My scientific interests lie in intersection of the fields of evolved stars and circumstellar disc physics. In particular, I study circumstellar discs that are found around a class of evolved binary stars, namely post-asymptotic giant branch binary systems. I aim to unravel their properties and compare them to protoplanetary discs around young stars, which are known environment for ongoing planet formation processes. To understand the structure of the discs around these evolved binary systems as well as how they evolve, I’m using infrared interferometric techniques to reveal the inner regions of the disc. With (a combination of) datasets of the PIONIER, GRAVITY, and MATISSE instruments on the VLTI, I study these disc regions in unprecedented detail. As such, I’m using models and reconstructed images to not only understand the physical processes in these discs, but also how they might relate to planet formation processes, and how the interaction between the disc and the stars influence the further evolution of the system. Some of my recent work is highlighted here.

Besides doing and communicating research, I have been involved in organisational, educational, and outreach activities.

Academic background

• PhD in Astronomy & Astrophysics, October 2019 – September 2023, KU Leuven, Belgium
  Thesis (link): ‘Infrared interferometric characterisation of second generation protoplanetary discs’
  Advisors: H. Van Winckel & J. Kluska
• MSc in Astronomy, September 2017 – August 2019, University of Groningen, the Netherlands
  Thesis title: ‘Detectability of biosignatures in nearby terrestrial exoplanetary atmospheres with the ELT’
• BSc in Astronomy, September 2014 – August 2017, University of Groningen, the Netherlands