Astrophysics Research Institute Seminar Series privacy notice

Information you need to know

The Astrophysics Research Institute (ARI) is part of Liverpool John Moores University. See further information on the institution.

Liverpool John Moores University is the Data Controller.

Our Data Protection Officer can be contacted at DPO@ljmu.ac.uk.

This privacy notice explains how we use your personal information and your rights regarding that information.

For information about how the wider university uses personal data please see the Privacy notice section of our website.

Information we are collecting

We collect your email address, mobile telephone number, and any dietary requirements or accessibility requirements that you choose to share with us.

Where attendance at the Astrophysics Seminar Series involves international travel arrangements, we may also collect your full name, gender, date of birth, nationality, passport number and passport expiry date to facilitate those arrangements.

Source of the personal data

With the exception of your email address, which we may obtain from publicly available sources such as university, institutional or professional webpages, we only process personal information that you provide directly to us.

Why we are collecting your data and the legal basis for this

We process personal data in accordance with the principles of the GDPR and only where there is a valid lawful basis to do so.

We use your personal information to organise your participation in the Astrophysics Seminar Series. This includes:

  • contacting you about the seminar and your visit
  • arranging and managing your accommodation
  • arranging travel to and from Liverpool, where applicable
  • making appropriate arrangements in response to any dietary or accessibility requirements you choose to share with us

We process your contact details and the information needed to arrange your travel and accommodation because this is necessary for the university to perform a task in the public interest. Our lawful basis is Article 6(1)(e) of the UK GDPR.

Information about dietary or accessibility requirements may include information about your health and is therefore treated as special category personal data. We process this information with your explicit consent under Article 9(2)(a) of the UK GDPR. Providing this information is optional.

We will only use passport and other identification information where it is necessary to arrange international travel on your behalf.

Who has access to this data

Your personal data will be used only by relevant LJMU staff where the data is necessary for them to undertake their designated role.

This may include:

  • the seminar organiser, who acts as your primary point of contact before and during your visit
  • administrative staff within the Astrophysics Research Institute and the Faculty of Health, Innovation, Technology and Science (HITS), who are responsible for making travel, accommodation and other visit arrangements

Where necessary, we may share relevant personal information with external organisations that provide services on the university's behalf. This may include:

  • Key Travel, the university's approved travel management provider, for the purpose of arranging and managing your travel
  • Hope Street Hotel, or another suitable accommodation provider, for the purpose of arranging and managing your accommodation

We will only share the information that is necessary for these organisations to provide their services.

How the university protects your data

We are committed to keeping your personal data safe in line with data protection legislation and the university’s Information Security and Data Protection Policies.

Your personal information is stored securely within university systems and is only accessible to staff who require access in order to organise and manage your participation in the Astrophysics Seminar Series.

Where travel or accommodation arrangements are required, relevant information will be shared securely with approved service providers, such as the university's travel management provider and accommodation providers, for the purpose of making and managing bookings on your behalf.

How long the university keeps your data

We will retain your personal information only for as long as is necessary to organise and manage your participation in the Astrophysics Seminar Series. Information collected for this purpose will normally be deleted one month after the date of your seminar.

Your rights

As a data subject, you have a number of rights. You can:

  • access and obtain a copy of your data on request - this could be in a portable electronic format
  • request that the university changes incorrect or incomplete data if you think that it is inaccurate or out of date
  • request that the university delete or stop processing your data, for example where the data is no longer necessary or legally required for the purposes of processing

If your personal data has been provided by consent, you have a right to withdraw that consent at any time.

If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact the Data Protection Officer at DPO@ljmu.ac.uk.

If you do not provide data

Providing your personal information is voluntary. However, if you choose not to provide the information required to arrange travel and accommodation on your behalf, the university may be unable to make these arrangements for you.

In these circumstances, you may choose to make your own travel and accommodation arrangements. Subject to the completion of any required university forms and compliance with the university's policies and procedures relating to visiting lecturers, some or all of your expenses may be reimbursed.

Transfers of data outside the UK

We normally keep your personal data within the UK. In some cases, however, we may need to transfer it to another country - for example, to deliver a contract with you or to work with a partner organisation such as a university based overseas.

Whenever this happens, we make sure your information stays protected. This could be through a UK “adequacy regulation” (which confirms that the other country’s data protection laws are up to UK standards) or by putting strong safeguards in place.

These safeguards might include:

  • model contractual clauses
  • formal data sharing or processing agreements
  • binding corporate rules

In short, even if your data travels abroad, it will continue to be treated with the same care and respect as it would under UK law.

Automated decision-making

We do not use computers to make decisions about you based solely on your personal data. Any decisions that affect you will always be made by a human, ensuring that you are treated fairly.

How to complain to the university

You have a right to complain to the university if you think it has not properly responded to your request for personal information or feel it has not handled your personal data responsibly.

If you are not satisfied with how your request for information or how your personal data has been handled, you should set out your complaint in writing to:

Maria Burquest
University Secretary and General Counsel
Legal and Governance Services
2nd Floor Exchange Station
Tithebarn Street
Liverpool
L2 2QP

or by email via DPO@ljmu.ac.uk.

How to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office

You have the right to complain to The Information Commissioner if you believe that our processing of your personal data does not meet our data protection obligations. The Information Commissioner can be contacted using the following details:

  • Post: Information Commissioners Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK95AF.
  • Telephone: 0303 123 1113.
  • Email: contact can be made by accessing the ICO website.