Mariano Mendez

Prof. Mariano Mendez is a Professor in the Kapteyn Astronomical Institute at the University of Groningen. His research focuses on high-energy astrophysics, particularly black hole and neutron star systems. He holds key roles including Chair of the COSPAR Capacity Building Fellowship Program, Board Member of the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, and Director of the IAU Hands-on Workshops program. Prof. Mendez is also a science co-PI for the XIFU instrument on the European Space Agency's Athena mission.

His expertise includes X-ray binaries, accretion disk dynamics, and quasi-periodic oscillations. Recent work involves analyzing NICER and Insight-HXMT data to study black hole variability and jet-corona interactions in systems like Cygnus X-1 and GRS 1915+105. Collaborations span international projects like the Athena telescope and the Outflow Legacy Accretion Survey.

Prof. Mendez has supervised numerous observational and theoretical studies, contributing over 400 publications. His research bridges observational astronomy with theoretical modeling, emphasizing spectral-timing analysis and instrumental advancements.