Examples of projects I am advertising (other projects are possible):

Red supergiants in nearby galaxies
Red supergiants are highly-evolved, massive stars. Some are known to explode as a supernova of type II-P, and others are known to change into a blue supergiant before exploding (for instance SN1987A). Their fate depends on the mass loss, which is poorly quantified and even less understood. They produce dust, which in extreme cases obscures the star from optical view. Aside from the effects on the star and on the galaxy in which it resides, the mass loss also affects the luminosity distributions of the red supergiant populations in a given galaxy, and of the identifiable supernova progenitors. This project aims to quantify the masses, mass loss, dust production and evolutionary timescales of the red supergiant populations in nearby galaxies (roughly within 7 Mpc, out to the distance of M101 and NGC6946), using archival and new optical and infrared observations. The student is expected to apply machine learning techniques.

(2020-........) Joy Anih
(2020-........) Jessica Craig
(2018-2023) Clara Pennock
(2016-2017) James Bamber
(2014-2018) Ameerah Al Sadooni
(2013-2017) Steven Goldman
(2013-2018) Kingsley Gale-Sides
(2010-2018) Benjamin Tatton
(2010-2014) Masha Lakicevic
(2009-2013) Amanda Bailey
(2007-2011) Atefeh Javadi
(2005-2009) Iain McDonald
(2002-2006) Jonathan Marshall