Max Planck Institute for Gravitational PhysicsGermany
Aurore Betranhandy is a Researcher in the field of Numerical and Relativistic Astrophysics, based at an academic institution in Potsdam, Germany. She can be contacted via email at aurore.betranhandy@... . Research Focus: Her work centers on computational astrophysics and relativistic models, advancing the study of high-energy cosmic phenomena through numerical simulations. Contact Information: Located at Am Mühlenberg 1, 14476 Potsdam , she is reachable by phone at +49 331 567-7122 .
Prof. Dr. Harald Lesch is a distinguished Professor of Theoretical Astrophysics at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and Lecturer in Natural Philosophy at the Munich School of Philosophy. Born on July 28, 1960 in Giessen, he completed his physics studies at Justus Liebig University of Giessen and Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms University of Bonn, earning his doctorate in 1987. After research positions at the Heidelberg-Königsstuhl State Observatory and University of Toronto, he received his habilitation at the University of Bonn in 1994. Lesch is renowned for making complex scientific concepts accessible to the public. His research interests span theoretical astrophysics, cosmology, gravitational waves, and the philosophical implications of scientific discoveries. He has authored numerous books exploring the relationship between science, philosophy, and everyday life, focusing particularly on how cosmic phenomena connect to human existence. His television career began in 1998 with 'Alpha Centauri' and 'The Physics of Albert Einstein' on BR-alpha. Since September 2008, he has presented ZDF's science magazine, which evolved from 'Abenteuer Forschung' to 'Leschs Kosmos' in 2014, and most recently to 'Terra X Harald Lesch' in 2024. In February 2016, he launched the YouTube channel 'Terra X Lesch & Co,' further expanding his science communication efforts. Patron of the Children's University Weimar since 2018 Presenter of 'The Big Questions' since 2023 Host of numerous documentary series including 'Fascination Universe' (2009-2023), 'Supercodes - The Secret Formulas of Nature' (2021/2022), and 'Das Rätsel Zeit' (2024) Lesch has received over 20 major awards recognizing his exceptional contributions to science communication, including the Communicator Prize (2005), multiple Deutscher Fernsehpreis awards (2018, 2020), and Germany's highest honor, the Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (2023). His work bridges the gap between academic research and public understanding, making him one of Germany's most influential science communicators.
Prof. Dr. Michael Klasen is a leading theoretical physicist at the Institute of Theoretical Physics at the University of Münster, where he heads his eponymous research group. His work bridges nuclear and particle physics, with significant contributions to quantum chromodynamics and physics beyond the Standard Model. His research focuses on Particle Physics , Quantum Chromodynamics , and Physics beyond the Standard Model , with particular emphasis on understanding the quark-gluon structure of atomic nuclei and dark matter phenomena. His innovative approach connects microscopic quark-gluon dynamics with nuclear binding phenomena, creating a crucial bridge between nuclear and particle physics. Prof. Klasen's recent work analyzing nucleon binding at the quark-gluon level was recognized as a "Breakthrough of the Year 2024" by Physics World. His research group's publication in Physical Review Letters demonstrated how quarks and gluons behave differently in nucleon pairs than in free nucleons, fundamentally advancing our understanding of nuclear binding. Breakthrough of the Year 2024 from Physics World Leadership of Research Training Group 2149 "Strong and weak interactions - from hadrons to dark matter" Supervision of award-winning doctoral research including the Infineon Dissertation Prize 2025 Prof. Klasen has successfully mentored numerous PhD students, with 20 of his group's graduates continuing their academic careers at prestigious institutions including CERN and Stanford University. His research has been supported by major funding bodies including the German Research Foundation (DFG), the Helmholtz Alliance for Astroparticle Physics, and BMBF collaborative research programs. The Klasen working group maintains active collaborations with international research networks including CTEQ, DM@NLO, and RESUMMINO.
