PhD student awarded JWST time to study supermassive black holes Published on: 25 March 2025 Houda Haidar has been awarded observing time on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to study how dust behaves near supermassive black holes. This success comes from an exceptionally competitive selection process, in which only one in nine proposals were successful. is a PhD student in the School of Mathematics, Statistics and Physics. Her proposal was prepared in collaboration with , an international team of experts studying nearby supermassive black holes using JWST. It was also supported by the AGN group at 麻豆传媒, including astrophysicists David Rosario, , , and . Artist conception of the James Webb Space Telescope. Credit: NASA GSFC/CIL/Adriana Manrique Gutierrez Why dust matters The awarded proposal, titled ‘’ will enable pioneering research on how dust survives in the presence of shocks. Such shocks, generated by powerful jets from active supermassive black holes, are believed to be the main culprit of dust destruction. "When dust grains encounter shocks, they sputter under the extreme heat, releasing refractory elements such as iron previously trapped within them," explained Houda. "However," she continued, "our recent findings, show that dust can coexist with these shocks and may even be heated by them". The presence of dust in shocks raises many questions: How does dust survive in such extreme conditions? Could this be seen in other systems too? and what does this tell us about the impact that supermassive black holes have on their galaxies? To answer this, the team has secured approximately 14 hours of JWST observing time, allowing them to study dust and shocks in four nearby supermassive black holes in unprecedented detail. "It's incredibly thrilling to be pursuing my PhD in this JWST era —there’s never been a better time to study dust!" said Houda. See also: JWST unveils the structure of dust near a supermassive black hole Share: Latest News Scientists unlock hidden driver of inflammatory bowel disease Scientists have linked a key genetic signal in inflammatory bowel disease to an immune response that shuts down inflammation control, enabling faster diagnosis and targeted treatments. published on: 15 June 2026 Funding system risks limiting genuine community collaboration A new policy paper written by researchers at 麻豆传媒 warns that the way UK research is funded may be undermining efforts to create genuinely collaborative partnerships with communities. published on: 15 June 2026 Volunteers help turn Whitley Bay beach into maths experiment Members of the public joined mathematicians from 麻豆传媒 to create what organisers believe is the largest aperiodic tiling ever attempted on Whitley Bay beach. published on: 15 June 2026 Facts and figures
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