A new community of academics researching various astrophysical discs came together at their first launch meeting at the University of Warwick in September. Spearheaded by Warwick astrophysicists, the UK & Ireland Discs community has been set up to foster close connections and collaborations between the many researchers working on astrophysical discs.

“We realised that there were so many people working on astrophysical discs across the UK and Ireland. And that to make the most of this we should bring the community together and build its profile, such that it is known internationally for all the great disc research that it performs” — Farzana Meru, chair of the UK & Ireland discs meeting.

The theme of the first meeting was protoplanetary discs and debris discs (including white dwarf debris discs), covering both observations and theory. A key focus of the meeting was to give young researchers opportunities to enhance their careers, by presenting their work and being key players in organising and running the meeting. In this regard Equity, Diversion and Inclusion was at the heart of the planning and organisation of this successful meeting, which had over 110 participants joining in person and online.