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Lars Linsen is a full Professor of Computer Science at the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität (WWU) Münster, leading the VISualization & graphIX (VISIX) group. His primary affiliation is the Institute of Computer Science within the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science. He holds adjunct professorships at Jacobs University, Bremen, and has held previous academic roles including Full Professor at Jacobs University (2012–2017) and Associate/Assistant Professor roles in Germany and the U.S. His research focuses on interactive visual analysis, medical visualization, and scientific visualization, with applications in life sciences and engineering. Education: PhD (Dr.-Ing.) in Computer Science from Universität Karlsruhe (2001), M.Sc. (Diplom) in Computer Science (1997), B.Sc. (Vordiplom) in Computer Science (1994). Awards: IEEE Visualization Design Contest Winner (2008, 2022, 2018), Preis des Fördervereins des Forschungszentrum Informatik (2002). Research Highlights: Develops visualization tools for medical imaging (e.g., mass spectrometry imaging, MRI data analysis) and physical simulations (e.g., wildfire spread analysis, asteroid impact modeling). Active in EU-funded projects like Pig-Pro-QuO (surface coatings) and cells-in-motion initiatives. Supervised over 20 PhD/MS advisees, including notable graduates in medical visualization and simulation ensemble analysis. Publications: Over 100 peer-reviewed articles in top venues like IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics, Computers & Graphics, and EuroVis. Key works include SciVis contest-winning wildfire analysis frameworks and medical visualization tools for stenosis detection. Teaching: Offers courses on visualization, computer graphics, and computational science. Actively involved in thesis supervision and curriculum development at both WWU Münster and Jacobs University. Grants & Collaborations: Principal investigator on DFG-funded projects (e.g., hemodynamics simulations, ensemble visualization) and industry collaborations (e.g., Tascon GmbH for coating quality analysis). Member of the Cells-in-Motion Interfaculty Centre and CDH board at WWU.
Max Planck Institute for Gravitational PhysicsGermany
Bruce Allen is the Director of the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute) in Hannover, Germany, where he also heads the Observational Relativity and Cosmology department. He holds dual academic appointments as Honorary Professor of Physics at Leibniz Universität Hannover and Adjunct Professor of Physics at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, USA. His career spans over three decades in gravitational physics research, with a leadership role in the LIGO Scientific Collaboration from 1997 to 2018. Dr. Allen's research focuses on gravitational wave detection and data analysis, early universe cosmology, de Sitter space, curved-space quantum field theory, cosmic strings, inflationary models of the early universe, and gravitational radiation emission by cosmic strings. His work extends to large-scale cluster computing and public distributed computing projects like Einstein@Home, which has led to significant discoveries in gravitational wave astronomy. His recent publications demonstrate expertise in pulsar timing arrays, Hellings-Downs correlation analysis, and optimization of computational methods for gravitational wave detection. Allen's scientific contributions have been recognized with numerous prestigious awards including the Richard A. Isaacson Award (2020), the Bruno Rossi Prize (2017), the Princess of Asturias Award (2017), and the Special Breakthrough Prize (2016), all shared with the LIGO team for groundbreaking gravitational wave discoveries. He is also an Elected Fellow of both the American Physical Society and the Institute of Physics, UK. As a research leader, Allen has secured approximately $10 million in research funding from the National Science Foundation (1987-2018) and has mentored numerous students and researchers in gravitational physics. His work on Einstein@Home has engaged the public in scientific discovery through distributed computing, leading to several important astrophysical findings including gamma-ray pulsar discoveries.
Prof. Dr. Estela Suarez is a Professor of High Performance Computing at the Institute for Computer Science, University of Bonn (W2 in the Jülich Model) and Joint Lead of the Division "Novel System Architecture Design" at the Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH. She also leads the Research Group "Next Generation Architectures and Prototypes" at JSC and serves as Spokesperson of Helmholtz Information Program 1, Topic 2. Currently on sabbatical during the 2024/2025 and 2025 academic years, she remains active in research leadership roles. 2010: PhD in Physics from University of Geneva, Switzerland 2004: Master in Physics, Specialization in Astrophysics, University Complutense of Madrid, Spain Professor Suarez specializes in high performance computing with particular expertise in heterogeneous HPC system architectures and modular supercomputing architecture (MSA). Her research spans hardware prototyping and evaluation, system software development, operational data analysis, and co-design methodologies. She has pioneered approaches to address hardware heterogeneity through system-wide orchestration of diverse computing resources, enabling more efficient scientific computing across multiple domains. Her work bridges theoretical computer architecture with practical implementation challenges in exascale computing environments, focusing on real-world applications that require specialized hardware configurations. Professor Suarez's publication record shows a clear evolution from foundational work on the DEEP project (2016) through the development of modular supercomputing concepts (2019-2021) to current applications across diverse scientific domains (2022-2024). Her recent publications demonstrate how modular architectures can be effectively applied to climate modeling, neuroscience simulations, quantum chemistry calculations, and other computationally intensive fields. This trend highlights her focus on practical implementation challenges and the growing importance of adaptable computing architectures in modern scientific research. 2023/2024 Lehrpreis der Universität Bonn: UniBonn teaching award Professor Suarez has secured significant research funding through major projects including NUMERIQS (Projects A05, B02, and Z02), European Processor Initiative (EPI), DEEP-SEA (Software for Exascale Architectures), IFCES2 (optimization of simulation algorithms for exascale supercomputers), and AIDAS (virtual laboratory between Forschungszentrum Jülich and CEA on AI and data analytics). While currently not accepting new students due to sabbatical, she has previously mentored graduate students in high performance computing techniques and has delivered numerous invited lectures at international conferences. Professor Suarez leads the "Next Generation Architectures and Prototypes" research group at JSC and serves as Joint Lead of the "Novel System Architecture Design" division. She chairs the Research and Innovation Advisory Group (RIAG) from EuroHPC Joint Undertaking since 2024. Her work involves close collaboration with international research teams on advancing supercomputing architectures, including contributions to the University of Bonn's new HPC system "Marvin" which ranks on both the TOP500 and GREEN500 lists.
