Star Clusters, Galactic Nuclei, Stellar Collisions & Mergers, Interacting Binaries
Image Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA
Research at CIERA
The centers of galaxies are complex environments whose properties are a result of the interactions between the massive black holes that reside there, vast clouds of gas, and dense populations of stars and stellar remnants.
Professor Rasio’s group studies numerical models of dense stellar environments such as nuclear star clusters.
Professor Larson’s group studies the interactions of single stars with massive black holes, a prospective LISA gravitational wave source class known as an EMRI (“extreme mass ratio inspiral”).
Professor Zadeh is an observer who studies stellar populations and physical processes in the Milky Way nucleus using observations across the electromagnetic spectrum.
Opportunities
Deadline: 11:59pm, November 10, 2024
Job Description The Department of Physics and Astronomy at Northwestern University invites applications for a full-time faculty position at the level of Associate or Full Professor in astrophysics. We will consider applicants with active research programs in any related subfield, including theory and computation, observational astronomy, and instrumentation. Strong candidates will complement and expand the
Deadline: 10:59pm, November 18, 2024
The Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA) at Northwestern University invites applications for CIERA Postdoctoral Fellowships. CIERA Fellows have the opportunity to pursue an independent research program and benefit from a diverse and dynamic intellectual environment.
Deadline: 11:59pm, November 18, 2024
Northwestern University expects to offer postdoctoral associate positions in observational astronomy and astrophysics starting in Fall 2025. These positions will be part of the Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA) at Northwestern. Successful applicants will benefit from interaction with a broad interdisciplinary group of researchers and will be immersed in a diverse and dynamic intellectual environment.
Deadline: 11:59pm, November 18, 2024
The Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA) at Northwestern University and the Adler Planetarium (Adler) are seeking candidates for a postdoctoral fellowship position, jointly-appointed between our two institutions. CIERA and the Adler are located 45 minutes from one another; in Evanston and Chicago, respectively.
Deadline: 11:59pm, November 18, 2024
Northwestern University is offering two postdoctoral associate positions in astrophysical fluid dynamics, one starting Jan 1, 2025, the other starting Fall 2025. The positions are part of a Simons Foundation grant on “Fundamental Fluid Processes in Climate, Stellar, and Planetary Modeling” and will be supervised by Prof. Daniel Lecoanet. The postdocs will study different problems related to waves in stellar interiors (e.g., wave-induced angular momentum transport, chemical mixing, nonlinear wave interactions), and will also be part of an interdisciplinary collaboration team studying similar problems with applications in planetary science, atmospheric science, and oceanography. Appointments will be for a two-year term, with the possibility to extend for a third year. The start dates are flexible.
Deadline: 11:59pm, December 6, 2024
The NSF-Simons National AI Institute for the Sky (SkAI Institute) invites applications for SkAI Prize Postdoctoral Fellowships. Spurred by the coming generation of large sky surveys, the newly founded SkAI Institute will bring together astrophysics and AI researchers to advance both fields through cross-disciplinary collaboration and will serve as a nexus for the further
Deadline: 11:59pm, December 6, 2024
The NSF-Simons National AI Institute for the Sky (SkAI Institute) invites applications for SkAI Postdoctoral Associates. Spurred by the coming generation of large sky surveys, the newly founded SkAI Institute will bring together astrophysics and AI researchers to advance both fields through cross-disciplinary collaboration and will serve as a nexus for the further development
Deadline: 11:59pm, December 31, 2025
CIERA supports a wide range of interdisciplinary projects focused on research, education, and public outreach in Astrophysics. Our faculty and postdocs work on projects that couple astronomy and astrophysics analysis with many other disciplines: computer science, applied math, planetary sciences, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, data science, science education, and more. Many have hired/mentored undergraduate researchers
News
Gallery
NGC 261 captured by Hubble
NGC 261 captured by Hubble
NGC 261 blooms a brilliant ruby red against a myriad of stars in this new image from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. Discovered on Sept. 5, 1826 by Scottish astronomer James Dunlop, this nebula is located in one of the Milky Way’s closest galactic companions, the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). The ionized gas blazing from within this
NASA, ESA, and L. C. Johnson (Northwestern University); Image Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)
- Science
Aurora in Chicago
Aurora in Chicago
Between May 10 – 14, 2024 a series of powerful solar storms led to the production of visible aurorae far further towards the equator than normal. This photo was taken by CIERA Postdoctoral Fellow Sharan Banagiri. Banagiri captured this photo between 9 and 10PM on May 10 at Hollywood Beach in Edgewater, Chicago, Illinois, featuring
Sharan Banagiri/CIERA/Northwestern
- Science
Aurora in Chicago
Aurora in Chicago
Between May 10 – 14, 2024 a series of powerful solar storms led to the production of visible aurorae far further towards the equator than normal. This photo was taken by CIERA Postdoctoral Fellow Sharan Banagiri. Banagiri captured this photo between 9 and 10PM on May 10 at Hollywood Beach in Edgewater, Chicago, Illinois. When
Sharan Banagiri/CIERA/Northwestern
- Science
Aurora in Chicago
Aurora in Chicago
Between May 10 – 14, 2024 a series of powerful solar storms led to the production of visible aurorae far further towards the equator than normal. This photo was taken by CIERA Postdoctoral Fellow Sharan Banagiri. Banagiri captured this photo between 9 and 10PM on May 10 at Hollywood Beach in Edgewater, Chicago, Illinois. When
Sharan Banagiri/CIERA/Northwestern
- Science
Aurora in Chicago
Aurora in Chicago
Between May 10 – 14, 2024 a series of powerful solar storms led to the production of visible aurorae far further towards the equator than normal. This photo was taken by CIERA Postdoctoral Fellow Sharan Banagiri. Banagiri captured this photo between 9 and 10PM on May 10 at Hollywood Beach in Edgewater, Chicago, Illinois. When
Sharan Banagiri/CIERA/Northwestern
- Science
Solar Active Region 3664
Solar Active Region 3664
Between May 10 – 14, 2024 a series of powerful solar storms led to the production of visible aurorae far further towards the equator than normal. This photo was taken by CIERA graduate student Imran Sultan, amateur astrophotographer and member of Professor Claude-André Faucher-Giguère‘s research group. Sultan took this photo on May 10 in Evanston.
- Science
People
Core Faculty
Vicky Kalogera
Daniel I. Linzer Distinguished University Professor, Director of CIERA
External Faculty
Diego Muñoz
Assistant Professor, Northern Arizona University
Postdocs
Graduate Students
NU SkAI Personnel
Vicky Kalogera
Daniel I. Linzer Distinguished University Professor, Director of CIERA