I was born and raised in Athens, Greece. I completed a Bachelor of Science in Physics (2003-2008), a Master of Science in Astrophysics (2008-2010), and obtained a doctorate degree in Physics (2013, supervisor Prof. Mastichiadis) from the Department of Physics of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA).
My PhD thesis focused on the theoretical study of plasma properties in compact energetic sources such as active galactic nuclei (AGN) and gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). I developed a simplified network of equations that describe the radiative processes in plasmas containing relativistic protons and electrons, magnetic fields, and photons. By using analytical and numerical methods, I was able to determine the conditions that lead to the growth of radiative instabilities in these plasmas. I was able to show, for the first time, that the proton-photon system may exhibit a rich temporal behavior similar to that seen in prey-predator systems.
Soon after my PhD defense, I moved to the Department of Physics & Astronomy at Purdue University, USA. I worked there for 3 years as an Einstein Postdoctoral Fellow and 1 year as Postdoctoral Research Associate of Prof. Giannios. During my stay at Purdue I collaborated not only with Prof. Giannios and his group, but also with researchers from around the globe. Next stop in my “academic trail” was Princeton University. In October 2017 I joined the Department of Astrophysical Sciences where I have been working as a L. Spitzer Postdoctoral Fellow.
I have recently joined the faculty of the Department of Physics at NKUA as an assistant professor in Astrophysics. It’s good to be back here!
To download a PDF copy of my full CV, click here.
Maria Petropoulou 