Thomas Henning appointed as Adjunct Professor at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research

February 16, 2016

Thomas Henning, Managing Director of the Max Planck Institute of Astronomy (MPIA) and Head of its Planet and Star Formation Department has been appointed Adjunct Professor at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in India.

This appointment as a visiting scientist honours the strong scientific links between Professor Dr. Henning and Indian scientists and will allow a strengthening of collaborations between MPIA and Indian researchers.

The Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) is a National Centre of the Government of India, under the umbrella of the Department of Atomic Energy, as well as an accredited University awarding master's and doctoral degrees. TATA is the leading Indian research institute in physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, and computer science. The main campus is located in Mumbai, with additional branches in Pune, Bangalore and Hyderabad.

TIFR was founded in 1945 and has several important research facilities, especially in the field of Astronomy and Astrophysics. A prime example is the Giant Meterwave Radio Telescope and special laboratories for the study of high-energy cosmic rays and Gamma rays. The latter discipline is one of the three main research areas of the TIFR Department for Astronomy and Astrophysics located at the Mumbai campus.

The TIFR (Tata Institute of Fundamental Research), Mumbai, India

Credit: Wikipedia, Creative Commons CC0 1.0

The TIFR (Tata Institute of Fundamental Research), Mumbai, India

Credit: Wikipedia, Creative Commons CC0 1.0

The other two main research areas of the department are Theoretical Astrophysics (from solar physics to supernovae and black holes) and optical and infrared astronomy. The TIFR infrared group has a focus on astrochemistry, the study of planet and star formation, and instrumentation development – research areas which are shared by Thomas Henning at MPIA.