Gerald Handler

Gerald Handler's photo

Degree: Professor

Position: Professor

Division: Astrophysics II (Warsaw)

ORCID: 0000-0001-7756-1568

Office: 130

Phone: +48 223296130

Personal website: http://users.camk.edu.pl/gerald/


E-mail: gerald@camk.edu.pl

Gerald Handler is a full professor at the Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Center (NCAC) in Warsaw.

He received his PhD from the University of Vienna in 1999 and then moved to the South African Astronomical Observatory for a 3-year postdoc. Upon return to Vienna, he was self-employed on the basis of several research grants and completed his habilitation in 2008. In 2011, he joined CAMK on a tenure-track position and received the title of Professor of Physical Sciences in 2013.

His prime research interests are stellar astrophysics, pulsating stars and in particular asteroseismology. He has considerably contributed to the discovery und physical understanding of the Gamma Doradus stars, hybrid and tidally excited pulsators, and most recently tidally tilted pulsators. According to the ADS Abstract Service, he has authored over 250 refereed publications that have been cited more than 7000 times and his h-index is 46 (21 Sep 2022).

Prof. Handler serves as the Principal Investigator of the Polish contribution to the BRITE-Constellation satellite project, and he is member of the steering committee of the TESS Asteroseismic Science Consortium. From 2003 - 2015, he was of a member of the Organizing Committee of Commission 27 on Variable stars of the International Astronomical Union (now Commission G4). He was vice president of the Committee from 2006 - 2009 and president from 2009 - 2021. From 2000 - 2009 he served on the Editorial Board of the Information Bulletin on Variable Stars and was its chairperson from 2004 - 2009. He was member of the Editorial Board of Communications in Asteroseismology from 2001 - 2012, and is on the Advisory Board of Astronomische Nachrichten (since 2011).

He currently advises three active PhD students (Paulina Sowicka, Sowgata Chowdhury and Christian Eze), has promoted Dr. Victoria Antoci and has coordinated the stays of several postdoctoral researchers, including Dr. Zhao Guo, Dr. Karolina Bąkowska, Dr. Filiz Kahraman Alicavus and Dr. Rathish Ratnasingam.

Grants / Scientific projects
Prof. Handler directs/directed the following projects:
  • "Exploiting the potential of asteroseismology of binary stars", NCN OPUS grant nr 2021/43/B/ST9/02972 (2022 - 2025)
  • "The causes of hot-star variability", NCN MAESTRO grant nr 2015/18/A/ST9/00578 (2016 - 2023)
  • "Structure and evolution of massive stars - a study with the firstPolish satellite BRITE-PL1 ‘Lem’ as part of BRITE-Constellation", NCN HARMONIA grant nr 2011/01/M/ST9/05914 (2015 - 2017)
  • "Seismology of Beta Cephei stars with BRITE-Constellation", NCN OPUS grant 2011/01/B/ST9/05448 (2011 - 2015)
  • "Excitation of stellar pulsation", FWF grant P20526-N16 (2008 - 2011)
  • "Asteroseismology and stellar convection", FWF grant P18339-N08 (2005 - 2008)
  • "New approaches to asteroseismology", FWF grant R12 (2002 - 2005)