Main Research Fields

I am a Project Scientist at the European Space Agency (ESA) specializing in high-energy astrophysics, in particular in the field of space science. My scientific expertise lies in the study of X-ray sources and gamma-ray bursts, contributing significantly to the understanding of these phenomena, and their impact on physical processes. I have been involved in various space missions, such as the INTErnational Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL) where I played a crucial role in the management, science operations, data analysis and interpretation. My interests include space weather, (fast) variability in X-ray binaries, and thermo-nuclear explosions on neutron stars. One of my favorite research projects was an international program, the Galactic bulge monitoring program, to monitor the X-ray and gamma-ray activity in the bulge of our Galaxy. Regularly and frequently, INTEGRAL pointed to about 200 exotic celestial sources, whenever the region was visible, and X-ray and gamma-ray light curves and images were made available to the public as soon as possible.

I am also working with historical data, including data from X-ray instruments which were onboard Apollo 15 & 16 and the Dutch Astronomical Netherlands Satellite (ANS). Fun fact: I own a prototype of the X-ray experiment onboard Apollo 15, which is currently on display in the SpaceExpo in Noordwijk near ESTEC. Did you know that the astronauts onboard Apollo 15 & 16 looked at a famous black hole binary, in the constellation Swan, named Cygnus X-1, on their way back to Earth? Exciting, right?