Max Planck Institute for Gravitational PhysicsGermany
Harald Pfeiffer is a Professor at the University of Potsdam and Group Leader in the Astrophysical and Cosmological Relativity department at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute) in Potsdam. His research focuses on numerical relativity and gravitational wave astrophysics, particularly simulations of black hole and neutron star mergers to interpret observations from detectors like LIGO and Virgo. He holds a PhD from Cornell University and has held academic roles at the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics (2009–2017). Notably, he was elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society in 2023 for his contributions to numerical relativity. His expertise includes developing computational tools to solve Einstein’s equations on supercomputers and analyzing gravitational wave data. Key interests include understanding spacetime behavior during mergers, improving waveform models, and preparing for future detectors like LISA. He collaborates extensively with international initiatives such as the LIGO Scientific Collaboration. Selected Awards: Fellow of the American Physical Society (2023) Research and Grants: His work bridges theoretical advances and observational data, contributing to waveform catalogs and detector sensitivity improvements. He leads a team advancing numerical relativity techniques for next-generation gravitational wave astronomy. Labs/Teams: Leads the Astrophysical and Cosmological Relativity group at the Max Planck Institute, fostering interdisciplinary research in gravitational wave science.
Rupert Klein is a Professor at Freie Universität Berlin in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science , specializing in Geophysical Fluid Dynamics . His research spans atmospheric dynamics, numerical methods, and gas dynamics of combustion. Research Interests : Geophysical Fluid Dynamics and Atmospheric Modeling Multiscale Asymptotic Analysis Wave Propagation and Turbulence Combustion and Pressure Gain Combustion Climate Dynamics and Data Assimilation Scientific Awards : DRS Award for Excellent Supervision (2014) ECMWF Fellowship (renewed 2017) His recent work includes multiscale models for atmospheric flows, vortex dynamics, and combustion processes. Key collaborations involve DFG SPP 1276, CRC 1029 (TurbIn), and CRC 1114 (SCCS) projects. He contributes to numerical methods for low-Mach-number flows and geophysical simulations.
Prof. Florian Zaussinger is a faculty member at the Faculty of Applied Computer and Life Sciences at Mittweida University of Applied Sciences. His research focuses on thermal convection, fluid dynamics, and numerical simulations in both geophysical and astrophysical contexts. He has contributed extensively to studies on microgravity experiments, including the GeoFlow and AtmoFlow projects conducted on the International Space Station (ISS). University: Mittweida University of Applied Sciences Faculty: Applied Computer and Life Sciences Department: Mathematics Contact: +49 3727 58-1381 | florian.zaussinger@hs-mittweida.de | Building 6, Room 6-131 His research involves advanced numerical modeling of complex fluid systems, including spherical convection, dielectric heating, and double-diffusive processes. He has developed and applied computational tools like the ANTARES code to simulate convection in DA white dwarfs, planetary atmospheres, and Earth's mantle. His work bridges theoretical fluid mechanics with experimental validation in space-based microgravity environments. Recent publications highlight his expertise in thermo-electrohydrodynamic convection, planetary fluid flow analysis, and microgravity-induced instabilities. While the scraped data does not list scientific awards or students directly, his academic profile emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration with engineering and life sciences, particularly in applied mathematics for fluid dynamics and experimental data processing.
