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University of Bath

Astrophysics group members

Our group hosts observers, theorists and instrumentation specialists. Find out about their research interests and activities here.

We are a research group who specialise in astrophysics.

Academic staff

  • Dr Philippe Blondel
    Deputy Director of the Centre for Space, Atmosphere and Ocean Science.
    I am developing new approaches to remote sensing, in particular acoustics, radar and satellite imaging. I also work on processing very large data-sets using machine learning and image processing. This ties in with my work studying asteroids and has intersections with the space mining communities, and radar imaging of space debris.

  • Dr Steven Davies
    I am involved in the design and construction of front-end instrumentation for millimetre-wave molecular line astronomy. I am also interested in the use of microfabrication and micromachining methods to make high frequency devices and the circuits in which they are mounted.

  • Dr Victoria Scowcroft
    I use multi-wavelength observations of variable stars to make high precision distance measurements. My current research focuses on mid-infrared observations of Cepheids and RR Lyrae variables, incorporating data from the Gaia mission, to calibrate their Period-Luminosity relations with the aim of improving the extragalactic distance scale. My research group studies the structure of the Milky Way and the Magellanic System to measure the Hubble constant with mid-infrared standard candles to a precision better than 2%.

  • Dr Patricia Schady
    I study multi-wavelength observations of long gamma ray bursts and use them to study the interstellar medium and star-formation in distant galaxies. I am also interested in other kinds of stellar transient phenomena, such as super luminous supernovae and kilonovae, and on the evolution of galaxies and their chemical enrichment.

  • Dr David Tsang
    I study the relativistic astrophysics of neutron stars and black holes. I am interested in neutron binary systems as sources of possible electromagnetic counterparts to gravitational wave signals, and as a probe of physics within the neutron star crust. I also study the formation and evolution of planetary systems, in particular looking how dynamical processes and interactions could explain emerging features of the exoplanet population.​

  • Dr Hendrik Van Eerten
    I carry out computational and theoretical research in high-energy astrophysics. My primary focus is on the relativistic outflows and afterglows from gamma-ray bursts, and blazars.

  • Dr Carolin Villforth
    I study Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) - accreting supermassive black holes at the centres of galaxies. I am interested in understanding the processes that fuel supermassive black holes, the physical properties of AGN as well as the impact AGN have on their host galaxies.

  • Prof Stijn Wuyts
    Hiroko Sherwin Chair in Extragalactic Astronomy
    I study the formation and evolution of galaxies, from the peak of cosmic star formation ten billion years ago to the present day. To this end, I combine tracers of direct star light, dust-radiated emission, ionized and molecular gas. Together, they shed light on the growth of galactic disks, the emergence of bulges, and the connection to the dark matter halos in which galaxies reside.

Postdoctoral associates

  • Dr Duncan Neill
    Multi-messenger probes of neutron stars
    I am working on calculating the frequencies of modes of oscillation in neutron stars. In particular I am interested in the interface modes between the star's solid crust and fluid core. The aim is to study how resonance between these modes and tidal forces can cause the crust of the neutron star to fracture, causing a gamma-ray burst.

  • Dr Sayan Kundu
    I study highly energetic astrophysical phenomena using analytical and numerical tools. My primary focus is to understand different microphysical processes that occur in weakly magnetized astrophysical plasma. Currently, I am studying the dynamical and radiative behaviour of Gamma-Ray bursts. I am also interested in plasma turbulence and its manifestations on the radiative signatures from different astrophysical sources.

PhD students

  • Mathilda Avirett-Mackenzie (Supervisor: Dr Carolin Villforth)
    The role of mergers and disc instabilities in fuelling AGN
    I study the mechanisms that trigger enhanced accretion onto galactic supermassive black holes. I use machine learning to look for galaxy mergers with the goal of understanding their role compared to internal processes in fuelling different types of active galactic nuclei.

  • Jonathan Cleverly (Supervisor: Dr Philippe Blondel)
    The acoustics of climate change - Long-term observations in the Arctic oceans
    I am studying acoustic phenomena in the Arctic Ocean and monitoring how the underwater soundscape evolves over time using data from passive acoustic monitoring techniques. Using machine learning algorithms to isolate specific acoustic sources (e.g. whale calls, ice cracking etc.), I hope to link the recurrence of sounds from individual sources to the advancement of climate change in the region.

