | A. Slyz |
| Tue 1/9 | 11:30-13:30 | Finding and characterising early galaxies | S. Tacchella |
| Tue 1/9 | 18:00-20:00 | Galaxy Environments: Definitions, Metrics, and Observational Probes | B. Vulcani |
| Wed 2/9 | 09:00-11:00 | The physics of galaxy formation | J. Devriendt |
| Wed 2/9 | 11:30-13:30 | Environmental Effects on Galaxies at Low Redshift: Integrated and Spatially Resolved Perspectives | B. Vulcani |
| Wed 2/9 | Evening | Free | |
| Thu 3/9 | 09:00-11:00 | Star formation in primordial gas | A. Ferrara |
| Thu 3/9 | 11:30-13:30 | Galactic chemical evolution: context, definitions, the simple model and its ingredients | N. Prantzos |
| Thu 3/9 | 18:00-20:00 | Redshift Evolution of Environmental Processes in Galaxy Evolution | B. Vulcani |
| Fri 4/9 | 09:00-11:00 | The intergalactic medium | A. Ferrara |
| Fri 4/9 | 11:30-13:30 | The solar neighborhhod and the evolution of the elements of the periodic table: successes and failures | N. Prantzos |
| Fri 4/9 | 18:00-20:00 | Galaxy formation within haloes | A. Cattaneo |
| Fri 4/9 | 20:00-22:00 | Dinner at the AKSS | |
| Sat 5/9 | 09:00-11:00 | Cosmic reionisation | A. Ferrara |
| Sat 5/9 | 11:30-13:30 | The evolution of the components of the Milky Way: bulge, thin and thick disks, and the role of radial migration | N. Prantzos |
| Sat 5/9 | 18:00-20:00 | Feedback processes | A. Cattaneo | Sun 6/9 | Before midday | Departure from the AKSS |
Venue/Accommodation
The School will take place at the Anargyrion and Korgialenion School of Spetses (AKSS), on the beautiful Greek island of Spetses, at two hours' boat from the Athenian port of Piraeus. Once a prestigious school for boys, the AKSS is now a non-profit foundation with the educational mission to host cultural and academic events.
The AKSS seafront complex comprises five buildings labelled A, B, C, D and E. Building A contains: on the ground floor, the School's lecture theatres, an indoor self-service cafeteria, and a coffee shop with outside tables (the Magus Art Café); on the first floor the offices of the AKSS's administration. Building C will accommodate the School's participants. The registration fees include accommodation at the AKSS, breakfast and two dinners.
How to reach the AKSS
The bus X96 connects Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos to the port of Piraeus. The journey from the Airport to Pireaus takes about 90 minutes and there is a bus every twenty minutes throughout most of the day (view route and timetable). The price of a one-way ticket is 6 euros. Alternatively, a taxi will take you from the airport to the port of Piraeus in a time between 40 and 60 minutes. The typical taxi fare is around 60 euros.
The AKSS Foundation is at 1.4 km from the port of Spetses, connected to the port of Piraeus (Athens) by at least four boats back and forward every day. Two companies assure this connection: Alphalines and Hellenic Seaways. The sea journey from Piraeus to Spetses takes about three hours.
With the exception of a few taxis (difficult to find), there are no cars in Spetses. However, for 10 euros, a horse-drawn carriage can take you and your luggage from the port of Spetses to the AKSS so that you arrive at the School in style.
Pre-registration
The School has a registration fee of 995 euros, which includes accommodation at the AKSS, breakfast and two dinners (on 31st August and 4th September).
To pre-register please fill in the online application form below. The pre-registration deadline is Friday 10th April 2026.
Attendance is limited to 28 participants to ensure the School remains lively and interactive. Admission decisions will be communicated by 20th April 2026. Accepted applicants will receive instructions on how to pay the registration fee by bank transfer in the acceptance email.
Contact/Enquiries
For all enquiries, please send an e-mail to the School's coordinator:
Andrea Cattaneo
galaxyformationschool@observatoiredeparis.psl.eu