Max Planck Institute for Gravitational PhysicsGermany
Prof. Masaru Shibata is a leading figure in computational relativistic astrophysics, currently serving as Director at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute) since 2018 and Professor at Kyoto University's Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics since 2009. His career spans multiple prestigious institutions including University of Tokyo and Osaka University. PhD in Physics, Kyoto University (1994) Graduate studies in Physics, Kyoto University (1989-1993) Undergraduate in Science, Tokyo Institute of Technology (1985-1989) As a Professor with primary focus on Relativistic Astrophysics , Shibata's research investigates gravitational wave sources , neutron star mergers , black hole formation , and multimessenger astrophysics . His work combines general relativistic simulations , magnetohydrodynamic modeling , and neutrino radiation studies to understand high-energy cosmic phenomena. Recent publications (2024-2025) demonstrate expertise in supermassive star collapse , binary neutron star merger dynamics , and black hole-torus systems . These studies employ advanced numerical relativity techniques with applications to gravitational wave astronomy and gamma-ray burst modeling . 2025 Japan's Medal of Honor (Shiju-houshou) 2018 Nishina Memorial Prize 2013 International Society of General Relativity and Gravitation Fellow 2010 JSAP Excellent Young Researchers Prize 2008 Physical Society of Japan Outstanding Paper Award 2003 Nishinomiya-Yukawa Memorial Prize Shibata contributes to both theoretical frameworks and computational methodology in relativistic astrophysics, maintaining active collaborations with international research teams while leading computational projects at his dual institutions.
Kai Schmitz is a theoretical physicist affiliated with the University of Münster, specializing in the intersection of particle physics and cosmology. His research focuses on understanding fundamental aspects of the early universe, dark matter, and gravitational phenomena through theoretical frameworks. His primary research interests include: Cosmological implications of particle physics models Axion physics and its role in dark matter and inflation Gravitational wave signatures from cosmological phase transitions Leptogenesis and baryon asymmetry of the universe Neutrino physics and its cosmological implications Analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong focus on connecting theoretical particle physics with observable cosmological phenomena. His work often explores how physics beyond the Standard Model could leave detectable imprints in gravitational wave experiments like LISA and pulsar timing arrays. He has made significant contributions to understanding how axion physics could explain dark matter and baryon asymmetry, and how cosmic strings might produce detectable gravitational wave signals. Dr. Schmitz has received recognition through numerous publications in high-impact journals including: Journal of High Energy Physics Physical Review Letters Physical Review D Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics His collaborative work extends across international boundaries, with contributions to major projects like the LISA Cosmology Working Group and the International Pulsar Timing Array Collaboration. His research bridges theoretical developments with potential observational tests, positioning him at the forefront of modern theoretical cosmology.
Michael Bronstein is a Professor at Università della Svizzera italiana (USI Lugano) in Switzerland and Imperial College London in the UK, where he holds the Chair in Machine Learning and Pattern Recognition. He serves as Head of Graph Learning Research at Twitter following the acquisition of his startup Fabula AI, and maintains a principal engineer position at Intel Perceptual Computing. His research focuses on the interplay between geometry, machine learning, and computer vision, with particular emphasis on non-Euclidean structured data. Professor Bronstein received his Ph.D. with distinction in Computer Science from the Technion in 2007. He has held visiting appointments at Stanford University, MIT, Harvard University (as a Radcliffe Fellow), and Tel Aviv University, and has been affiliated with multiple Institutes for Advanced Study including TUM-IAS where he was a Rudolf Diesel Industry Fellow (2017). He is a Fellow of IAPR, Senior Member of the IEEE, and a member of the Young Academy of Europe. His research program centers on theoretical and computational methods in spectral and metric geometry applied to computer vision, pattern recognition, and machine learning. He pioneered the field of geometric deep learning, developing novel neural network architectures that process non-Euclidean data structures like graphs and manifolds. His work spans from theoretical foundations to practical applications, with over 100 publications in top scientific journals and conferences, and has been featured in international media including CNN. Analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong trajectory in geometric deep learning with applications spanning computer vision, 3D shape analysis, social network analysis, and bioinformatics. His research consistently bridges theoretical innovation with real-world applications, developing novel neural architectures for processing complex data structures. The work demonstrates increasing interdisciplinary reach, connecting machine learning with fields from particle physics to molecular biology. Dalle Molle Prize (2018) Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award (2018) ERC Proof of Concept Grant (2018) Amazon AWS Machine Learning Research Award (2018) Fellow, International Association for Pattern Recognition (IAPR) Google Faculty Research Award (2017) Radcliffe fellowship, Harvard University (2017) Rudolf Diesel industrial fellowship, TU Munich (2017) ERC Consolidator Grant (2016) World Economic Forum Young Scientist (2014) Professor Bronstein has secured multiple ERC grants (Starting Grant 2012, Proof of Concept Grants 2016 and 2018, Consolidator Grant 2016) and has mentored numerous students who have contributed to over 30 granted patents. He has chaired more than a dozen conferences and workshops in his field and served as area chair at major computer vision conferences including ECCV 2016 and ICCV 2017. His research group at USI Lugano collaborates extensively with industry partners including Intel and Twitter. As a serial entrepreneur, Professor Bronstein co-founded Novafora (2005-2009) developing large-scale video analysis, Invision (2009-2012) which created low-cost 3D sensors and was acquired by Intel, and Fabula AI (2018-2019) focused on fake news detection which was acquired by Twitter. His work bridges theoretical research with commercial applications, with his technology contributing to Intel RealSense and Twitter's graph learning infrastructure.
