Latest news - The 2026 edition will take place in Durham (UK) from July 13th to 17th.

Professor Celine d’ Orgeville is the Program Director of the Australia Telescope National Facility at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and the former Director of Advanced Instrumentation Technology Centre (AITC) at the Australian National University (ANU)

She is a world-renowned, leading expert in Sodium Laser Guide Star Adaptive Optics (LGS AO). She is also a proud alumna of the Ecole Supérieure d’Optique who graduated in 1997 when SupOptique used to be located in Orsay. In her talk she will provide a brief overview of the broad variety of research projects undertaken at the ANU an CSIRO with a special focus on her own LGS AO research program.

In 2021, Céline d' Orgeville received the SPIE Diversity Outreach Award that recognizes outstanding contributions to promoting diversity in the education, training, and participation of women and minorities in optics, photonics, electro-optics, and imaging technologies and applications. In addition to her keynote talk, she will also give her lecture on Equality in AO.

About the European Adaptive Optics Summer School

Adaptive optics (AO) is developed and used in a range of application areas, from observing microscopic cells to distant galaxies. While the implementation and challenges are different between field, the basic principles of AO are common. This summer school aims to bring together students and researchers from across the range of AO domains to learn together and develop connections with one another.

Who is it for?

The school will teach the principles of AO to those new to the field, such as PhD students and postdoctoral researchers, and provide a basic background to users of the technology.

How will it be taught?

The summer school will be taught in person with lectures by experts from across the different applications of AO, hands-on lab sessions, a simulation workshop, virtual lab tours across Europe social events and a poster/networking session. We also plan to offer virtual attendance for the lectures only.

What will be covered?

Lectures will cover topics building from introductions to wavefront sensing, correction, calibration and control to a complete AO system.  Lectures will be complemented by hands-on classes both on-bench and through simulation, giving participants the opportunity to ask questions and try out their newly acquired knowledge on a working AO system. A series of talks presented by experts in the field will also cover the latest research in AO and its applications. The school will also include topics such as equality and career development.

Astronomical AO

If you are interested in astronomical AO, note that the 2nd edition of the Observing with Adaptive Optics international school will take place at Observatoire de Haute Provence in France from 12th to 17th October 2025.