Cutting-edge studies
in space sciences
We develop theoretical models and technologies to understand the Universe we live in, how it formed and evolved, and how it behaves.
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The Institute of Space Sciences has been awarded the ‘María de Maeztu’ distinction of excellence. Discover more about the award and browse related available positions.
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Panos Charalampopoulos is a Beatriu de Pinós Fellow who studies extragalactic transients, some of the most extreme and luminous phenomena in the Universe. His research focuses on nuclear transients — events that occur in the “hearts” of galaxies, where supermassive black holes (SMBHs) lie. In particular he studies tidal disruption events (TDEs) — stars that get ripped apart by the immense gravitational force of a SMBH, leading to a luminous, panchromatic flare. He aims to discover and characterise such rare, multi-messenger phenomena by using optical, X-ray and polarimetric observations. Understanding TDEs can directly lead to the extraction of physical properties of black holes, making them a unique laboratory of the Universe.
Maria Edvige Ravasio is a La Caixa Junior Leader Fellow who recently joined our Institute. Maria’s project aims to understand some of the most extreme environments in our universe, namely powerful outflows of matter and energy launched in the form of jets at the end of the lives of some stars. To do so, she will investigate gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), highly variable and energetic outbursts from these relativistic jets. Maria will use X-ray observations from the recently launched Einstein Probe and other high-energy satellites to study the properties of these events, formerly discovered only in gamma-rays, and what they can tell us about the progenitor systems and the physics of jets.
Alba Moras Martínez has recently started her PhD in the Advanced Engineering Unit as part of the LISA project. Her research focuses on enhancing temperature sensitivity using a Whispering Gallery Mode Resonator (WGMR) as a sensor. Additionally, she contributes to the development of high-precision laser frequency stabilization techniques in the low-frequency regime. To achieve these goals, they analyze the dynamic interactions between different polarized modes resonating within the WGMR.
Yerong Xu is the junior postdoctoral fellow at ICE-CSIC. His research interests focus on active galactic nuclei (AGN), powered by accretion onto supermassive black holes (SMBHs). Using the X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM) and other X-ray space telescopes (i.e. XMM-Newton, Chandra, Swift and NuSTAR), Yerong studies the circumnuclear environment of SMBHs and the role of AGN outflows in the BH-galaxy co-evolution.
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