Professional Appointments
Jan 2025 – present
Assistant Professor, Dartmouth College, USA
Department of Physics and Astronomy. Lead of the Extreme Plasmas around Compact Objects (EPaCO) group.
I lead the EPaCO group, which combines plasma theory with first-principles simulations of neutron star and black hole environments. My research brings strong-field QED into kinetic models of magnetar magnetospheres and uses radio transients such as fast radio bursts as probes of the plasma that emits them. I co-develop the open-source GPU particle-in-cell code Entity and am committed to AI-forward teaching and inclusive, collaborative research communities.
Computing: Active participation in developing exascale scientific codes (particle-in-cell, force-free and multi-fluid electrodynamics). Co-developer of the GPU-accelerated particle-in-cell code Entity. Supervising large-scale simulations on Perlmutter (NERSC), Frontier (ORNL), Frontera (TACC), Pleiades (NASA), and MareNostrum (RES).
Reviewing: Referee for Nature Astronomy, Nature Communications, ApJ, ApJL, MNRAS, Physical Review, Journal of Plasma Physics, Journal of High Energy Astrophysics, and Science Bulletin. Panel reviewer for several public science funding bodies in the US and abroad.
Service: Chair of the Physics & Astronomy Computing Committee. Member of the Strong-Field QED working group of the EXPAND COST Action. Selection committee member for the German Academic Scholarship Foundation (Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes, Oct 2026).
2025 – 2027
Visiting Professor and Fellow, Observatoire de Paris and Université PSL, France
Hosted by the Laboratoire d’Étude de l’Univers et des Phénomènes Extrêmes (LUX), Sorbonne Université. Teaching in the PSL master’s program.
Sep 2023 – Dec 2024
THEA Fellow, Columbia University, USA
Visiting scholar at the Department of Physics and Astronomy, Dartmouth College.
Theory and simulation of extreme astrophysical transients with force-free electrodynamics, particle-in-cell, and multi-fluid MHD methods. Topics included magnetar persistent emission, fast radio bursts, and magnetic dissipation in binary neutron stars, with implications for gamma-ray limits and radio precursors to gravitational wave signals.
Mentoring: Supervision of undergraduate and graduate research projects through to publication. Participation in postdoc application training sessions for graduate students.
Sep 2020 – Aug 2023
Postdoctoral Research Associate, Princeton University, USA
Visiting researcher at the Center for Computational Astrophysics, Flatiron Institute, Simons Foundation.
Service: Organizer of the Princeton Astroplasmas seminar for two consecutive years. Co-organizer of a PCTS/PGI workshop on next-generation plasma modeling (Apr 2023). Mentoring and supervision of undergraduate research projects.
Education
Sep 2016 – Aug 2020
Ph.D. in Physics (International Doctorate), Universitat de València, Spain
Thesis Dynamics in the Magnetospheres of Compact Objects, supervised by Miguel A. Aloy and Pablo Cerdá-Durán (Cum Laude). Fellow of the German Academic Scholarship Foundation. Collaboration with Amir Levinson at Tel Aviv University.
Oct 2011 – Aug 2016
B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Physics, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Germany
Focus on theoretical and computational astrophysics (GPA 3.9 with honors). Master’s thesis Alternate Polarity Perturbations to the Blandford/Znajek Process, supervised by Miguel A. Aloy at the Universitat de València (grade A). Exchange semester at Purdue University, USA (Fall 2014), with a focus on astrophysics and elementary particles. Bachelor’s thesis Definition and Comparison of Quasilocal Mass in General Relativity, supervised by Domenico Giulini (GPA 3.9).
Grants and Awards
Sep 2025 – Aug 2028
Research grant (PI), National Science Foundation, USA
AAG grant AST-2508744, Plasma Dynamics in Radiation-Rich Magnetar Magnetospheres: Implications for Multi-Wavelength Emission.
2026
NERSC ERCAP allocation (PI), Perlmutter (NERSC), USA
Kinetic Modeling of Plasma Microphysics in Astrophysical Radio Transients (3K node-hours).
