Ian Bonnell

Ian Bonnell is a Professor at the School of Physics and Astronomy, University of St Andrews. His research focuses on star formation in galaxies and the impact of young stars on their environment. He develops self-consistent models spanning galactic dynamics to local star-forming events using numerical simulations.

Research interests include:

• Star formation initiation mechanisms and efficiency
• Massive star formation and initial mass function determination
• Feedback effects on star formation and the interstellar medium
• Star formation in galactic centers and supermassive black hole growth

His recent publications (2021-2025) predominantly explore numerical simulations of star formation processes, with special focus on feedback mechanisms, magnetic fields, and accretion processes in protostellar systems. The work combines SPH and grid-based simulations to address fundamental questions in astrophysics.

Awards and honors:

• Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (2008)

He currently advises PhD students Katerina Klos and Cheryl Lau, and leads the ECOGAL research team funded by an ERC grant. His group collaborates internationally on star formation simulations.