Speakers
Confirmed Speakers (the list is not complete)
Prof. Annapurni Subramaniam is a distinguished astrophysicist specializing in stellar populations, star clusters, galaxy evolution and UV astronomy. Her research explores the formation and evolution of massive stars, star clusters, binary systems and the structural properties of galaxies using multi-wavelength observations. As a key scientist in India's space-based ultraviolet astronomy efforts, she has extensively utilized data from AstroSat, particularly the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UVIT), to study star formation and stellar evolution in the Milky Way and nearby galaxies. Her leadership as the Director of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) has strengthened research collaborations and advanced observational astrophysics in India.
Dr Carlos Gabriel
Dr Carlos Gabriel is a physicist, specialist in data analysis and calibration of scientific instruments. As a member of ESA's scientific staff he was involved for more than twenty five years in the scientific operations of infrared, optical and X-ray astrophysical observatories, leading the development of diverse data analysis systems. After his retirement from ESA he is chairing the COSPAR panel on capacity building, and is also a member of the board of the scientific journal Astronomy and Astrophysics.
Prof. C S Stalin is a distinguished astrophysicist at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) in Bengaluru. His research interests lie in the studies of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) and their associated environment in active galactic nuclei (AGN), accretion disks, relativistic jets, AGN outflows and feedback. To obtain a fuller picture of how radiation and outflows from SMBHs in AGN interact with the surrounding gas, Stalin and his team use imaging and spectroscopic data from many wavebands, including radio, submillimeter, infrared, optical and X-ray. He has been a part of the Ultra Violet Imaging Telescope (UVIT) payload onboard India's first multi-wavelength space Observatory, AstroSat, and the Science Working Group of the XpoSat mission.
Dr Themiya Nanayakkara is a Laureate Postdoctoral Astronomer at the Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology. He leads Australia’s efforts in leveraging data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) by serving as the deputy of the James Webb Australian Data Centre, where he supports the community with access to and analysis of JWST observations. His research employs innovative spectral modelling techniques and focuses on optical and infrared spectroscopy, machine learning applications in astrophysics, and investigating the formation and evolution of galaxies in the early universe.
Dr Isabel Rebollido is an astrophysicist who specializes in studying exoplanetary systems, exocomets, and debris disks. On completion of her PhD, she took the position of postdoctoral researcher at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI). At STScI, she worked on exoplanet imaging and debris disks and explored these two phenomena through a coherent approach. Currently, she is a Research Fellow at the European Space Agency (ESA). As for the research Dr Rebollido wishes to accomplish with JWST, she applied a different approach to her investigation of the Beta Pictoris system. She does outreach as a scientist and aims for everyone to have a grasp of astronomy.
Dr Javier Álvarez-Márquez is a researcher at the Centro de Astrobiología (CAB) in Madrid and a member of the MIRI European Consortium. He contributed to the ground-based calibrations of MIRI and participated in the commissioning of the JWST. He is a principal investigator of multiple JWST GO programs and part of the MIRI GTO program. His research focuses on galaxy formation and evolution. His work delves into the interstellar medium, stellar populations, and dust in the primordial universe. Additionally, he is involved in studies of high-redshift galaxies and is recognized for his extensive international collaborations in extragalactic astronomy.
Dr. Stacey Alberts is an ESA/AURA astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) and member of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) science and instrument teams. Pre-launch, she contributed to the ground-based calibration and commissioning of MIRI as well as the scientific and technical development of several MIRI GTO programs at the University of Arizona. Post-launch, she is the MIRI data reduction lead and a key contributor to the SMILES and JADES surveys' science programs, is the principal investigator of multiple JWST programs, and continues to support MIRI’s calibration efforts at STScI. Her research focuses on galaxy evolution, particularly in the areas of galaxy environments, the role of active galactic nuclei, and the role and fate of cosmic dust over the galactic lifecycle.
Dr. Smitha Subramanian is an Associate Professor at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bengaluru, specializing in galaxy formation and evolution, with a focus on dwarf galaxies like the Magellanic Clouds, giant low surface brightness galaxies, bar quenching mechanisms, AGN, and distance indicators. Her group uses multi-wavelength data for their research. She is the PI of a UVIT survey of dwarf galaxies in void regions.
Dr Sreeja S. Kartha is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physics & Electronics at CHRIST University, Bangalore, specializing in galaxy evolution, globular cluster systems, and star formation. She has made significant contributions to the SLUGGS (SAGES Legacy Unifying Globulars and GalaxieS) Survey, which studies the assembly histories of early-type galaxies in the local universe. Her research also focuses on understanding star formation in various environments, including field galaxies, interacting galaxies and galaxy clusters, using multi-wavelength data. Currently, her group is utilizing ultraviolet observations from AstroSat’s UVIT to investigate the role of secular evolution, interactions, mergers, etc in the star formation processes.