2026
DOE INCITE allocation (Co-PI), Frontier (ORNL), USA
Extreme Plasmas at the Spacetime Frontier: Kinetic Effects in Black Hole Accretion (3M GPU node-hours).
2024 – 2025
Director’s Discretionary Award, Frontier (ORNL), USA
Leadership computing access for the Entity code (10K node-hours).
2023 – 2026
Research grant (collaborator), National Science Foundation, USA
CSSI grant 2311800 for portability updates to the GPU-accelerated particle-in-cell code Entity.
Sep 2025 – Aug 2028
Research grant (PI), National Science Foundation, USA
AAG grant AST-2508744, Plasma Dynamics in Radiation-Rich Magnetar Magnetospheres: Implications for Multi-Wavelength Emission.
2026
NERSC ERCAP allocation (PI), Perlmutter (NERSC), USA
Kinetic Modeling of Plasma Microphysics in Astrophysical Radio Transients (3K node-hours).
2026
DOE INCITE allocation (Co-PI), Frontier (ORNL), USA
Extreme Plasmas at the Spacetime Frontier: Kinetic Effects in Black Hole Accretion (3M GPU node-hours).
2024 – 2025
Director’s Discretionary Award, Frontier (ORNL), USA
Leadership computing access for the Entity code (10K node-hours).
2023 – 2026
Research grant (collaborator), National Science Foundation, USA
CSSI grant 2311800 for portability updates to the GPU-accelerated particle-in-cell code Entity.
2019 – 2023
Supercomputing allocation, MareNostrum4 (RES), Spain
18.8M CPU hours.
2016 – 2019
Ph.D. fellowship, Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes, Germany
Jul 2019
James B. Hartle Award, GR22 Conference, Valencia
Best student presentation.
Jul 2019
Young Researcher Invitation, Nobel Laureate Meeting, Lindau
Nominated and funded by the Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes.
Nov 2016
Distinction of excellence, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Germany
2014 – 2016
Graduate fellowship, Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes, Germany
Including funding of a semester at Purdue University, USA.
2010 – 2014
Undergraduate fellowship, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS), Germany
Scholar of the KAS and speaker of the Hannover group of KAS scholars.
Teaching
Fall 2026
Observatoire de Paris, Meudon (PSL), France
Guest lecture on high-performance computing (20 students).
Fall 2026
Observatoire de Paris (PSL), France
Guest lecture on radiative processes, master’s level (10 students).
Summer 2026
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Dartmouth College, USA
PHYS 3: Introduction to General Physics (59 students).
Spring 2026
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Dartmouth College, USA
PHYS 115: Magnetohydrodynamics (10 students), newly designed course.
Winter 2026
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Dartmouth College, USA
PHYS 118: Computational Plasma Dynamics (6 graduate students), newly designed course.
Fall 2025
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Dartmouth College, USA
PHYS 3: Introduction to General Physics (120 students).
Fall 2026
Observatoire de Paris, Meudon (PSL), France
Guest lecture on high-performance computing (20 students).
Fall 2026
Observatoire de Paris (PSL), France
Guest lecture on radiative processes, master’s level (10 students).
Summer 2026
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Dartmouth College, USA
PHYS 3: Introduction to General Physics (59 students).
Spring 2026
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Dartmouth College, USA
PHYS 115: Magnetohydrodynamics (10 students), newly designed course.
Winter 2026
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Dartmouth College, USA
PHYS 118: Computational Plasma Dynamics (6 graduate students), newly designed course.
Fall 2025
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Dartmouth College, USA
PHYS 3: Introduction to General Physics (120 students).
Jun 2025
Relativistic Astrophysics Summer School, Caltech, USA
Three-hour introductory lecture on pulsar magnetospheres (75 students).
Spring 2025
Department of Physics and Astronomy, Dartmouth College, USA
ASTR 75: High-Energy Astrophysics (6 students), newly designed course.
