A computational astrophysicist specialising in 3D simulations to explore the role of magnetic fields related to supernovae has been awarded an RAS Research Fellowship.
Dr Vishnu Varma, a postdoctoral Research Associate at Keele University, said he was "incredibly honoured".
"My recent work suggests that magnetic fields may play a broader role than previously thought in the evolution of massive stars and their spectacular explosions," he added.
"This opportunity will allow me to continue exploring the magnetic lives and deaths of these stars, helping us better understand the origins of the elements and the signals we detect from distant supernovae."
The RAS Research Fellowship provides post-doctoral funding for up to three years. It is offered to outstanding candidates to enable them to pursue research in the UK in the disciplines advanced by the RAS i.e. astronomy, solar system science, geophysics and closely-related branches of these sciences.
Applicants have to have a recognised PhD degree or equivalent obtained after 1 October three years before the start of the Fellowship.
Dr Varma completed his undergraduate degree at Queen Mary University of London and worked briefly as a software developer before pursuing a PhD at Monash University, where he completed his thesis titled “Multidimensional Modelling of Magnetic Fields in Core-Collapse Supernovae and Their Progenitors”.
ENDS
Media contacts
Sam Tonkin
Communications Officer
Royal Astronomical Society
Mob: +44 (0)7802 877 700
Images and captions
Caption: Dr Vishnu Varma, a postdoctoral Research Associate at Keele University, has been awarded the 2024 RAS Research Fellowship.
Credit: Dr Vishnu Varma
Notes for editors
About the Royal Astronomical Society
The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), founded in 1820, encourages and promotes the study of astronomy, solar-system science, geophysics and closely related branches of science.
The RAS organises scientific meetings, publishes international research and review journals, recognises outstanding achievements by the award of medals and prizes, maintains an extensive library, supports education through grants and outreach activities and represents UK astronomy nationally and internationally. Its more than 4,000 members (Fellows), a third based overseas, include scientific researchers in universities, observatories and laboratories as well as historians of astronomy and others.
The RAS accepts papers for its journals based on the principle of peer review, in which fellow experts on the editorial boards accept the paper as worth considering. The Society issues press releases based on a similar principle, but the organisations and scientists concerned have overall responsibility for their content.
Keep up with the RAS on Instagram, Bluesky, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.
Download the RAS Supermassive podcast