Rhenish Friedrich Wilhelm University of BonnGermany
Cristiano Porciani is Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Bonn's Argelander Institute for Astronomy, specializing in cosmological structure formation and galaxy evolution. He leads a research group working on numerical simulations of large-scale structure and theoretical cosmology. His research focuses on dark matter distribution, galaxy bias, and cosmological parameter estimation using perturbation theory and high-performance computing. Recent work examines relativistic effects in large-scale structure and intensity mapping techniques. Publications show strong emphasis on Euclid mission science, including instrument characterization, survey simulations, and cosmological tests. Article trends reveal consistent development of statistical methods for analyzing next-generation sky surveys. Supervises 9 graduate students working on cosmological simulations, galaxy clustering statistics, and radiative transfer modeling. Leads research projects within the Euclid Consortium and Transregional Collaborative Research Centre.
Max Planck Institute for Gravitational PhysicsGermany
Dr. Félix-Louis Julié is a Senior Scientist and Leibniz Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute) in Potsdam, Germany, within the Astrophysical and Cosmological Relativity division. His research is dedicated to testing gravity in the strong-field regime, with a focus on the motion and gravitational radiation of compact binary systems in modified gravity theories. Education: PhD in Theoretical Physics (2018), “On the motion and gravitational radiation of binary systems in scalar-tensor and Einstein-Maxwell-dilaton theories” , supervised by Nathalie Deruelle at APC laboratory, Paris. MS in Theoretical Physics (2014), École Normale Supérieure (ENS), Paris. BS in Theoretical Physics (2012), École Normale Supérieure (ENS), Paris. Research Focus: Dr. Julié's work centers on advancing the understanding of gravity beyond General Relativity. He has generalized the effective-one-body (EOB) formalism to modified gravities, developed post-Newtonian descriptions of “hairy” binary black holes, and established the first law of black hole thermodynamics for such systems. Recently, he has extended the ADM formalism to guide future numerical relativity simulations in modified gravity contexts. His primary theoretical frameworks include scalar-tensor models, Einstein-Maxwell-dilaton, and Einstein-scalar-Gauss-Bonnet extensions. Career Timeline: Postdoctoral Fellow, Johns Hopkins University (2018–2021), member of Emanuele Berti’s group. Postdoctoral Fellow, Albert Einstein Institute (2021–present), Astrophysical and Cosmological Relativity division. Leibniz Fellow, Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (ongoing). Contact: Email: felix-louis.julie@aei.mpg.de Phone: +49 331 567-7194 Address: Am Mühlenberg 1, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
Dr. Olfa Lopez-D’Angelo is a researcher at the Department of Multiscale Simulation of Particulate Systems at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg. Her research focuses on granular rheology, additive manufacturing for space applications, and the behavior of materials under microgravity conditions. She leads the Rheologie granularer Materialien unter Weltraumbedingungen project (2023–2026), funded by the German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK). Her work bridges theoretical physics, experimental engineering, and space technology. Key research interests include granular fluid dynamics, powder-based manufacturing processes in low-gravity environments, and the structural analysis of metamaterials. She has contributed to pioneering studies on acoustically propelled macroparticles and granular piston-probing in microgravity. Her interdisciplinary approach is evident in collaborations with institutions like ESA and DLR, as well as her involvement in projects such as the VIP-DROP2 module for droplet dynamics experiments. Awards: Granular Matter Gordon Research Conference Poster Prize (2022) ELGRA Research Prize (2021) Fly Your Thesis! 2019 (2018) ESA Networking/Partnering Initiative Fellowship (2017) Dr. Lopez-D’Angelo actively disseminates her work through international conferences (e.g., DPG, IAC) and public engagement initiatives, including the podcast Talk That Science . Her research emphasizes practical applications in space exploration, such as in-situ resource utilization and advanced manufacturing systems for extraterrestrial environments.
