Dr Florian Koller Awarded Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship to work in the QMUL Astronomy Unit
Dr Florian Koller, a current postdoctoral researcher in the Astronomy Unit of Queen Mary University of London’s Department of Physics and Astronomy, has been awarded a highly competitive Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowship for his project titled SHOCKWAVE – Spacecraft Heliospheric Observation of Collisions and Kinetic Wave Analysis in Various Environments.
The MSCA Postdoctoral fellowships, awarded by the European Commission, support scientists’ careers and foster excellence in research. A record number of 10,360 proposals from researchers across multiple disciplines applied for the fellowship in the latest call, making Dr Koller’s selection a significant achievement.
Dr Koller’s project will investigate plasma shocks—ubiquitous phenomena in space that form when fast plasma flows encounter obstacles such as planetary magnetic fields or slower wind regions. These shocks vary in strength depending on the Mach number of the flow. While strong shocks have been extensively studied using spacecraft in Earth’s vicinity, the lower Mach number range—characteristic of many astrophysical shocks—remains underexplored, particularly at high time resolution.
This work will not only enhance our understanding of shock physics in the solar system but also contribute to broader astrophysical applications, including insights into the drivers of space weather events and geomagnetic storms.
Commenting on the award, Dr Koller said:
“I am beyond excited to receive this award and thank the European Commission for this opportunity. I would like to express my gratitude to Dr Heli Hietala for agreeing to supervise this fellowship, and to my current supervisor, Dr Christopher Chen, for supporting my development as a space scientist at Queen Mary. I also thank my PhD supervisor, Dr Manuela Temmer from the University of Graz, for the invaluable mentorship that brought me to where I am today.”
The SHOCKWAVE project will be carried out over 24 months at QMUL in the Space and Astrophysical Plasma Physics group of the Astronomy Unit, a growing and dynamic research group tackling core phenomena that shape the behaviour of plasmas across the heliosphere and beyond.