Facilities for students

The University Observatory

We run the Observatory in Manor Road, Oadby. With a 20 inch telescope it is one of the UK's largest and most advanced astronomical teaching facilities. The Observatory is open to all undergraduate students and is used for student research projects. It was featured in an episode of the BBC's The Sky at Night in 2023 to celebrate the role of amateur astronomers in helping us better understand Jupiter.

High performance computing

We are home to the University's ALICE 4000 core supercomputer, and are a member of the UK's Distributed Research utilising Advanced Computing (DiRAC) consortium. DiRAC is the integrated supercomputing facility for theoretical modelling and HPC-based research in particle physics, astronomy and cosmology. We host the Data Intensive at Leicester HPC resources (24000+ cores).

Our students use the ALICE supercomputer for their computing courses and projects. 

Space Park Leicester

Space Park Leicester is an ambitious initiative that is developing a global hub and collaborative community for businesses, researchers and academia based on space and space-enabled technologies. Offering high-tech facilities and capabilities, it is a brand new hub for the analysis and commercialisation of space-enabled data and space mission development.

Students can do research projects and presentations at Space Park Leicester.

Teaching spaces

Our teaching laboratories are located in the Michael Atiyah building. Students do the practical part of their work in spaces that were previously used for building and testing equipment that was sent into space. In addition the building has a large open-plan space used for workshop-style teaching where students solve problems in small groups, supported by academic staff members, in a friendly and informal setting.