Ralf Klessen

Ralf Klessen is a professor for theoretical astrophysics at University of Heidelberg. His research focuses on identifying and characterizing the physical processes that govern the birth of stars now and in the early Universe, on the dynamics of the interstellar medium filling the space between the stars in galaxies, on the statistical properties of astrophysical turbulence, and on the development of computational algorithms and machine learning methods in astronomy.

As a Radcliffe fellow, Klessen is collaborating with local scholars to better understand our Sun’s environment, the Local Bubble, as part of the larger Galactic ecosystem and to learn more about our origins and place within the Milky Way. Our cosmic home is a complex ecosystem where stellar birth in the turbulent interstellar medium is regulated by a multitude of feedback processes acting across a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. To address this challenge, Klessen and his collaborators are combining cutting-edge numerical simulations with multi-wavelength astronomical observations.

Klessen obtained his PhD at Heidelberg, held postdoctoral positions at Leiden Observatory and UC Santa Cruz, established a research group in theoretical star-formation studies at the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam, and returned to Heidelberg as full professor in 2006. He served as dean of study in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, obtained an ERC Advanced Grant and an ERC Synergy Grant, and contributed to the Heidelberg excellence cluster STRUCTURES and to the Collaborative Research Center “The Milky Way System.”