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The Dark Cosmology Centre is a research centre focusing on dark matter and dark energy. It was established by the Danish National Research Foundation (DNRF) in September 2005, as part of the Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen. It is mainly funded by the DNRF for a duration of ten years (2005-2015).
Aims
The centre objective is to gain astrophysical insight into the nature of the mysterious dark energy and dark matter. The nature of dark matter and energy is yet unkown. The existence of dark matter is inferred through its gravitational effects on ordinary, visible matter. The existence of dark energy is inferred from its effect on the expansion of the Universe.
Team
Currently (Nov. 2012) the centre consists of 40 research staff, a centre coordinator, two secretaries, an IT manager and assistant, 12 PhD students, and 9 MSc students (list here). The team members bring in key expertises and interact closely on a daily basis. In addition, DARK receives around 100 visits per year from international collaborators.
Activities
The centre focuses on research, but other activities are also important: research training, teaching, and conveying the results and methods of studying the dark Universe to the public. Increasing the number of women in science, and in particular astronomy, is also among the long-term goals of the Centre.
