Astrophysics

The Department of Astrophysics is one of the departments of the Institute for Mathematics, Astrophysics and Particle Physics (IMAPP) at the Faculty of Science at Radboud University.

The vibrant and international department consists of 15 faculty, ∼15 postdocs and engineers, ∼30 PhD students, and ∼10 MSc students. The department highly values team science, a safe working environment, and broad connections with society.

The management team (MT) consists of one Head of Department, assisted by the Vice-Head of Department. Two management assistants support them. 

Head of Department: Jörg Hörandel
Vice-Head of Department: Marijke Haverkorn
Management assistants: Merijn Augustus and Sandra Wessels

The Department of Astrophysics is also part of the Dutch Research School for Astronomy NOVA. The School is a collaboration between the astrophysics institutes of the universities of Amsterdam (UvA), Leiden (UL), Groningen (RuG) and Nijmegen (RU).

The department aims to conduct world-class research, provide excellent education and training of students and guidance of department members at all levels, and engage the general public in astronomy.  

This mission necessitates an open and inclusive environment, which allows researchers optimal freedom to pursue their research and education goals and provides access to top facilities and training. It benefits from the embedding of the department of Astrophysics into the national astronomy framework, ensuring a major astronomical instrumentation programme, funding and training of PhD students, and from strong international ties.

Awards, grants and honours received by members of the department of Astrophysics.

2024

• Africa Millimetre Telescope Mobile Planetarium Team - Annie Maunder Medal

2023

• Heino Falcke - Balzan Prize
• Maaike Pierik - Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds Stipend
• Hannah Wichern - KHMW Master Thesis Prize
• Katie Mulrey - KHMW Langerhuizen Bate Award
• Katie Mulrey - RNVH Jubileum Prize
• Anne Inkenhaag - IMAPP PhD Award for Scientific Communication
• Peter Jonker - ERC Advanced Grant
• Heino Falcke - NWO- Groot Grant
• Heino Falcke - Royal Astronomical Society Herschel Medal
• Monika Mościbrodzka - Royal Astronomical Society Eddington Medal

2022

• Heino Falcke - "BlackHolistic" ERC Synergy Grant
• Raquel Fraga-Encinas - EHT Early Career Award
• Monika Mościbrodzka - Dutch Research Council (NWO) Athena Award
• Sara Issaoun - Christiaan Huygens Prize
• Marc Klein Wolt - Willem de Graaff Prize
• Conny Aerts - Kavli Prize

2021

• Heino Falcke - Amaldi Medal
• Sara Issaoun - L'Oréal NL Women in Science Rising Talent Award
• Conny Aerts - Elected Foreign Member KNAW
• Heino Falcke - Robert M. Petrie Prize Lecture
• Heino Falcke - Amaldi Medal of the Italian Society of General Relativity and Gravitation
• Heino Falcke - National Academy of Sciences Henry Draper Medal
• RU EHT team - Royal Astronomical Society Group Achievement Award

2020

• Martyna Chruslinska - RU Christine Mohrmann Stipend
• Conny Aerts - FWO Excellence Prize
• Jordy Davelaar - EHT Outstanding PhD Award
• Sara Issaoun+Andre Young+Michael Janssen - EHT Early Career Award
• Heino Falcke - Einstein Medal
• RU EHT team - Rossi Medal
• RU EHT team - RU Team Science Award

2019

• Sara Issaoun - RU Christine Mohrmann Stipend
• Heino Falcke - Academy medal, Heidelberger Akademie der Wissenschaften
• Heino Falcke - Oxford University Hintze Lectureship
• RU EHT group - Breakthrough Prize
• MeerLICHT en BlackGEM teams - Prof. Dr. Jan Troosterprijs
• Monika Moscibrodzka - Simons Emmy Noether Fellow

2018

• Sara Issaoun - RU Study Prize for best MSc thesis
• Jörg Hörandel - ERC Advanced Grant
• Conny Aerts - European Astronomical Society 2018 Woltjer Lecture
• Marijke Haverkorn - Faculty of Science Education Award

2017

• Marijke Haverkorn - ERC Consolidator Grant
• Patricia Schmidt - NWO-VENI Grant

2016

• RU GW group - Gruber Cosmology Prize
• RU GW group - Special Breakthrough Prize
• Samaya Nissanke - NWO-VIDI Grant
• Gijs Nelemans - NWO-VICI Grant
• Samaya Nissanke - NWO Top Grant
• Andrew Levan - ERC Consolidator Grant

