Amanda Karakas

Amanda Karakas is a Professor at the School of Physics and Astronomy, Monash University. She is an affiliate member of the Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe at the University of Tokyo and has held visiting fellowships at institutions worldwide.

Research Interests: Her work focuses on the evolution and nucleosynthesis of low and intermediate-mass stars, the origin of elements in galaxies, and the production of heavy elements (heavier than iron) in the early Universe. This research bridges stellar evolution, nuclear fusion, and galactic chemical enrichment.

Grants & Projects: She leads or contributes to projects funded by the Australian Research Council (ARC), including the ARC Centre of Excellence for All Sky Astrophysics in 3 Dimensions (2017–2024) and studies on Milky Way chemical enrichment (2017–2020) and early Universe heavy elements (2012–2017). A current active project (2023–2026) explores planetary ingestion in stars.

Scientific Fellowships:

• Australian Research Council Postdoctoral Fellowship (2006)
• Stromlo Fellow at Australian National University
• ARC Future Fellow (6 years at ANU)
• Visiting Fellowships at Utrecht University, University of Chicago, and University of Texas at Austin

Collaborations & Affiliations: Amanda collaborates with the Kavli Institute (University of Tokyo), LUNA Collaboration (experimental nuclear astrophysics), and international institutions. Her work aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goal 4 (Quality Education) through academic contributions.