Two new lecturers appointed to the Department

Tuesday 20th October, 2015

We are pleased to welcome Dr Elke Roediger and Dr Marco Pignatari as new lecturers to the Department of Physics and Mathematics and researchers in the E.A. Milne Centre for Astrophysics.

Elke joined the Department in September as a lecturer for astrophysics. Elke completed her PhD in 2005 at the University of Kiel in Germany, and worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Jacobs University in Bremen and at the Hamburg Observatory. Elke also held Visiting Scientist Fellowships at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, USA.

Elke’s research focuses on clusters of galaxies. By connecting state-of-the-art numerical simulations and deep and high-resolution observations, her work addresses the growth of clusters, the evolution of cluster galaxies, and plasma physics of the hot cluster gas.

Elke’s expertise in galaxy cluster physics complements the expertise of other members of the Milne Centre in star formation, astro-chemistry, and observations. The assembly of this strong team at the Milne Centre will study the formation of structure in the Universe on large and small scales.

Marco joins the Department in January. After completing his PhD in Astrophysics at the University of Torino (Italy) in 2006, as a postdoctoral researcher Marco worked in different countries, including the University of Keele (UK), University of Victoria (Canada), University of Basel (Switzerland) and the MTA Konkoly Observatory (Hungary).

Marco’s main research interests are stellar evolution and production of elements for different types of stars. Working at the intersection between different disciplines, from astrophysics to astronomy, nuclear physics and cosmochemistry, Marco’s research addresses in the first instance the fundamental question of how elements form in our Galaxy and in the Universe.

Marco and colleagues at the Milne Centre will continue to explore the mysteries of stars, using advanced theoretical stellar models and astrophysics simulations to study the chemical abundances in our solar system, the stars in our Galaxy and further away.