Anna Lisa Varri

Research interests

My research interests are in mathematical and theoretical astrophysics, with a focus on stellar dynamics

• Dynamics of star clusters and galactic nuclei
• Formation and evolution of low-mass stellar systems
• Kinematic complexity in kinetic and fluid dynamical systems
• Gravitational N-body problem, with analytical techniques and numerical simulations

Biography

I am a UKRI Future Leaders Fellow at the University of Edinburgh, where I have been based since 2012 — first as a Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 Fellow in the Applied and Computational Mathematics group of the School of Mathematics, then as a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellow and Associate at the Institute for Astronomy, within School of Physics and Astronomy. I am now jointly appointed to both Schools.

I have held international research fellowships in the United States and Japan, under the auspices of the US-Italy Fulbright Commission, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, and The Royal Society. I received my education in Theoretical Physics at the Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy. My work on the dynamics of stellar systems has been recognised by the William Herschel and Royal Astronomical Societies with the 2019 Caroline Herschel Prize Lectureship and by the International Astronomical Union with the 2012 Gruber Foundation Young Scientist Award.

Administrative roles

• Higgs Centre for Theoretical Physics Management Committee - Outreach Coordinator
• SoM Equality and Diversity Committee - Member
• Maxwell Institute Graduate School Pastoral Team - Mentor

• Mathematics for Physics 1 (Core 1st-year course) - Co-Lecturer
• Computational Applied Mathematics MSc dissertation projects - Supervisor
• Theoretical Physics and Mathematical Physics MSc dissertation projects - Supervisor
• Senior Honours, MPhys, MMath (and occasionally Summer Vacation) projects - Supervisor

Anna Lisa has featured in the following recent School news stories:

Recent publications