Nov 2024
Department of Astronomy, Columbia University, USA
Undergraduate guest lecture (30 students): The Extreme Physics of Magnetars.
Oct 2023
Department of Astronomy, Columbia University, USA
Undergraduate guest lectures (30 students each): Fast Radio Bursts and The X-ray Universe.
Jul 2022
Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, USA
Lectures in the undergraduate summer program (20 students): fast radio bursts and finite volume methods.
2013 – 2016
Institute of Theoretical Physics, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Germany
Teaching assistant for analytical mechanics, special relativity, theoretical electrodynamics, quantum theory, and mathematical techniques.
2011
CJD Christophorusschule Elze, Germany
Mentoring of boarding students.
Outreach
Winter 2027
Student radio telescope club, Dartmouth College
Students build a small radio telescope, followed by the revival of the department radio dish (planned).
Sep 2026
Palais de la Découverte, Paris
Public lecture Éruptions de magnétars et feux d’artifice électromagnétiques in the series Les Sidérales, with planetarium session (50 participants).
Ongoing
YouTube channel @EPaCOAstro
More than 30 animations of astrophysical plasma processes.
2025
Public lecture, Dartmouth College
Organization of the public lecture Cosmic Discovery in the Bursting Radio Sky by Prof. Victoria Kaspi.
Mar 2025
Department feature, Dartmouth College
Dancing with the Neutron Stars: It’s Electric and Dynamic.
Jul 2022
Sky & Telescope, interview
Radio “Heartbeat” Teases Fast Radio Burst Origins.
Jul 2022
AAS Nova, featured article
Could Magnetic Reconnection Cause Fast Radio Bursts?
Sep 2021 – Jan 2022
Prison Teaching Initiative, Princeton University
Volunteer instructor for the STEP program of the New Jersey Department of Corrections.
Talks and Presentations
Oct 2026
IPAG, Université Grenoble Alpes, Invited seminar
Where Do Magnetar Hard X-rays Come From? Toward First-Principles Models of the Emitting Plasma
Sep 2026
CoCoNut Meeting, Southampton (UK), Contributed talk
When Force-Free MHD Breaks Down: Dissipation and Emission in Extreme Magnetospheres
Sep 2026
EXPAND COST Action, Scientific Priorities Workshop, Paris
Mar 2026
Long-Period Radio Transients Workshop, Columbia University, Flash talk
Linear Mode Conversion in Ultramagnetized Pair Plasmas
Feb 2026
iPIC3D Conference, KU Leuven, Invited talk
Next-Generation Realism in Extreme Astrophysical Plasma Simulations with Entity
Oct 2025
Boston University, Invited seminar
Next-Generation Realism in Extreme Astrophysical Plasma Simulations
Sep 2025
University of New Hampshire, Colloquium
Extreme Plasma Processes around Compact Objects
Oct 2026
IPAG, Université Grenoble Alpes, Invited seminar
Where Do Magnetar Hard X-rays Come From? Toward First-Principles Models of the Emitting Plasma
Sep 2026
CoCoNut Meeting, Southampton (UK), Contributed talk
When Force-Free MHD Breaks Down: Dissipation and Emission in Extreme Magnetospheres
Sep 2026
EXPAND COST Action, Scientific Priorities Workshop, Paris
Mar 2026
Long-Period Radio Transients Workshop, Columbia University, Flash talk
Linear Mode Conversion in Ultramagnetized Pair Plasmas
Feb 2026
iPIC3D Conference, KU Leuven, Invited talk
Next-Generation Realism in Extreme Astrophysical Plasma Simulations with Entity
Oct 2025
Boston University, Invited seminar
Next-Generation Realism in Extreme Astrophysical Plasma Simulations
Sep 2025
University of New Hampshire, Colloquium
Extreme Plasma Processes around Compact Objects
Jul – Aug 2025
KITP, UC Santa Barbara, Program participant
Three-week residence in the KITP program on extreme astrophysics and laboratory plasmas.
