Prof Dimitra Rigopoulou

I grew up in Greece where I studied for my Bachelor’s Degree in Physics. Subsequently, I moved to the UK where I obtained my Doctoral Degree in Astrophysics from Queen Mary College, University of London. In 1995 I moved to Germany to work at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics near Munich. I returned to the UK in 2003 to take up a position in Astrophysics at the University of Oxford, where I have been ever since.

My primary interests are on Star-Formation and Galaxy Evolution. For many years I investigated the properties of Luminous Infrared Galaxies near and far. These objects are the `lighthouses' in the Universe as they harbour some of the most extreme sites of star-formation. For my research I use both imaging and spectroscopy. I am interested in spectral signatures that allow us to study how star-formation proceeds, investigate the presence of an AGN and how the two phenomena co-exist and often interact in the same galaxy.

For my research I use ground based (ALMA, IRAM/NOEMA, VLT, SWIFT) and space based (Spitzer, Herschel and soon JWST) facilities.

I am also interested in future facilities that will come online in the next couple of years/decades. I am currently a member of the HARMONI Science Team (one of the first light instruments of the E-ELT). I recently led the European Infrared Space Roadmap and I am a member of the Science Team for the Origins Space Telescope (OST).

I am currently Head of third year undergraduate Astrophysics Labs. In the past I've lectured/tutored a variety of Physics courses.

A list of my publications can be found here.