Saskia Hekker

Saskia Hekker is a Professor of Theoretical Astrophysics at Heidelberg University's Center for Astronomy (ZAH), specifically at the Landessternwarte Königstuhl (LSW) observatory. Since September 2020, she has also served as Group Leader for the Theory and Observations of Stars (TOS) at the Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies (HITS). Her academic journey includes significant positions at the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Göttingen (2014-2020), where she led an independent research group, and earlier postdoctoral positions at the University of Amsterdam, University of Birmingham, and Royal Observatory of Belgium.

Dr. Hekker's research focuses on asteroseismology, stellar evolution, and the internal structures of stars, particularly solar-like oscillators and red giants. Her work bridges theoretical modeling with observational data to understand stellar interiors and evolutionary processes. She has made significant contributions to understanding mixed modes in red giants, stellar rotation, and the application of asteroseismology to determine stellar ages and evolutionary status. Her research often involves large-scale missions like Kepler and PLATO, as evidenced by her numerous publications in high-impact journals.

Her recent publications (2024-2025) reveal a strong focus on asteroseismic analysis of red giants, stellar rotation, magnetic effects on stellar oscillations, and the development of methods for asteroseismic modeling. Her work frequently appears in Astronomy & Astrophysics, The Astrophysical Journal, and Nature Astronomy, demonstrating her leadership in applying asteroseismology to solve fundamental questions about stellar structure and evolution.

• ERC Consolidator Grant (2020-2026) for project 'DipolarSound'
• Merac prize for observational astrophysics (2015)
• ERC starting Grant (2013)
• Veni fellowship from Dutch National Funding Agency (2010)
• Multiple poster prizes at international conferences

Dr. Hekker leads the Theory and Observations of Stars group at HITS, which focuses on developing and applying asteroseismic techniques to study stellar structure and evolution. Her team works closely with data from space missions like Kepler and PLATO, contributing to major catalogs like APOKASC-3. Her ERC Consolidator Grant 'DipolarSound' (2021-2026) supports research into the coupling of mixed oscillation modes in red giants, which has implications for understanding angular momentum transport in stellar interiors.