Jul 2025
FRB 2025 Conference, Participant
Observation-focused conference on fast radio bursts.
Jun 2025
New England Space Science Consortium, Contributed talk
Astrophysical Plasmas on the Exascale
Apr 2025
Dartmouth College, Journal club talk
Recent Observations of Radio Transients, from Stellar Binaries to FRBs
Apr 2025
CDHY Initiative, The Extreme Non-Thermal Universe, Invited talk
Extreme Plasma Processes around Compact Objects
Mar 2025
Perimeter Institute, Workshop, Invited talk
Modeling X-ray Emission in Radiation-Rich Magnetar Magnetospheres
Mar 2025
CITA, University of Toronto, Invited seminar
Extreme Plasma Processes around Compact Objects
Mar 2025
SIAM Conference, Mini-symposium, Invited talk
Astrophysical Plasmas on the Exascale
Feb 2025
SCEECS Annual Meeting, Flatiron Institute, Poster
Modeling X-ray Emission in Radiation-Rich Magnetar Magnetospheres
Feb 2025
Columbia University, Astrophysics Postdoc Colloquium, Invited talk
Extreme Plasma Processes around Compact Objects
Jan 2025
SCEECS Collaboration, Invited seminar
Electrodynamics and Dissipation in the Binary Magnetosphere of Pre-merger Neutron Stars
Oct 2024
APS Division of Plasma Physics Meeting, Contributed talk
Modeling X-ray Emission in Radiation-Rich Magnetar Magnetospheres
Sep 2024
MIAPbP Munich, High-Energy Plasma Workshop, Invited talk
Magnetospheric Interactions in Pre-merger Binary Neutron Stars
Sep 2024
MIAPbP Munich, High-Energy Plasma Workshop, Invited talk
The Plasma Supply of Magnetar Magnetospheres
Jun 2024
XMM-Newton Workshop, European Space Agency, Contributed talk
Numerical Study of X-ray Emission in the Radiation-Rich Environment of Magnetar Magnetospheres
May 2024
Purdue University, High-Energy Astroplasma Workshop, Invited talk
Radiation from Fundamental Plasma Processes in Relativistic Magnetospheres
Feb 2024
Columbia University, THEA Seminar, Invited talk
How Ultra-magnetized Kelvin-Helmholtz Drag Impacts Precursor Emission in Neutron Star Binaries
Feb 2024
Dartmouth College, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Colloquium
How Magnetars Erupt in Electromagnetic Fireworks
Feb 2024
Dartmouth College, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Invited talk
Fundamental Plasma Processes in the Extreme Magnetospheres of Binary Neutron Stars
Jan 2024
Flatiron Institute, Center for Computational Astrophysics, Invited talk
Ultra-magnetized Kelvin-Helmholtz Drag in Pulsar Binaries
Dec 2023
Tsinghua University, Beijing, Invited seminar
Electromagnetic Fireworks from Erupting Magnetars
Dec 2023
Texas Symposium 2023, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Contributed talk
Electromagnetic Fireworks from Erupting Magnetars
Oct 2023
HEPRO Meeting 2023, Institut d’Astrophysique de Paris, Contributed talk
Magnetar Eruptions and Electromagnetic Fireworks
Sep 2023
Flatiron Institute, Fast Radio Bursts II Workshop, Invited talk
Radio Emission from Reconnection
Apr 2023
Perimeter Institute, Strong Gravity Seminar, Invited talk
Magnetar Eruptions and Electromagnetic Fireworks
Apr 2023
Flatiron Institute, Center for Computational Astrophysics, Invited talk
Magnetar Eruptions and Electromagnetic Fireworks
Mar 2023
AAS High Energy Astrophysics Division (HEAD), Contributed talk
Magnetar Eruptions and Electromagnetic Fireworks
Mar 2023
Princeton University, Bahcall Lunch, Invited talk
Magnetar Eruptions and Electromagnetic Fireworks
Feb 2023
George Washington University, Invited talk
Magnetar Eruptions and Electromagnetic Fireworks
Dec 2022
University of Chicago, Invited talk
