People

Jan Henneco

Background

Originally from Belgium, I completed my BSc in Physics and MSc in Astronomy and Astrophysics at KU Leuven between 2015 and 2020. During my MSc studies in Leuven, I came into contact with binary physics and asteroseismology for the first time, and ended up writing my MSc thesis on the effects of the centrifugal acceleration on gravity-mode pulsations in intermediate-mass stars. Afterwards, in February 2021, I moved to Heidelberg, Germany and started my PhD at the Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies (HITS) under the supervision of Dr. Fabian Schneider. During my PhD, I computed large grids of 1D binary evolution models to predict which binary systems are likely to result in stellar mergers. Afterwards, I began exploring whether and how asteroseismology can help us distinguish between merger products and stars born as single stars by predicting the properties of their pulsations. 

Postdoc research topic

I am a theoretical astrophysicist exploring the interface between binary star physics and asteroseismology. Studying binary star systems has been extremely valuable for our understanding of stellar structure and evolution. However, the various, often ill-constrained interactions between stars in a binary system add a layer of complexity to truly unravelling the lives of binary components and their ultimate products. By making the connection with asteroseismology, the study of stellar interiors using stellar pulsations, I aim to untangle some of these complexities. I began my first postdoc in June 2025 in the group of SYMPHONY team of Dr. Dominic Bowman at Newcastle University, where I will continue to work on binary stars and asteroseismology, and expand my scope to new topics and techniques.