About
Hi, I’m Reinhold (rhymes with “blind fold”).
I am a postdoctoral researcher at KU Leuven in Belgium, specializing in the study of interacting, massive binary stars. I completed my PhD in 2023 at Monash University, in Melbourne, AU. I am an active developer for both the COMPAS rapid binary population synthesis code, and the SideKicks.jl Bayesian inference package for dormant black hole binaries. You can read more about my reseach and binary stars below, or you can browse my Publications or CV.
My current contract wraps up in October 2026, and I am actively looking for new postdocs and fellowships. If you know of any suitable positions, or would like to discuss opportunities to present talks or colloquia, please reach out!
Binary Stars
Binary stars are pairs of stars that are gravitationally bound and orbit around each other. Massive stars end their lives with the collapse of the iron core, potentially resulting in neutron stars, black holes, and supernova explosions. Interactions occur in binaries when one star pulls the outer layers off the other, leading to an enormous variety of stellar objects, transients, and chemical and kinetic feedback mechanisms which modify the environment of the binaries.
The Binary Star Zoo below shows some of the outcomes of binary star evolution.
I am also especially fond of pulsars, the observational (and theoretical) diversity of supernovae, the missing red supergiant problem, the formation of black holes and neutron stars, and the challenges of mass transfer stability, accretion, and eccentricity evolution.
Binary Star Zoo
