Manel Errando

Manel Errando is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics at Washington University in St. Louis. He serves as Director of Undergraduate Studies in Physics and leads research in high-energy astrophysics, focusing on black holes and active galactic nuclei using X-ray and gamma-ray telescopes. His work includes developing space instrumentation for future satellite missions and applying advanced data analysis techniques to astrophysical problems.

Education: PhD in Physics from Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (2009). Prior to his current role, he held positions as Lecturer (2017–2019), Research Scientist (2015–2017), and Postdoctoral Fellow at Columbia University (2009–2015). He also served as a Teaching Assistant at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (2004–2009).

Research interests span relativistic jets, X-ray polarization studies, and novel instrumentation such as CubeSAT-based gamma-ray spectrometers and electroactive polymer actuators for X-ray optics. His team collaborates with facilities like VERITAS, IXPE, and the Cherenkov Telescope Array.

Awards include the 2019 ArtSci Council Excellence in Teaching Award and the 2018 NASA Nancy Grace Roman Technology Fellowship. His students have presented groundbreaking work on topics like infrared-X-ray cross-matching and gamma-ray spectrometer optimization.

Lab and Team: The group focuses on instrumentation development (e.g., XL-Calibur balloon missions) and multi-messenger astrophysics, with ongoing projects funded by NASA and other agencies. Recent collaborations include studies of blazar flares, pulsar halos, and cosmic-ray acceleration mechanisms.