Dr. Michael William Healy-Kalesh

Postdoctoral Research Assistant in Classical & Recurrent Novae at the Astrophysics Research Institute of Liverpool John Moores University

My research focusses on classical and recurrent novae, working with Professor Matt Darnley, though I also have a keen interest in all areas of time domain research. Within the field of novae, I am very active with research on the nova super-remnant phenomenon, which was the focus of my doctorate (here is my Ph.D. thesis entitled "Novae, the Super-Remnant Phenomenon, and the Link to Type Ia Supernovae").

Here is my curriculum vitae.

Research

I study vast thermonuclear explosions emanating from the surfaces of white dwarf stars. Manifesting as new stars in the night sky to astronomers, these transients are known as novae. A significant motivation for better understanding novae comes from recent studies that show how the white dwarfs in these systems can grow to the Chandrasekhar limit from recurring nova eruptions and explode as a type Ia supernova!

See Publications

About Me

Outside of academia, I hold a second degree black belt in Goju Ryu Karate Do. I also enjoy playing football, golf, pool, squash, badminton and table tennis. As well as this, I love to read, play board games and the keyboard, learn languages (currently German and Malayalam as well as BSL) and travel to different parts of the world to experience new cultures!