The 2026 Flatiron Institute CMB Summer School is a week-long program hosted by the Center for Computational Astrophysics (CCA) and featuring instructors from the Simons Observatory (SO) collaboration.
The school roughly follows the format of previous CMB analysis summer schools (see, e.g., the 2024 ACT – SPT Analysis School), featuring interactive IPython notebook–based lectures, structured hands-on exercises, and dedicated hacking/practical sessions. We may also supplement coding-based learning with topical lectures covering the foundations of CMB theory, observations, and analysis.
Participants will learn core concepts and practical tools for CMB data analysis and simulations. A key component of the school is hands-on work with public datasets, such as ACT DR6 and Planck, enabling participants to gain direct experience with contemporary CMB data products and analysis methods.
This opportunity is currently open to graduate students and postdocs. Please note that undergraduates are not eligible to participate.
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- The CMB (foundations and observables)
- Time-streams and map-making
- Power spectrum estimation
- CMB lensing and lensing power spectrum estimation
- Point sources and clusters
- Parameter estimation and inference
- Hands-on analysis of public ACT DR6 data
- Simulations
- Machine learning applications
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- Simone Aiola, Simons Foundation, SOC/LOC
- Zach Atkins, University of Pennsylvania, SOC
- Adrian Bayer, Simons Foundation, SOC/LOC
- Jeff McMahon, University of Chicago, SOC (Advisor)
- Kristen Camputaro, Simons Foundation, LOC
- Jake Schertz, Simons Foundation, LOC
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- Irene Abril Cabezas, University of Cambridge
- Simone Aiola, Simons Foundation
- Zach Atkins, University of Pennsylvania
- Susanna Azzoni, Princeton University
- Adrian Bayer, Simons Foundation
- Konstantina Dachlythra, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca
- Merry Duparc, Université Paris-Saclay
- Ola Kusiak, University of Cambridge
- Mathew Madhavacheril, University of Pennsylvania
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Please submit your response to the application form linked here by April 4, 2026 to be considered.
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Some support will be available for a limited number of students, which includes:
- Round-trip travel to/from NYC
- Student housing (NYU dorms) will be provided for the one-week period
- Uber rides to/from the airport in NYC
- Breakfast and lunch will be provided on-site on weekdays
- We will reimburse students for weekend meals and weeknight dinners
For the remaining accepted students, we will provide:
- Breakfast and lunch during on on-site on weekdays