Wenbin Lu

Wenbin Lu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Astronomy at the University of California Berkeley, where he conducts theoretical research on high-energy transient phenomena. He is also affiliated with the Theoretical Astrophysics Center at UC Berkeley.

• PhD in Astronomy, University of Texas at Austin (2018)
• Bachelor in Physics, Peking University (2013)

Professor Lu specializes in extreme astrophysical events that serve as natural laboratories for studying physics under conditions of high energy density, strong gravity, and intense magnetic fields. His work integrates multiple physical domains including plasma physics, relativistic hydrodynamics, radiative transfer, and stellar dynamics. He maintains active collaborations with researchers worldwide and encourages student involvement in his projects.

Analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong focus on tidal disruption events and fast radio bursts, with increasing emphasis on multi-messenger approaches and theoretical modeling of observational data from facilities like JWST, Chandra, and radio telescopes. His work demonstrates consistent theoretical innovation in explaining complex transient phenomena.

• Burke Fellow at Caltech (2018-2021)
• Lyman Spitzer Fellow at Princeton University (2021-2022)

Professor Lu actively mentors students and postdocs, with many projects originating from discussions with junior researchers. He teaches courses in Radiation and Stars at UC Berkeley. His research is supported by multiple grants that enable computational modeling and observational collaborations across various wavelengths.

His theoretical work often involves complex numerical simulations of astrophysical phenomena, particularly focusing on the hydrodynamic evolution of stellar debris in tidal disruption events and plasma processes in fast radio burst emission mechanisms.