Curriculum Vitae
Contact Data
Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg
Zentrum für Astronomie (ZAH)
Institut für Theoretische Astrophysik (ITA)
Albert-Ueberle-Str. 2, 69120 Heidelberg Germany
Tel: +49-6221/54-8978
Fax: +49-6221/54-4221
E-Mail: klessen<AT>uni-heidelberg.de
ORCID: 0000-0002-0560-3172
University Education and Academic Degrees |
|
2004 | Habilitation and venia legendi at Potsdam University |
1995—1998 | PhD studies at Max Planck Institute for Astronomy and Heidelberg University |
1990—1991 | Exchange student at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (USA) |
1987—1994 | Studies of general physics, Technical University of Munich (DE) |
Academic Positions |
|
2006— | Full professor for theoretical astrophysics (W3) at Heidelberg University |
2005—2006 | Permanent scientific staff at Astrophysical Institute Potsdam (DE) |
2002—2006 | Head of Emmy Noether Research Group at Astrophysical Institute Potsdam (DE) |
2000—2001 | Postdoctoral position at University of California at Santa Cruz (USA) |
1998—2000 | Postdoctoral position at Leiden Observatory (NL) |
Selected Professional Activities, Awards, Honors |
|
2022— | Member of board of National High Performance Computing Center TU Dresden |
2020—2027 |
ERC Synergy Grant ECOGAL – Understanding our Galactic ecosystem: From the disk of the Milky Way to the formation sites of stars and planets |
2020— | Member of the DFG Fachkollegium 311 (Astrophysics and Astronomy) |
2020—2021 | Member of the panel P9 for ERC Advanced Grants |
2019—2021 | Speaker of the Excellence Cluster STRUCTURES at Heidelberg University |
2019—2022 | Head of the Curatorium of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy |
2014—2015 | Visiting professor at University of California, Santa Cruz |
2013—2019 | ERC Advanced Grant STARLIGHT: Formation of the First Stars |
2012—2014 | Dean of Study in Faculty of Physics and Astronomy, Heidelberg University |
2011— | Member of the Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing (IWR) |
2011—2022 | Deputy speaker: DFG collaborative center SFB 881 The Milky Way System |
2011—2017 | Deputy speaker of DFG priority program SPP 1573 Physics of the ISM |
2010—2014 | Time allocation committee of Swiss Supercomputing Center (CSCS) |
2010 | Visiting professor at Stanford University and University of California, Santa Cruz |
2009 | Professeur Invite at the Ecole Normale Superieure in Paris |
2008—2013 | Deputy director of Center of Astronomy at Heidelberg University (ZAH) |
2007—2014 | Board of the IMPRS for Astronomy and Cosmic Physics in Heidelberg |
2007—2013 | Managing director of Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics (ITA) |
2007—2018 | Member of committee of the State of Baden-Württemberg to redefine the requirements for physics and astronomy teachers in the new bachelor and master system |
2006—2018 | Steering committee of Forward Look on Comp. Science in Europe (ESF) |
2002 | Ludwig Biermann Award of the German Astronomical Society |
2001 | Emmy Noether Fellowship, German Science Foundation (DFG) |
1999 | Otto Hahn Medal of the Max Planck Society |
1990—1991 | Fulbright Fellowship at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champain |
Research Interests
Ralf Klessen’s primary research goal is to identify and characterize the physical processes that govern the structure and dynamical evolution of the interstellar medium and the birth of stars at present days as well as in the early Universe. Scientific interests include gas dynamics and chemistry in the interstellar medium, statistical description of astrophysical turbulent flows, dynamo processes, gravitational collapse and formation of stars and stellar clusters, stellar dynamics, and the development and optimization of numerical algorithms in computational astrophysics.
Research Funding in Past 10 Years
Ralf Klessen is one of three speakers of the excellence cluster STRUCTURES: A unifying approach to emergent phenomena in the physical world, mathematics and complex data at Heidelberg University (35+ million € over 7 years). He is deputy speaker of a Germany-wide priority program SPP 1573 Physics of the Interstellar Medium (2 million €/year for six years for about 40 ISM related projects in Germany). Ralf Klessen is also deputy speaker of the Heidelberg collaborative research project SFB 881 The Milky Way System (providing ~2 million €/year in 2011—2022 for astronomical research in Heidelberg). Ralf Klessen also was PI of the ERC Advanced Grant STARLIGHT: Formation of the First Stars running from 2013 to 2019 with a volume of 2.5 million €, and he is one of four PIs of the ERC Synergy Grant ECOGAL: Understanding our Galactic ecosystem – From the disk of the Milky Way to the formation sites of stars and planets covering the years 2020 to 2026 and totaling 12.5 million €. Altogether, he has been awarded over 10 million € in personal grants. Other researchers in the star formation group in Heidelberg have solicited a total of 2.2 million € in additional grant money.