Harvard Radcliffe Institute announced the selection of Ralf Klessen (ZAH/ITA) as a fellow for the 2024–2025 academic year. This fellowship provides him the rare opportunity to intensely pursue ambitious projects in the unique environment of the Institute. Each fellowship class is drawn from some of the most thoughtful and exciting contemporary scholars in the humanities, sciences, social sciences, and arts along with writers, journalists, playwrights, and other distinguished professionals. For this year’s historic 25th anniversary class, Radcliffe accepted 53 applicants.
As “Elizabeth S. and Richard M. Cashin Fellow" at the Radcliffe Institute, Ralf Klessen plans to collaborate with local scholars at Harvard University to better understand the environment of our Sun, the so called "Local Bubble", as part of the larger Galactic ecosystem and to learn more about our origins and place within the Milky Way. Our cosmic home is a complex ecosystem where stellar birth in the turbulent interstellar medium is regulated by a multitude of feedback processes acting across a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. To address this challenge, Ralf Klessen and his collaborators will combine cutting-edge numerical simulations with multi-wavelength astronomical observations.
“What draws me to the Harvard Radcliffe Fellowship is the rare opportunity to explore a wide range of perspectives and collaborate with experts across many different fields,” Klessen states. He also notes, “My astrophysical research already involves a mix of disciplines, including theoretical physics, astrochemistry, computer science, engineering, mathematics, and artificial intelligence. My expectation is to find an even broader and more diverse spectrum of backgrounds and perspectives at the Radcliffe Institute, encompassing the arts and humanities as well.”
This year’s Radcliffe fellows will be part of a unique interdisciplinary and creative community that will step away from routines to tackle projects that they have long wished to move forward. Throughout the academic year, fellows convene regularly to share their work in progress with the community and public. With access to Harvard’s unparalleled resources, Radcliffe fellows develop new tools and methods, challenge artistic and scholarly conventions, and illuminate the past, present, and future.
ABOUT THE HARVARD RADCLIFFE INSTITUTE
The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study?at Harvard University - also known as Harvard Radcliffe Institute - is?one of the world’s leading centers for interdisciplinary exploration. It bring students, scholars, artists, and practitioners together to pursue curiosity-driven research, expand human understanding, and grapple with questions that demand insight from across disciplines.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Ralf Klessen at Harvard Radcliffe Institute ->
Full list of the 2024–2025 cadre of fellows ->
Harvard Radcliffe Institute ->
Homepage of Ralf Klessen ->
CONTACT FOR THE MEDIA
Dr. Guido Thimm
Center for Astronomy of Heidelberg University (ZAH)
thimm@uni-heidelberg.de
