Thomas Haworth

Dr. Thomas Haworth is a Reader in Astrophysics and Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellow at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), affiliated with the School of Physical and Chemical Sciences and the Centre for Fundamental Physics. He serves as Admissions Lead for the MSc Astrophysics program. His research focuses on radiative transfer and hydrodynamics in star and planet formation, particularly the impact of radiation environments on protoplanetary disks and planet populations. Funded by the Royal Society and ERC grants, his work also explores astrobiology, including exoplanet photosynthesis. He leads the FRIED ERC project investigating planet-forming disks in extreme UV environments.

• Education:
• PhD in Astrophysics, University of Exeter (2014)
• Postdoctoral Researcher, Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge (2014–2016)
• Imperial College Junior Research Fellow (2016–2019)

Research Interests: Planet formation, star formation, radiative transfer, hydrodynamics, protoplanetary disks, astrobiology (exoplanet photosynthesis), and external photoevaporation mechanisms. Collaborations include the Eos UV telescope concept and SBBS/DERI astrobiology projects.

Recent Grants/Awards:

• ERC Consolidator Grant (€2M FRIED project, 2023)
• Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship (2019–present)

Students/Advising:

• Supervised PhD students: Lin Qiao, Sébastien Paine, Giulia Ballabio
• Co-supervised researchers: Samir Chitnavis, Callum Gray
• Summer students via RAS programs: Ifigeneia Rousouli, Grégoire Canchon, etc.

Labs/Teams: Leads the FRIED research group and collaborates across astrophysics and astrobiology domains.