Large research grant awarded to Evan O’Connor
The European Research Council (ERC) has awarded Evan O’Connor, associate professor at the Department of Astronomy, the prestigious ERC Consolidator grant. He is one of thirteen researchers at Swedish universities that were awarded the grant this year.
Profile picture of Evan O'Connor. Photo: Jonas Enander.
Evan O’Connor’s research involves numerical simulations of supernova explosions, and more exotic objects such as collapsars and magnetars. A supernova is the final burst of a dying massive star, and thanks to observations and theoretical pursuits, researchers have a comprehensive picture of how this happens.
However, a very small fraction of these dying stars is associated with long gamma-ray bursts that stand out due to their extreme nature, including their extreme energies. Compared to typical supernovae, the inner workings of these events are less well known and, due to its complexity, difficult to understand fully. The aim of the COMPACTARS project (“High compactness progenitors and the formation of collapsars and magnetars”), which will be financed by the ERC grant, is to understand this explosion mechanism.
I’m incredible excited and thankful to have this support from the ERC for my research and the support of Stockholm University to carry it out. This will enable not only a clearer understanding of these extreme events but also enable the development of next generation tools for modelling them”, says Evan O’Connor.
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Last updated: 2025-12-10
Source: Department of Astronomy