The X-ray Astronomy Group of the IAASARS carries out fundamental research on the physics of high-energy astrophysical phenomena associated with either accretion onto compact objects or matter heated to very high temperatures (millions of degrees). The overarching questions that are being addressed are (i) when do supermassive black-holes at the centres of galaxies form during the lifetime of the Universe, (ii) which physical conditions are conducive to accretion events onto supermassive black holes and (iii) how do the massive structures that we observe in the Universe form. These questions are being addressed by combining observations from major X-ray telescopes, such as the XMM-Newton, the Chandra X-ray observatory, the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) and the eROSITA with advanced analysis and modeling techniques as well as data at other wavebands.