  • Blanca Moncada Cuadri (Supervisor: Prof Carole Mundell)
    Tidal Dwarf Galaxies as Laboratories for Understanding the Origins of Star Formation.
    I am using cm and mm radio observations of Tidal Dwarf Galaxies to trace their history of star formation and determine the distribution and polarization of the radio emission, to map their magnetic field. The aim is to study the physics of star formation in extreme environments so we can understand how stars formed in the early Universe.

  • Shaula Garibbo (Supervisor: Dr Philippe Blondel)
    Low-Frequency Ocean Acoustic Phenomena
    I study the variability and mechanisms of acoustic waves through the Earth’s oceans, particularly the low-frequency waves that can propagate at planetary scales across a wide range of environments. I am using Big Data and sophisticated processing approaches, with the aim to develop operational models to monitor large transient events (e.g. explosions, geophysical events) and long-term trends.

  • John Hope (Supervisor: Dr Hendrik van Eerten)
    I use a combination of hydrodynamical and kinetic simulations to model the afterglow of structured jets in Gamma-Ray Bursts. These models are then compared to observational data to better understand the processes that are taking place in these jets.

  • Berk Topcu (Supervisor: Dr Patricia Schady)
    Demographics of stellar explosions with JWST, VRO, 4MOST and multi-messenger astronomy
    I study the host galaxies of gamma-ray bursts using JWST integral-field spectroscopy. I will further use observations from 4MOST and VRO to study core-collapse supernovae. The aim is to understand more about the chemical properties of core-collapse supernovae to be able to classify them more accurately and understand more about different progenitor properties. Additionally, a further effort will be made in identifying the host galaxies of observed supernovae through their redshift measurements.

  • Steven Ramnichal (Supervisor: Prof Stijn Wuyts)
    Where stars form: a small-scale and large-scale view on the sites of stellar build-up
    I study the spatial make-up of galaxies, in terms of their stellar population, star formation and dust content. To this end, I am exploiting machine learning techniques to emulate 3D dust radiative transfer, enabling a simultaneous modelling -in 3D- of galaxies' panchromatic and spatially resolved information. As a next step, I will zoom out and consider galaxies' 3D position within the cosmic web, and its relation to their star formation activity.

Alumni

  • Charlotte Avery (Supervisor: Dr Stijn Wuyts and Prof Carole Mundell)
    A 3D View of Gas in Galaxies

  • Dr Eliot Ayache (Supervisor: Dr Hendrik Van Eerten)
    Numerics and Theory of Gamma-Ray Burst afterglows

Dr Caroline Bertemes (Supervisor: Dr Stijn Wuyts)
Weighing star-forming galaxies, component by component

  • Dr Abigail Chown (Supervisor: Dr Victoria Scowcroft) Investigating the Variable Star Populations of the Magellanic Clouds

  • Dr Bethan Easeman (Supervisor: Dr Patricia Schady)
    Investigating the build-up of metals in star forming galaxies

Dr Anastasia Efthymiadou (Supervisor: Dr Carolin Villforth)
The connection between star formation and black hole growth in Active Galactic Nuclei

  • Dr Bruno Jimenez Fernandez (Supervisor: Dr Hendrik Van Eerten)
    Multi-Zone Blazar Modelling

  • Dr Nuria Jordana (Supervisor: Prof Carole Mundell)
    Real-time multiwavelength studies of gamma-ray bursts

  • Dr Stephen Hamer
    Period-Luminosity relations of variable stars, AGN

  • Dr Tanmoy Laskar
    Energetic astrophysical transients

  • Dr Jun Toshikawa
    Protoclusters and galaxy evolution

  • Raman Sharma (Supervisor: Dr Stijn Wuyts)
    Star formation distributions across cosmic time

  • Dr Junkai Zhang (Supervisor: Dr Stijn Wuyts)
    The relation between galaxy structure, kinematics and environment