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Francisco Förster
Full Professor
Training and contact
Research Topics:
Area of interest
My main research interests are supernovae and astroinformatics. In particular, I am interested in the early stages of supernova evolution and their implications for progenitor studies. I am the principal investigator of the ALeRCE corridor (https://alerce.science), a large interdisciplinary collaboration for ingesting, annotating, and classifying alerts from large streams of extended surveys, such as those from ZTF or LSST. I was also the principal investigator of the HiTS project, in which we pioneered real-time supernova discovery using DECam.
Biography
Between 1998 and 2003, I studied astronomy and engineering (B.Sc.) at the University of Chile.
Between 2004 and 2009, I pursued a PhD in Physics at the University of Oxford, focusing on theoretical models of Type Ia supernova progenitors (SNe Ia) with Professor Philipp Podsiadlowski.
Between 2009 and 2010, I directed the installation of a robotic telescope at CTIO.
Between 2011 and 2013, I was a Fondecyt postdoctoral fellow researching SNe Ia progenitors.
Between 2013 and 2022, I was a scientist at the Center for Mathematical Modeling (CMM), beginning with a Fondecyt Initiation in Academia grant (2013-2017).
In 2017, I became an Associate Researcher at the Millennium Institute of Astrophysics (MAS).
I have received Quimal funding (2014, 2019, 2023) and ESO Chile Joint Committee funding (2015, 2017).
Since 2020, I have been an adjunct professor in the Department of Astronomy at the University of Chile.
Between 2020 and 2024, I conducted a research project funded by a Fondecyt Regular grant.
In 2022, I became a professor at the Data and Artificial Intelligence Initiative (IDIA) and was appointed Full Professor at the University of Chile.
Since 2023, I have been the Academic Coordinator of the Master's Program in Data Science.
Since 2024, I have been the Director of the Millennium Institute of Astrophysics.
Between 2004 and 2009, I pursued a PhD in Physics at the University of Oxford, focusing on theoretical models of Type Ia supernova progenitors (SNe Ia) with Professor Philipp Podsiadlowski.
Between 2009 and 2010, I directed the installation of a robotic telescope at CTIO.
Between 2011 and 2013, I was a Fondecyt postdoctoral fellow researching SNe Ia progenitors.
Between 2013 and 2022, I was a scientist at the Center for Mathematical Modeling (CMM), beginning with a Fondecyt Initiation in Academia grant (2013-2017).
In 2017, I became an Associate Researcher at the Millennium Institute of Astrophysics (MAS).
I have received Quimal funding (2014, 2019, 2023) and ESO Chile Joint Committee funding (2015, 2017).
Since 2020, I have been an adjunct professor in the Department of Astronomy at the University of Chile.
Between 2020 and 2024, I conducted a research project funded by a Fondecyt Regular grant.
In 2022, I became a professor at the Data and Artificial Intelligence Initiative (IDIA) and was appointed Full Professor at the University of Chile.
Since 2023, I have been the Academic Coordinator of the Master's Program in Data Science.
Since 2024, I have been the Director of the Millennium Institute of Astrophysics.
Courses, Projects, Recent Publications
Courses, Projects, Recent Publications
- 2019-2024: Principal Investigator, Automatic Learning for the Rapid Classification of Events (ALeRCE), see http://alerce.science/
- 2012-2018: Principal Investigator, High Cadence Transient Survey (HiTS), see http://alerce.science/high-cadence-transient-survey-hits/
- 2011-2025: Professor, Astroinformatics course (AS4501).
- 2022-2025: Professor, Data Science Project course (MDS7201), Master of Data Science.
- 2013: Attended the Summer School in Statistics for Astronomers, Penn State, USA.
- 2014-2019: Lecturer at Harvard Chile School for Data Science.
- 2017-2022: Professor at La Serena School for Data Science.
- 2018: Attended the Machine Learning Summer School (MLSS), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Publications:
- Förster, F., et al, DELIGHT: Deep Learning Identification of Galaxy Hosts of Transients using multi-resolution images, 2022, The Astronomical Journal, 164.
- Förster, F., et al, The ALeRCE (Automatic Learning for the Rapid Classification of Events) Alert Broker, 2021, The Astronomical Journal, 161.
- Förster, F., et al., The delay of shock breakout due to circumstellar material evident in most Type II supernovae, 2018, Nature Astronomy, 122.
- Förster, F ., et al., The High Cadence Transient Survey (HiTS) – I. Survey design and observational constraints on the early shock breakout of supernovae, 2016, The Astrophysical Journal, 832, 155.
