Supermassive Black Hole Studies in the Legacy Survey of Space and Time: 2025 edition

Update May 2025: Please pay the registration fee by June 3rd!

We acknowledge financial support provided by STFC for UK participation in LSST through grant ST/S006206/1, and by the Royal Astronomical Society for the support of early-career attendees.

Date: Monday 14th to Thursday 17th July 2025
Venue: Ogden Centre West, Durham University, United Kingdom

Meeting rationale:

Starting in 2025, Rubin Observatory’s 10-year LSST will probe deeper than any previous wide-field time-domain survey in astronomy, giving 6-band multi-colour light-curves for every active galactic nucleus (AGN) in the southern sky. The first commissioning data are now being taken, meaning it is extremely timely to prepare for science with these observations.  

However, we first need to address some open questions:  
1. how to identify AGN using a combination of photometry, astrometry, variability and morphology information from LSST? 
2. how best to quantify the large amount of AGN variability data from LSST? 
3. how to use that information to yield new insights into SMBH accretion physics, demographics, and host-galaxy connections?  
 
Motivated by these challenges, this workshop aims to: 
1. Bring together AGN experts to present their ongoing work related to LSST. 
2. Foster new collaborative projects to develop methods for AGN selection, classification and variability analyses. 
3. Equip early-career researchers (ECRs) with the skills required to access and exploit the upcoming LSST data, and networking opportunities to develop their careers. 

We are planning to run a mixed program of presentations, discussion and collaborative “hackathon”-style sessions. Where possible, remote hybrid attendance will be enabled.
Abstract submission for contributed talks, and proposing topics for discussion and/or collaborative work, will open in early March and close Friday April 4th.

Expected costs:
Due to generous support from LSST:UK, the cost of lunches and coffee breaks will be subsidised. The registration fee is expected to be around 55 GBP per person.
Participants will be responsible for covering the cost of their own travel and accommodation. We have reserved 40 single en-suites at Grey College for 13th to 18th July 2025. The bedrooms will be £56.25 per person per night and include breakfast.

We hope to organise a social dinner - details will be announced nearer the time.

We hope to offer some travel support for early-career researchers who would otherwise be unable to attend, but the funding for this is not yet confirmed. UK-based researchers will be expected to use funding from UK research councils where possible, to maximise our ability to support international attendees.

Please note that the LSST Discovery Alliance may also be able to offer funds to help with the cost of childcare; interested individuals should search for the “Childcare Support Program” on this website:
https://lsstdiscoveryalliance.org/programs/inclusive-collaboration-initi...

Key dates:
Second announcement and opening of abstract submission: early March
Deadline for submitting talk abstracts, and proposing breakout sessions: April 4th
Notification of acceptance: hopefully before Easter (April 20th)
Registration deadline: Tuesday 3rd June.
Meeting dates: Mon 14 - Thu 17 July 2025. Meeting rooms will also be available on Friday 18th for unstructured discussions to continue.

Travel:
Durham is well-connected to the National Rail network, with regular trains to destinations across the UK.
Options for international airport arrivals include:
Newcastle NCL (50 min by train/metro to Durham, or 30 minutes by taxi)
Edinburgh EDI (3hrs)
Manchester MAN (3hrs)
Birmingham BHX (3.5 hrs)
London Kings Cross is 3 hours by train, with connections to the Eurostar train service to Europe. Connections from Kings Cross to London Airports are also available.

The previous week, the UK National Astronomy Meeting (NAM) is also taking place in Durham, for more information see:
http://nam2025.astro.durham.ac.uk
More detailed information on travel to Durham is also available on the NAM webpage:
https://conference.astro.dur.ac.uk/event/7/page/13-travel-information
The LSST AGN meeting is completely separate from NAM - it is not compulsory to attend both if you only want to attend one!

Visas and Visa Waivers:
NB. By July 2025, citizens of the US, Chile, EU and some other countries will need to apply for an “ETA” to enter the UK:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-an-electronic-travel-authorisation...
The ETA programme is being rolled out over the coming months, so please check the rules and dates for your country of citizenship.
Most other nationalities (not covered by the ETA scheme) will need to apply for a “Standard Visitor” visa which permits entry into the UK for up to 6 months:
https://www.gov.uk/standard-visitor
Those who need to apply for a visa before travelling to the UK can submit the visa application up to 3 months before the visit is due to commence.

Organisers:
W.N. Brandt, C. Carroll, A. Jana, S. Panda, M. Salvato, M. Temple, W. Yu.
For queries about logistics, please contact Matthew Temple [matthew.j.temple at durham.ac.uk]
Further information will be posted on the meeting website as it becomes available:
https://agn.science.lsst.org/meeting2025

Code of Conduct:
Attendees at this meeting will be expected to follow the LSST AGN SC code of conduct (specifically the section relating to in-person meetings), available at
https://agn.science.lsst.org/sites/default/files/AGN_SC_Code_of_Conduct_...