Francisco Duque

Dr. Francisco Duque is a Junior Scientist/Postdoc at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics in Potsdam, Germany, within the Astrophysical and Cosmological Relativity department. His research focuses on environmental effects in gravitational-wave astronomy, particularly how astrophysical environments like accretion disks and dark matter influence binary systems in galactic centers—critical for upcoming LISA mission analyses. He also explores black-hole perturbation theory, connecting binary coalescence 'ringdown' phases to light-ring dynamics for the Black-Hole Spectroscopy program.

Education:

• Bachelor's in Engineering Physics: Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon (Portugal)
• Master's in Theoretical Physics (Part III): University of Cambridge (2019-2020)
• Ph.D. in Environmental Effects in Gravitational-Wave Astronomy: CENTRA, Instituto Superior Técnico (supervised by Prof. Vitor Cardoso), completed August 2023

Research Interests: His work bridges astrophysical environments and gravitational-wave signals to enhance tests of General Relativity. He investigates how environmental factors could both challenge and enable precision astrophysics using LISA observations, while also advancing mathematical frameworks for black hole dynamics.

Affiliations: Currently based in Potsdam, Germany. Collaborates with global teams on LISA mission preparations and relativistic astrophysics.