Brian Metzger

Brian Metzger is a Professor in the Department of Physics at Columbia University and a Senior Research Scientist at the Center for Computational Astrophysics within the Flatiron Institute.

• Education: PhD in Physics and Astronomy from UC Berkeley (supervised by Eliot Quataert)

His research spans theoretical astrophysics, focusing on high energy and stellar astrophysics, transient phenomena, and gravitational wave astronomy. He pioneered predictions for kilonova emission from binary neutron star mergers and explores the connection between gravitational wave detections and electromagnetic signatures.

Key contributions include the first realistic kilonova light curve models (2010), which link heavy element synthesis (e.g., gold, platinum) to observable phenomena. His work bridges nuclear physics, radiative transfer, and multi-messenger astronomy.

• Scientific Awards:
  • Dissertation Prize (HEAD/AAS)
  • Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow (2014)
  • Blavatnik National Awards Finalist (2018)

He advises graduate students and mentors postdocs like former Einstein Fellows Nicholas Stone (UW-Madison) and Daniel Siegel (University of Göttingen). His research group collaborates extensively with institutions such as Columbia's THEA Group and the Simons Foundation.