Modern observational astronomy and cosmology are undergoing a profound transformation, driven by revolutionary facilities such as the James Webb Space Telescope and, in the near future, the Square Kilometre Array, Euclid, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, and the Extremely Large Telescope. These observatories, together with increasingly sophisticated numerical simulations, are providing unprecedented insights into the origin, evolution, and large-scale structure of the Universe. This mini-workshop offers an overview of some of the most exciting developments in contemporary extragalactic astronomy and cosmology, from the foundations of the standard cosmological model to the formation of the first galaxies and the role of large-scale simulations in interpreting observations. Through three complementary lectures, Professor Stephen Wilkins will present the current state of our knowledge, discuss the observational and computational tools that underpin modern astrophysics, and highlight the major open questions that continue to drive research into the nature of dark matter, dark energy, galaxy formation, and the evolution of the Universe.