White dwarfs, planetary remnants and the local stellar population

We study white dwarfs and local stars from the newly defined Gaia sample, including close binary stars containing compact objects. We are particularly interested in the exotic physical processes that drive their evolution, both from observational and theoretical point of views. We also study evolved planetary systems including planets, rocky debris and discs around white dwarfs. We are partners in the four large spectroscopic surveys (DESI, SDSS-V, WEAVE, and 4MOST) and members of the group have contributed to the development and exploitation of the ULTRACAM and HiPERCAM high-speed photometer.

Research news, job opportunities and possible PhD projects are shared part of the main Astronomy and Astrophysics group webpages.

Academic Staff

Name	Email	Research Interests
Boris Gänsicke (professor, ERC Advanced Grant Fellow)	Boris.Gaensicke@warwick.ac.uk	Planetary systems around white dwarfs White dwarfs in binaries White dwarfs and their links to SNIa and gravitational waves Multi-object spectroscopic surveys
Danny Steeghs (professor)	D.T.H.Steeghs@warwick.ac.uk	Compact objects in binaries Accretion Time-domain techniques Gravitational wave astrophysics see also Transients and SDA
Pier-Emmanuel Tremblay (professor, ERC Consolidator Grant Fellow)	P-E.Tremblay@warwick.ac.uk	Stellar atmospheres Local stellar volume White dwarf evolution Multi-object spectroscopic surveys
Dimitri Veras (associate professor, STFC Ernest Rutherford Fellow)	Dimitri.Veras@colorado.edu	Planetary systems around white dwarfs Debris discs
Deanne Coppejans (assistant professor)	Deanne.Coppejans@warwick.ac.uk	Cataclysmic Variables X-ray Binaries Accretion see also Transients

Group Founder

Name	Email	Research Interests
Tom Marsh (professor)		Binary evolution High-speed CCD cameras White dwarfs Accretion

Research Staff

Name	Email	Research Interests
Antoine Bédard (NSERC research fellow)	Antoine.Bedard@warwick.ac.uk	Stellar evolution Element transport Stellar atmospheres Binary systems
Paul Chote (assistant professor)	P.Chote@warwick.ac.uk	Time-domain astronomy Pulsating white dwarfs Robotic telescopes see also SDA
Keith Inight (research fellow)	Keith.Inight@warwick.ac.uk	White dwarf binaries Local stellar population Multi-object spectroscopic surveys
Paula Izquierdo (research fellow)	Paula.Izquierdo-Sanchez@warwick.ac.uk	Planetary systems around white dwarfs
Felipe Lagos Vilches (research fellow)	Felipe.Lagos-Vilches@warwick.ac.uk	Binary evolution Planets and discs around white dwarfs Hierarchical multiple systems Angular differential imaging
Christopher Manser (honorary research fellow)	cmanser@ic.ac.uk	Planetary systems around white dwarfs Debris discs DESI white dwarf survey
Ingrid Pelisoli (Warwick Prize fellow)	Ingrid.Pelisoli@warwick.ac.uk	Extremely low-mass white dwarfs Compact binary systems Hot subdwarfs Photometrically variable systems
Snehalata Sahu (research fellow)	Snehalata.Sahu@warwick.ac.uk	Planetary debris around white dwarfs Spectroscopic surveys (4MOST, HST) Exotic stars in Globular Clusters Ultraviolet spectroscopy and photometry
Andrew Swan (research fellow)	Andrew.Swan@warwick.ac.uk	white dwarf planetary systems debris discs

Postgraduate Students

Name	Email	Research Interests
Anna-Maria Cutolo (PhD student)	Anna-Maria.Cutolo@warwick.ac.uk	Planetary systems around white dwarfs
Abbigail Elms (PhD student)	Abbigail.Elms@warwick.ac.uk	Local stellar population Ultra-cool white dwarfs Stellar evolution
Matthew Hoskin (PhD student)	M.Hoskin@warwick.ac.uk	Planetary systems around white dwarfs WEAVE-White dwarf survey Habitability
James Munday (PhD student)	James.Munday@warwick.ac.uk	Compact binaries
Mairi O'Brien (PhD student)	Mairi.O-Brien@warwick.ac.uk	Local stellar population Gaia and spectroscopic surveys
Sergio Ramírez Ramírez (PhD student)	Sergio.Ramirez-Ramirez@warwick.ac.uk	Cataclysmic variables
Jamie Williams (PhD student)	Jamie.T.Williams@warwick.ac.uk	Planetary systems around white dwarfs

Past Group Members

Name	New position	Research Interests
Elena Cukanovaite (PhD student and research fellow)	Now in the private industry	White dwarf model atmospheres Convection Stellar formation histories
Tim Cunningham (PhD student and research fellow)	Now at Harvard Center for Astrophysics	3D radiation-hydrodynamics Accretion onto white dwarfs Evolved planetary systems
Thomas Killenstein (PhD student)	Now at University of Turku	Machine/deep learning for time-domain astronomy Multi-messenger observations of gravitational wave events Astrophysical transients
Catriona McDonald (PhD student)	Now at University of Cambridge	White dwarf pollution and debris Planetary system evolution Debris discs
Mark Hollands (PhD student and research fellow)	Now at University of Sheffield
Odette Toloza (PhD student and research fellow)	Now at Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María
Jack McCleery (PhD student)	Now in the private industry
Sabrina Outmani (PhD student)
Mathew Green (PhD student)	Now at Tel-Aviv University
Richard Ashley (PhD student)	Now at the Isaac Newton Group
Nicola Gentile Fusillo (PhD student and research fellow)	Now at University of Trieste
Louise Zhuqing Wang (PhD student)
David Wilson (PhD student and research fellow)	Now at University of Colorado Boulder
Anna Pala (PhD student and research fellow)	Now at ESA Madrid
Roberto Raddi (research fellow)	Now staff at the Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya, Barcelona
Elme Breedt (research fellow)	Now at the Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge
Stephan Geier (Marie Curie fellow)	Now professor at the University of Postdam
JJ Hermes (research fellow)	Now staff at Boston University
Madelon Bours (PhD student)
Penélope Longa Peña (PhD student)
Sandra Greiss (PhD student)
Silvia Catalan Ruiz (research fellow)
Philip Carter (PhD student)
Chris Copperwheat (research fellow)	Now staff at Liverpool John Moores University
Jonathan Girven (PhD student)
Stelios Pyrzas (PhD student)
Steven Parsons (PhD student)	Now staff at the University of Sheffield
Lieke van Spaandonk (PhD student)
John Southworth (aka Taylor) (research fellow)	Now staff at Keele University
Alberto Rebassa Mansergas (PhD student)	Now staff at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Barcelona