2015

• Heino Falcke - RU Hermesdorfprijs
• Payaswini Saikia - RU Frye Stipendium
• Thomas Kupfer - ZTF Fellowship
• Conny Aerts - ERC Advanced Grant
• Peter Jonker - ERC Consolidator Grant

2014

• Anna Nelles - Cum Laude distinction PhD award
• Sjoert van Velzen - Hubble Fellowship
• Stijn Buitink - ERC Starting Grant
• Heino Falcke - Member KNAW

2013

• Heino Falcke - ERC Synergy Grant
• Marianne Heida - RU Frye Stipendium
• Marijke Haverkorn - Member KNAW Young Academy
• Heino Falcke - Member Academia Europaea
• Harry Balster - Radboud University Medal
• Marijke Haverkorn - Member KNAW Young Academy

2012

• Elmar Körding - NWO-VIDI Grant
• Conny Aerts - Francqui Prize 2012
• Conny Aerts - Member Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium

2011

• Sivia Toonen - RU Frye Stipendium
• Evert Glebbeek - NWO-VENI grant
• Gijs Nelemans - Professorship KU Leuven
• Heino Falcke - NWO Spinoza Prize
• Marijke Haverkorn - Joliot-Curie Fellowship

2010

• Conny Aerts - Honorary Fellow of the RAS

2009

• Haili Hu - Cum Laude distinction PhD award
• Marijke Haverkorn - NWO-VIDI grant
• Clancy James - NWO Rubicon grant
• Haili Hu - NWO Rubicon grant
• Jan Kuijpers - Decorated Knight in the Order of the Dutch Lion
• Paul Groot - Member KNAW Young Academy

2008

• Haili Hu - RU Frye Stipendium
• Conny Aerts - ERC Advanced Grant
• Heino Falcke - ERC Advanced Grant
• Gijs Nelemans - NWO-VIDI grant

2006

• Søren Larsen - NWO-VIDI grant
• Floris Hammer - Huygens Talent grant
• Gijs Roelofs - NWO Rubicon grant
• Heino Falcke - Miller Visiting Professorship, UC Berkeley

2005

• Else van den Besselaar - RU Frye Stipendium
• Heino Falcke - Academy Prize from the Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften

2004

• Gijs Nelemans - NWO-VENI grant

2003

• Conny Aerts - 26th Prix Paul & Marie Stroobants, Academie Royale Belgique

2002

• Paul Groot - EU-Descartes Prize (Gamma-Ray Bursts)
• Paul Groot - NWO-VIDI grant

A PhD trajectory at the department of astrophysics provides the necessary training for you to become an independent researcher. The program consists mainly of conducting research in a research group in the department, under supervision of a main supervisor, a secondary supervisor and possibly others. In addition to this, you are expected to train your soft skills such as didactics, communication, presentation and teamwork through a number of mandatory activities as detailed below.

Radboud Astrophysics PhD projects fall under the NOVA Graduate School. NOVA (‘Nederlandse Onderzoeksschool Voor Astronomie’) is the Dutch Research School for Astronomy, which coordinates Dutch astronomical research at the universities and sets requirements for all PhD candidates in astronomy in the Netherlands.

Your research project

A PhD thesis at the Department of Astrophysics needs to adhere to certain standards and requirements. These standards are high, and very similar to standards in the other Dutch astronomy institutes. Dutch PhD's are held in high esteem anywhere in the world, and our goal is to maintain that status.

The detailed requirements for a PhD thesis are different for every project and therefore cannot be caught in a list of check marks. Basically, both the quality and the quantity of your work should indicate that you have grown to be an independent researcher. This does not mean that you should (be able to) work alone, but that you can take the lead on planning your research and develop a research career, usually in collaboration with others. The persons to judge whether you have reached this level are your supervisors, who can judge whether your thesis work is of high enough quality and quantity that it can be submitted to the manuscript committee (see below).

At the start of your PhD project, your supervisor will often have clear ideas on a project for your first scientific chapter, but subsequent projects might well be much less certain and could for instance depend on recent developments in the field, but often also on the outcome of your first project or the development of your specific research interest. Therefore, the latter part of a PhD project is intrinsically uncertain at the start, and will become more defined as you progress. 