3D Dynamics of Magnetar Magnetospheres: Kinked Fluxtubes and Global Eruptions
Nov 2022
Institute for Advanced Study, Invited talk
3D Dynamics of Magnetar Magnetospheres: Kinked Fluxtubes and Global Eruptions
Oct 2022
IRCC-AFP Workshop 2022, Invited talk
3D Dynamics of Magnetar Magnetospheres: Kinked Fluxtubes and Global Eruptions
Oct 2022
University of Maryland, Department of Physics, Invited discussion
FRB Generation in the Outer Magnetar Magnetosphere
Oct 2022
APS Division of Plasma Physics Meeting, Contributed talk
3D Dynamics of Magnetar Magnetospheres: Kinked Fluxtubes and Global Eruptions
Jun 2022
European Astronomical Society Annual Meeting, Posters
Kinking Fluxtubes in the Magnetar Magnetosphere; Electromagnetic Fireworks: Fast Radio Bursts from Rapid Reconnection in the Compressed Magnetar Wind
Jun 2022
Universitat de València, Departamento de Astronomía y Astrofísica, Invited talk
Magnetar Eruptions and Electromagnetic Fireworks
Jun 2022
IPAG, Université Grenoble Alpes, Invited talk
Magnetar Eruptions and Electromagnetic Fireworks
May 2022
Purdue Workshop on Relativistic Plasma Astrophysics, Contributed talk
Electromagnetic Fireworks: Fast Radio Bursts from Rapid Reconnection in the Compressed Magnetar Wind
Apr 2022
Columbia University, THEA Seminar, Invited talk
Electromagnetic Fireworks: Fast Radio Bursts from Rapid Reconnection in the Compressed Magnetar Wind
Mar 2022
Institute for Advanced Study, Invited talk
Electromagnetic Fireworks: Fast Radio Bursts from Rapid Reconnection in the Compressed Magnetar Wind
Jan – Feb 2022
Flatiron Institute, Center for Computational Astrophysics, Invited lectures
Joint lecture series on magnetar phenomena with Yajie Yuan.
Dec 2021
Flatiron Institute, Center for Computational Astrophysics, Invited talk
Collisions of Relativistic Alfvén Waves: Sources of Weak Turbulence, Current Sheets, and Efficient Mode Conversion
Nov 2021
APS Division of Plasma Physics Meeting, Contributed talk
Collisions of Relativistic Alfvén Waves as Sources of Weak Turbulence, Current Sheets, and Efficient Mode Conversion
Sep 2021
Princeton University, Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Invited talk
Electromagnetic Fireworks: Fast Radio Bursts from Rapid Reconnection in the Compressed Magnetar Wind
Professional Development and Further Experience
Winter 2026
National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD)
Teaching Toolkit in the Age of AI.
Fall 2025
National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD)
Rethinking Your Research Funding.
May 2025
Dartmouth College
Designing Engaging Student Projects, project-based learning workshop.
Dec 2024
Dartmouth College
Course design institute for ASTR 75.
Dec 2024
Dartmouth College
Motivational interviewing certificate, including reflective listening.
Nov 2022
Center for Understanding Conflict
Conflict mediator certification: Working Creatively with Conflict, 40-hour mediation training with Gary Friedman.
Feb – Jul 2022
Cornell University
Certificate in Psychology of Leadership.
Jan – Mar 2015
The Boston Consulting Group, Düsseldorf
Internship as Visiting Associate, with a grant of the Fast-Forward program.
Jul – Dec 2010
Military service, German Federal Armed Forces, Hannover
Staff duty for the infrastructure division of northern Germany.
Languages
German
Native
English
Very good
TOEFL score 110.
Spanish
Very good
Instituto Cervantes, level C1 (2019).
French
Fluent
Course level B2+ (2018).
Chinese
Basic
Confucius Institute, HSK level 3 (2017/18).
Japanese
Basic
