NewAthena · Scientific Working Group 2

NewAthena SWG2
Community Meeting

Galaxies and Supermassive Black Holes

Dates 25 – 29 January 2027
Venue ESA/ESTEC, Noordwijk
Country The Netherlands
Register Program
About the meeting

This five-day community meeting at ESA/ESTEC brings together researchers working on galaxies and supermassive black holes in X-rays, as members of NewAthena Scientific Working Group 2 (SWG2). The meeting is science-driven: centred on the presentation and discussion of results spanning AGN accretion physics and outflows, SMBH–galaxy co-evolution, survey science, the cosmic X-ray background, and AGN feedback in groups and clusters.

The timing is deliberate. Scheduled after the SWG2 Special Issue deadline in the Journal of High Energy Astrophysics, the meeting provides a natural forum for authors to present their recently submitted work. Contributed talks will form the backbone of the programme, with dedicated discussion sessions to identify synergies and seed new collaborations.

The meeting is distinct from — and complementary to — larger events such as the NewAthena Conference in Prague later in 2027. Here, the galaxies-and-SMBH community can present their work in depth, and early-career researchers are guaranteed visibility and meaningful engagement with senior colleagues.

NewAthena & SWG2

NewAthena (planned launch: late 2030s) is ESA's next flagship X-ray observatory. SWG2 — Galaxies and Supermassive Black Holes — has attracted ~500 researchers working on AGN physics, galaxy evolution, and the cosmic X-ray background.

Scientific Scope

AGN accretion and outflows, corona–disc coupling, SMBH–galaxy co-evolution, deep survey science, the cosmic X-ray background, AGN feedback in groups and clusters, and high-resolution spectroscopy with X-IFU and WFI.

Who Should Attend

Members of the NewAthena SWG2 community: X-ray astronomers, AGN scientists, galaxy cluster experts, and cosmologists working on extragalactic science with current and future X-ray facilities.

Early-Career Focus

No registration fee. Dedicated contributed talk slots. Travel grants available for PhD students and postdocs within 5 years of their PhD, upon request and demonstrated need.

Scientific Program

Contributed talks form the backbone of the programme. A small number of invited and solicited presentations on NewAthena science will complement the community contributions. Dedicated discussion sessions will be held to identify synergies and plan ahead of the expected mission adoption in June 2027.

Mon 25 Jan
Tue 26 Jan
Wed 27 Jan
Thu 28 Jan
Fri 29 Jan

The full programme — including session structure, invited speakers, and talk schedule — will be posted here after the abstract submission deadline in October 2026. Notifications to authors will be sent by 20 November 2026.

AGN Accretion & Outflows

Corona–disc coupling, X-ray variability, high-resolution wind spectroscopy, absorption, reflection, and reverberation. The NewAthena X-IFU capabilities for AGN.

SMBH–Galaxy Co-evolution

AGN feedback in individual systems and statistical samples, cosmological simulations vs. observations, SMBH growth across cosmic time.

Survey Science & CXB

Deep WFI surveys, population statistics, the faint AGN population at high redshift, and the cosmic X-ray background.

Groups, Clusters & Environment

AGN feedback in the ICM, group-scale systems, large-scale structure, and synergies with Euclid, Rubin, and SKA.

Registration

Registration & Abstract Submission

Registration is free of charge. We welcome contributed talks on all SWG2 science topics. Please submit a title and short abstract when you register.

Travel grants are available for early-career researchers (PhD students or postdocs within 5 years of their PhD), upon request and demonstrated need. Partial reimbursement of train travel is also available as an incentive to reduce the carbon footprint of the meeting.

Registration opens September 2026.

Opening September 2026
Venue & Travel

Venue

Aerial view of ESA/ESTEC campus in Noordwijk
ESA/ESTEC, Noordwijk aan Zee, The Netherlands (aerial view)

The meeting will be held at ESA/ESTEC (European Space Research and Technology Centre), Keplerlaan 1, 2201 AZ Noordwijk, The Netherlands. ESTEC is located ~30 km from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport and ~15 km from Leiden.