Guidelines for a typical astronomy thesis

Astronomy PhD theses are based on scientific articles, (to be) published in a professional high-quality peer-reviewed journal. Judging from earlier theses, this requirement typically comes down to four ‘average’ scientific papers. You should have a leading role in producing these papers, typically (but not always) as a lead author. However, this number of papers is not set in stone and the final content of your thesis will be determined in discussion with your supervisor(s). For instance, one more comprehensive paper may very well count as two ‘average’ papers. Or one of the papers may be replaced by a technical treatise of sufficient depth and rigor, if applicable. At the end of your PhD, you should have at least one paper accepted by a peer-reviewed journal, and in most cases more than one. It is not uncommon that a last chapter consists of a paper that is advanced ‘in prep’, or ‘submitted’. All staff members of our department have agreed to these guidelines so should not demand more. If you are unsure about this, you can always discuss with your second supervisor or the PhD coordinator. In all cases, your main supervisor has the final responsibility to decide how much work is sufficient for finishing your thesis.

Guidelines for a typical astro-particle physics thesis

PhD students in astro-particle physics write a thesis that consists of a monograph. This can contain the same material as published papers, but can also e.g. consist of mostly technical work not published in a scientific journal. In all cases, your main supervisor has the final responsibility to decide how much work is sufficient for finishing your thesis.

PhD trajectory overview

Training and Supervision Plan

At the start of your PhD, you will write a Training and Supervision Plan (TSP). In the TSP you define the interaction with the supervisors (e.g. meeting frequency), and courses to be followed. To monitor PhD projects, Radboud University uses the program Hora Finita. When your thesis is finished and approved by your supervisors, you will submit it in Hora Finita. It will then be assessed by a Manuscript Committee, who will judge whether your work earns you the title of doctor at Radboud University. Lastly, you will defend your thesis for the Doctoral Examination Board or Defense Committee  in a public defense ceremony, that is largely ceremonial.

Annual appraisal interview (‘jaargesprek’)

All Radboud employees have mandatory annual appraisal interviews. You and your supervisor will be invited to make this appointment, to review your progress of the past year and plan the next year. The first interview, after one year, also contains the ‘Go-NoGo decision’, where your supervisor decides whether your initially 1.5yr contract is extended to the full four years (‘Go’) or terminated after 1.5 years (‘NoGo’).

PhD Advisory Committee (PAC)

There is an annual review meeting for each PhD student where you discuss your progress and plans with your PhD Advisory Committee (PAC), which consists of two staff members who are NOT your (co-)supervisor(s) nor involved in your research. These staff members will also talk to your supervisor. The aim of this meeting is to give you and your supervisor a periodic opportunity to take a step back and think about the grand plan of your thesis, and to identify possible hurdles or bottlenecks in your PhD project. A few weeks before the review you’ll get an email with the details.

The PAC is not an assessing or judging body, but is there to help you make your PhD trajectory as streamlined and enjoyable as it can be. The PAC can give advice to both you and your supervisors.

Training

Courses 

The Faculty of Science mandates the following two courses for all PhD students:

1.  Practical Didactic Skills
2. Scientific Ethics and Integrity: there is a Faculty-wide course which is offered annually. However, IMAPP periodically organizes (shorter) courses that can be used as alternative.

You can sign up for these courses here. When these two courses are completed, you can include them in your ‘Portfolio’ in Hora Finita.

In addition, the university offers a whole range of courses for PhD students that are not required, such as project management, career guidance for international PhDs, academic writing, entrepreneurship, poster pitching and many more. See here for all courses offered.

Teaching

All PhD students are required to contribute to the department’s teaching of undergraduate students as Teaching Assistant (TA). Every PhD student will get 3 TA tasks of each 3EC in each of the first three years. One 3EC task typically corresponds to one quarter course of 7 weeks. Generally, a TA supervises the practical exercise sessions in a course, but depending on the course TA-ing can also entail grading exercises, guiding writing assignments, supervising teams, etc. A TA should not have to teach lectures or develop part of the lectures or exercise sessions. Solutions to the exercises should be provided. A few TA tasks do not involve teaching but contain an equivalent number of hours in outreach or service.

The TA schedule is made annually by a staff member, taking into account research areas and previous tasks, but also e.g. possible language requirements: for a few courses, Dutch speakers are preferred, but for most courses English is not a problem.

