Curriculum Vitae, Prof. Stefan Kraus

I joined the University of Exeter in 2013. Before that, I held appointments as NASA Sagan Fellow at the University of Michigan and as SMA Fellow at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. I received my Ph.D. from the University of Bonn and my M.Sc. from the University of Massachusetts.

My research focuses on high-angular resolution studies related to star- / planet formation. Using interferometers such as VLTI, CHARA, and ALMA, I investigate the inner regions of protoplanetary disks and the processes that shape the architecture of planetary systems. Using observations I constrain the structure and physical conditions in the sub-AU inner disk regions and investigate where planets are forming in the disk and how they interact with the disk material.

Education and Employment

2021 - Personal Chair / Full Professor, University of Exeter
2015 - 2021 Associate Professor, University of Exeter
2013 - 2015 STFC Rutherford Fellow, University of Exeter
2013 - 2015 Proleptic Lecturer, University of Exeter
2012 - 2013 SMA Fellow, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, USA
2009 - 2012 NASA Carl Sagan Fellow, University of Michigan, USA
2007 - 2009 PostDoc, Max-Planck Institute for Radioastronomy, Germany
2004 - 2007 PhD Astronomy, University of Bonn, Germany
2002 - 2003 MSc Astronomy, University of Massachusetts, USA
1999 - 2002 Vordiplom, University of Heidelberg, Germany

Facilities Usage

Facilities time for which I am the Principal Investigator:

ALMA, Cycle 2+3+4+5+6+8
VLTI/UTs, GRAVITY, MATISSE, AMBER, and MIDI, 302 hours
VLTI/ATs, GRAVITY, MATISSE, AMBER, MIDI, and PIONIER, 532 hours
CHARA, MIRC-X, CLIMB, and VEGA, 30 nights
VLT/UTs, CRIRES, ISAAC, SINFONI, SPHERE, 108 hours
Keck Interferometer and Keck-II, 8 nights
ATCA+SMA Interferometry, 13 nights
Magellan, Gemini South, 7 nights

Invited Presentations

"Spatially resolved observations of inner disc structure", ESO, Garching/Germany, 2018
"Disk structure around low- and high-mass YSOs resolved with interferometry", University of Leicester/UK, 2017
"Protoplanetary disk structure & planet formation signatures resolved with interferometry", University of Cardiff/UK, 2016
"Opportunities with the Planet Formation Imager for Extragalactic Science", University of Southampton/UK, 2015
"Protoplanetary Disc Structure and planet formation signatures resolved with interferometry", University of Oxford/UK, 2015
"Circumstellar Disks and Planet Formation", University of Michigan/USA, 2014
"The Planet Formation Imager Project", European Planetary Science Congress (EPSC), Cascais/Portugal, 2014
"Infrared interferometric View of Herbig Ae/Be disks", ESO workshop, Santiago/Chile, 2014
"Imaging planet-formation signatures with ground-based interferometry & overview of EII activities", FISICA workshop, Rome/Italy, 2014
"Protoplanetary disc structure & planet formation signatures resolved with interferometry", DAMTP, Cambridge/UK, 2014
"Exploring the Signatures of Planet Formation with Multi-wavelength Interferometry", EWASS 2013, Turku/Finland, 2013
"Combining Optical Spectroscopy and Interferometry", 10th Potsdam Thinkshop, AIP, Potsdam/Germany, 2013
"Resolving the Gapped Structure in Pre-transitional Disks with Multi-wavelength Interferometry”, Sagan Symposium, Caltech/USA, 2012
"New opportunities with spectro-interferometry & spectro-astrometry", SPIE 2012, Amsterdam/Netherlands, 2012
"Infrared spectro-interferometry of Be and B[e] stars", University of Toledo, 2012
"Zooming in on low- and high-mass YSOs with infrared spectro-interferometry", University of Michigan, Ann Arbor/USA, 2010
"First results from VLTI near-infrared interferometry on young high-mass stars", SPIE 2010, San Diego/USA, 2010
"Studying the formation of sun-like stars with infrared interferometry", ESO workshop "The Origin and Fate of the Sun", Garching/Germany, 2010
"Young stellar disks", ESO workshop "The interferometric view of hot stars", Santiago/Chile, 2009
"Star formation physics with VLTI: present and future, GTO", VLTI workshop, Granada/Spain, 2008

Contributions to the Community

Project Scientist for the Planet Formation Imager project (since February 2014)
President of the Science Council of the European Interferometry Initiative (2013-2017)
Scientific Referee for the journals A&A, A&A letters, ApJ, ApJ letter, AJ, MNRAS, Nature, Nature Astronomy, ... (since 2007)
Panel Member of ESO's observing programme committee and reviewer for NASA's Origins of the Solar System programme

Outreach

Scientific results featured in various press releases from ESO, JPL, NASA, MPIfR, MPG, A&A, SPIE, LAOG, University of Michigan, and University of Exeter
Public talks, e.g. in the Bad Effelsberg public talk series

Memberships

I am a member of the International Astronomical Union and the Royal Astronomical Society.

Prizes

Philip Leverhulme Prize, 2013
STFC Ernest Rutherford Fellowship, 2013-2018
NASA Carl Sagan Fellowship, 2009-2012
Best PhD in Interferometry Prize, SPIE, 2008
Otto-Hahn Medal, Max-Planck Society, 2008