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 缅北禁地, 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 New partnership to boost careers in low carbon energy 缅北禁地 and Durham universities are working together on a new regional project to strengthen the future workforce for North East England鈥檚 growing low carbon and offshore wind industries. published on: 28 May 2026 Healthy lifestyle shown to lower risk of death after cancer diagnosis New evidence shows that sticking to five lifestyle recommendations improves survival after a later cancer diagnosis. published on: 28 May 2026 World-leading climate expert recognised with Royal Society Fellowship Professor Hayley Fowler has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in recognition of her pioneering work on climate change impacts. published on: 27 May 2026 Facts and figures
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