Visitor badge registration is required. Details will be sent to all registered participants in advance. Please ensure your registration is complete by 11 December 2026.

Local buses to ESTEC

We recommend the app 9292 to plan any journey by public transport in the Netherlands. Bus tickets can be paid by card on the bus.

From Leiden Centraal
Bus 400 (Qbuzz R-NET) direct to ESTEC entrance gate. Journey ~25 min. Runs every 10–15 min during peak hours, every 30 min off-peak.
From Katwijk
Bus 400 also stops in Katwijk on the Leiden–ESTEC route. Journey ~10 min from Katwijk centre.
From Noordwijk
Bus 31 or 385 from Noordwijk centre to the bus stop near ESTEC (~10 min walk to the entrance gate). Journey ~10 min.
From The Hague (Den Haag)
Bus 385 from Den Haag Centraal, stopping at 'Schorpioen' bus stop in Katwijk (~8 min walk to ESTEC entrance).

Accommodation

Hotels in Noordwijk and Leiden are the most convenient options, as both are served by direct buses to ESTEC. Staying in The Hague (Den Haag) is also possible: frequent trains run between Den Haag Centraal and Leiden Centraal, taking 11–15 minutes, from where you can take bus 400 to ESTEC.

Below we list some hotels in the area. Note that we do not have negotiated rates — standard prices apply.

Hotel list coming soon.

Travel to Leiden

✈️ By plane
Amsterdam Schiphol is the nearest international airport (~30 km). From Schiphol, trains to Leiden Centraal run frequently (every 15–20 minutes) and take about 15–20 minutes. From Leiden Centraal, take bus 400 directly to ESTEC.
🚆 By train
We strongly encourage travelling by train to reduce the meeting's carbon footprint. Check routes and buy international tickets at NS International. For domestic connections, use ns.nl. Leiden Centraal is very well connected to the Dutch rail network.
Climate Impact

We are committed to minimising the environmental footprint of this meeting and will calculate and report the CO₂-equivalent emissions of all conference activities, including travel, catering, and logistics.

✈️ Travel is the main source

For in-person conferences, travel consistently accounts for the largest share of CO₂ emissions — often over 90% of the total footprint. We strongly encourage participants to travel by train wherever possible. . If flying is unavoidable, we encourage carbon offsetting.

🥗 Food is the second biggest impact

Food choices are the second largest contributor to a conference's carbon footprint. The ESTEC canteen offers daily vegetarian and vegan options, and we encourage participants to choose plant-based meals when possible. Animal products — particularly meat and dairy — have a significantly higher carbon and land-use footprint than plant-based alternatives.

Organisation

Scientific Organising Committee

  • Javier García NASA/GSFC · SWG2 Chair
  • Francisco Carrera IFCA (CSIC-UC) · SWG2 Co-Chair
  • Giovanni Miniutti CAB (CSIC-INTA) · SWG2 Co-Chair
  • Laura Brenneman Harvard-Smithsonian CfA · NASST Liaison
  • Hirofumi Noda Tohoku University · NASST Liaison
  • James Aird University of Edinburgh · NASST Liaison
  • Matteo Guainazzi ESA/ESTEC · NewAthena Project Scientist
  • Matilde Signorini ESA/ESTEC · Meeting Organiser
  • Bert Vander Meulen ESA/ESTEC · Meeting Organiser

Local Organising Committee

  • Matilde Signorini ESA/ESTEC · Meeting Organiser
  • Bert Vander Meulen ESA/ESTEC · Meeting Organiser

Venue

  • Erasmus High Bay ESA/ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands
  • Keplerlaan 1 2201 AZ Noordwijk aan Zee
Contact

For questions about the meeting, abstract submission, or registration, please contact the organisers:

matilde.signorini@esa.int  ·  bert.vandermeulen@esa.int

For NewAthena SWG2 community matters, contact the SWG2 Chair: javier.garcia@nasa.gov