Public Outreach

Public outreach and science communication are an integral part of the work of the Department of Astrophysics. Every department member is expected to take part in this in a way that fits them. You will likely be asked to perform some sort of service related to public outreach, such as assisting (TA-ing) in a master class for high school students, helping out at Open Stargazing evenings, or giving public talks or interviews. These tasks are always voluntary, and usually come with a small or medium workload. One or two continuing outreach tasks with high workloads are treated as a TA-task (see “Teaching”). How many such tasks to accept should be discussed with your supervisor. 

Meetings

You can or should attend the following meetings during your PhD project:

WHAM and colloquium

The weekly department meeting WHAM and the weekly astrophysics colloquium are mandatory for every department member. Of course this does not hold if you are traveling or have a deadline that week, but a simple ‘too busy’ is not a valid reason for absence.

Group meetings are organized differently within every research group. If your group is too small to have regular meetings, you are welcome to join other group meetings.

Attendance at other regular meetings such as journal club, extra astrophysics colloquia, and colloquia from other departments is voluntary.

International conferences and workshops

International conferences and workshops are an important aspect of your scientific training, so your supervisor should discuss these with you. Every PhD student has to present their work in an oral presentation in at least one international meeting or the Netherlands Astronomy Conference, according to the rules of the NOVA Graduate School.

Useful links

Training and Supervision Plans, Annual Evaluation Forms

Doctorate regulations

Netherlands Code of Conduct for Research Integrity 2018

Information document “Your job at RUastro” (astro internal wiki)

The PhD and Postdoc Council of the department of Astrophysics consists of one PhD candidate and one Postdoc. They represent their colleagues across the institute, in the department management team, and at the faculty level. The Council organises activities for PhD candidates and Postdocs, and function as a sound board for topics and issues relevant to PhD’s and Postdocs at the department. The council members work closely together with the departmental PhD coordinator. 

PhD and Postdoc Council

PhD representative: Mariya Nizovkina
Postdoc representative: vacant
PhD Coordinator: Prof. Rens Waters

Below you can find a list of our previous PhD students at the Department of Astrophysics, their supervisors and a link to the dissertations they made .

