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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
Ingrid Pelisoli
(URF Fellow)
Ingrid.Pelisoli@warwick.ac.uk
  • Extremely low-mass white dwarfs
  • Compact binary systems
  • Hot subdwarfs
  • Photometrically variable systems
 

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

Andy Buchan
(research fellow)
Andy.Buchan@warwick.ac.uk
  • Planetary systems around white dwarfs
  • Exogeology
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
 
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
 
Rafael Martínez-Brunner
(PhD student)
Rafael.Martinez@warwick.ac.uk    

Ethan Moorfield
(MSc student)

Ethan.Moorfield@warwick.ac.uk    
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
Emily Roberts
(PhD student)
Emily.Roberts.1@warwick.ac.uk
  • Local white dwarf population
  • Star formation histories
  • Stellar evolution
Anwesha Sahu
(PhD student)
Anwesha.Sahu@warwick.ac.uk
  • AM CVn stars
  • Radio astronomy with VLA
  • Accretion and outflows in extreme environments
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