Brad Barlow

Brad Barlow is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH), where he leads a research group focused on hot subluminous stars and their binary interactions. Previously, he held positions at High Point University (2013–2024), including roles as Associate Professor of Astrophysics, Director of Culp Planetarium, and Co-Director of the Natural Sciences Fellows Program.

Education:

• Ph.D., Physics, UNC-CH (2011)
• M.S., Physics, UNC-CH (2008)
• B.S., Physics, Mississippi State University (2006)
• Postdoctoral Researcher, Penn State University (2011–2013)

Research Interests: Barlow’s group studies hot subluminous stars (e.g., sdB, sdO/B, pre-ELMs) as products of binary evolution. Key areas include:

• Binary interactions (Roche lobe overflow, common envelope ejection)
• Gravitational wave sources and supernova progenitors
• Instrumentation development (low-cost spectrographs)
• Follow-up observations of transient surveys (e.g., LSST, TESS)

His work links astrophysical phenomena to exoplanet dynamics and gravitational wave physics.

Recent Research Trends: The 15 most recent articles focus on binary star dynamics, relativistic effects in light curves, pulsating stars, and discoveries of rare systems like AM CVn binaries and eclipsing white dwarf pairs. Collaborations span global institutions, emphasizing time-domain astronomy and spectroscopic surveys.

Grants & Awards:

• NC Space Grant (2024): Optical search for spider binaries
• Lead organizer of sdOB12 (2025), an international conference on hot subdwarfs

Labs & Teams: Directs a multidisciplinary group at UNC-CH, including undergraduates, graduates, and postdocs (e.g., Alekzander Kosakowski). The group uses facilities like SOAR telescope, Skynet, and Evryscope for data collection and analysis.