Barbara Ercolano (born 1977) is an Italian astrophysicist recognized for her research and work on

interstellar dust Cosmic dustalso called extraterrestrial dust, space dust, or star dustis dust that occurs in outer space or has fallen onto Earth. Most cosmic dust particles measure between a few molecules and , such as micrometeoroids (30 μm). Cosmic dust can ...

star formation Star formation is the process by which dense regions within molecular clouds in interstellar space—sometimes referred to as "stellar nurseries" or "star-forming regions"—Jeans instability, collapse and form stars. As a branch of astronomy, sta ...

, and

protoplanetary disks A protoplanetary disk is a rotating circumstellar disc of dense gas and dust surrounding a young newly formed star, a T Tauri star, or Herbig Ae/Be star. The protoplanetary disk may not be considered an accretion disk; while the two are si ...

. She holds the position of Professor for Theoretical Astrophysics in the University Observatory Munich at the

Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (simply University of Munich, LMU or LMU Munich; ) is a public university, public research university in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Originally established as the University of Ingolstadt in 1472 by Duke ...

. Her work has been significant to understanding the processes involved in planet formation.

Early life and education

Ercolano was born and originally from

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

Italy, where she lived until she was 18. She then moved to London to study astrophysics at

University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...

. She earned her PhD at University College London, during which she developed the first version of MOCASSIN, a 3D photoionization and dust radiative transfer code. The code’s ability to stimulate interactions between radiation and dust in astrophysical environments became a foundation of her research moving forward. After obtaining her PhD and spending time doing postdoctoral research at University College London, the

Center for Astrophysics Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricit ...

, Harvard & Smithsonian, and the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

. Her experience across many institutions expanded her expertise in theoretical astrophysics that she was able to become a professor. She became a lecturer in astrophysics at the

University of Exeter The University of Exeter is a research university in the West Country of England, with its main campus in Exeter, Devon. Its predecessor institutions, St Luke's College, Exeter School of Science, Exeter School of Art, and the Camborne School of ...

and then she moved to Germany to join the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich as a professor in 2010.

MOCASSIN and research focus

Barbara Ercolano’s research has been a significant contribution to the understanding of many interstellar subjects like interstellar dust, star formation, and protoplanetary disks. A central aspect of her work is MOCASSIN, a 3D code written in the Fortran 90 coding language, which uses the Monte Carlo approach to model transfer of radiation. Ercolano’s work and her work using the MOCASSIN code has provided many insights into how radiation from young stars affect their surrounding environments and the formation of planets. In addition to her research and work with MOCASSIN, Ercolano has co-authored many research papers. For example, her work on the dispersal planet-forming disk explores mechanisms on how protoplanetary disks dissipate over time. This research shows that high energy radiation from young stairs plays a crucial role in causing gas to escape from the disk, influencing how the disk develops and the formation of planets. One of her other notable papers, co-authored with

James E. Owen James E. Owen is an astrophysicist at Imperial College London who studies exoplanets and accretion disks. Career James Owen graduated with M.Sci. degree in Natural Sciences from Churchill College, University of Cambridge in 2008. He then und ...

and Cathie J. Clarke, focused on how X-ray photoevaporation affects evolution and dispersal of protoplanetary disks. It demonstrates that high-energy X-rays from a young star can drive the removal of gas from these disks, influencing the disk’s evolution and potential for planet formation.

Awards and recognition

Ercolano is the 2010 winner of the Fowler Award for Early Career Achievements in Astronomy from the

Royal Astronomical Society The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) is a learned society and charitable organisation, charity that encourages and promotes the study of astronomy, planetary science, solar-system science, geophysics and closely related branches of science. Its ...

. The award recognized her contributions to the field such as the development of MOCASSIN and her research on protoplanetary disks.

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ercolano, Barbara Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Italian astrophysicists German astrophysicists Italian women astrophysicists Alumni of University College London Academics of the University of Exeter