2024     

Emma van der Wateren - Prof. G Nelemans, Dr. C. Bassa, Dr. Gemma Janssen

Fiorenzo Stoppa - Prof. G Nelemans en Prof. E. Cator

Anastasia Gvozdenko - Supervisor(s) Dr. S. Larsen

2023     

Deepak Eappachen - Prof. P. Jonker

2021     

Jakub Klencki - Prof. G. Nelemans, Dr. A. Istrate, Dr. O. Pols

Martyna Chruslinska - Prof. G. Nelemans

Christiaan Brinkerink - Prof. H. Falcke

Bjarni Pont - Prof. J. Hörandel

Giacomo Cannizzaro - Prof. P. Jonker, Prof. A.J. Levan

Sara Issaoun - Prof. H. Falcke 

Irene Polderman - Dr. M. Haverkorn Dr. T. Jaffe

Michael Janssen - Prof. H. Falcke

2020     

Thomas Bronzwaer - Prof. H. Falcke, Dr. M. Moscibrodzka

Freek Roelofs - Prof. H. Falcke

Jordy Davelaar - Prof. H. Falcke, Dr. M. Moscibrodzka

Ala'a Al-Zetoun - Prof. A. Achterberg

Kristhell Lopez - Prof. P. Jonker, dr. M.A. Perez Torres, dr. M. Heida

2019     

Arthur Corstanje - Prof. H. Falcke, Dr. J. Hörandel

Roque Ruiz Carmona - Prof. P.J. Groot, Prof. D.T.H. Steeghs

Jesus E. Enriquez Rascon - Prof. H. Falcke

Martha Saladino Rosas - Dr. O. Pols, Prof.Dr. Portegies Zwart

Pim van Oirschot - Prof. G. Nelemans, Prof. Helmi, Dr. O. Pols

2018

Jan van Roestel - Prof. P.J. Groot, Prof. T. Prince

Ester Aranzana Martinez - Prof. P.J. Groot, Dr. E. Körding

Svea Sarai Hernandez Orta - Prof. P.J. Groot, Prof. S.C. Trager

Payaswini Saikia - Prof. H. Falcke

2017

Andrei Igoshev - Prof. F. Verbunt

Thomas Wevers - Prof. G. Nelemans, Dr. P. Jonker

Cameron van Eck - Dr. M. Haverkorn, Prof. H. Falcke

Thomas Wijnen - Prof. P.J. Groot, Dr. O. Pols

Rocco Coppejans - Prof. H. Falcke

2016 

Serena Repetto - Prof. G. Nelemans, Dr. P. Jonker

Deanne Coppejans - Prof. P.J. Groot, Dr. E. Körding, Prof. P.A. Woudt

Sally Mcfarlane - Prof. P.J. Groot, Prof. P.A. Woudt, Dr. G. Ramsay

Johannes Schulz - Prof. H. Falcke, Dr. J. Hörandel

2015 

Pim Schellart - Prof. H. Falcke

Marianne Heida - Prof. G. Nelemans, Dr. P. Jonker, Dr. M. Torres

Sarka Wykes - Prof. P.J. Groot, Dr. J. Hörandel

Sander ter Veen - Prof. H. Falcke

Thomas Kupfer - Prof. P.J. Groot

2014 

Carlo Abate - Prof. F. Verbunt, Dr. O. Pols

Sweta Shah - Prof. G. Nelemans, Dr. M. van der Sluys

Anna Nelles - Prof. S. de Jong, Dr. J. Hörandel

Sjoert van Velzen - Prof. H. Falcke, Dr. E. Körding

Oliwia Madei - Prof. F. Verbunt, Dr. P. Jonker

2013

Joke Claeys - Prof. F. Verbunt, Dr. O. Pols

Mikkel Nielsen - Prof. G. Nelemans, Prof. C. Dominik

Silvia Toonen - Prof. G. Nelemans, Prof. P.J. Groot

Kars Verbeek - Prof. P.J. Groot

Lennart van Haaften - Prof. G. Nelemans, Prof. P.J. Groot, Dr. R. Voss

Ciro Pinto - Prof. F. Verbunt, Dr. J. Kaastra (SRON)

2012 

Satyendra Thoudam - Prof. H. Falcke, Dr. J. Hörandel

2011 

Andreas Obermeier - Prof. S. de Jong, Prof. D. Müller, Dr. J. Hörandel

2009

Richard Hijmering - Prof. P.J. Groot, Dr. D. Martin, Dr. P. Verhoeve

Haili Hu - Prof. C. Aerts, Dr. Nelemans

Stijn Buitink - Prof. H. Falcke, Prof. J. Kuijpers

2008 

Sven Lafebre - Prof. J. Kuijpers, Prof. H. Falcke

Andreas Nigl - Prof. J. Kuijpers, Prof. H. Falcke

2007

Else van den Besselaar - Prof. P.J. Groot, Dr. T. Augusteijn, Dr. Morales-Rueda

Gijs Roelofs - Prof. P.J. Groot, Dr. G. Nelemans

2006

Roy Smits - Prof. J. Kuijpers

Joachim Moortgat - Prof. J. Kuijpers

2005

Pui-Kei Fung - Prof. J. Kuijpers (at UU)

On behalf of the Dutch astronomical community, we unequivocally condemn the brutal killings of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor and countless others and instances of racism. We stand with the Black community because Black Lives Matter, and we affirm our unwavering support for all those affected by racism. These terrible and outrageous events in the US have once again highlighted the continued oppression and inequity that systemic and structural racism inflicts on minorities and people of colour, in particularly, on Black people. Unfortunately, such racism is prevalent throughout society, in many parts of the world, including here in the Netherlands. It is the role and responsibility of each and everyone of us to ensure racism and systemic inequity have no place in our Community.

We recognise that inequity and racism prohibits, damages and limits the scientific careers of individuals throughout their lives, and also deprives science of their valuable contributions. It must be acknowledged that members of our community experience bias and racism regularly, often in ways that are hidden or unrecognised by the majority of us.

We are committed to actively dismantling systemic and structural discrimination in our own community and we are preparing for the tasks ahead that must be implemented to achieve this. In addition to our recently established Code of Conduct, the committee for Equity and Inclusion in Astronomy is urgently pursuing new routes to address these issues and we will work with other communities to learn from each other. We will report back to you in the very near future with further actions to increase, support, and retain an equitable, diverse, and representative astronomical community in the Netherlands.

In the meantime, we stand in strong solidarity with our astronomy community members and everyone affected by racism and discrimination.

June 2020