About Me

My name is Lucas Valenzuela, and I am doing my PhD in astrophysics at the University Observatory in Munich, Germany. I am a part of the CAST, DRAGONS, and Magneticum Pathfinder groups, as well as of the MUSE Large Programs MAGPI and GECKOS.

I obtained both my Bachelor's and Master's degrees at the Ludwig Maximilian University, during which I worked on empirically modeling globular clusters and galaxy shapes and kinematics. During my studies, I visited the Institute for Astronomy of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, where I modeled the planetary nebulae luminosity function (PNLF), and I studied abroad at the Sorbonne University of Paris, taking courses at the Paris Observatory, the IAP (Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris), and the ENS (École normale supérieure).

For my PhD I have been awarded the doctoral scholarship of the German Academic Scholarship Foundation (Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes), and I am part of the Marianne-Plehn-Program from the Elite Network of Bavaria.

Since 2021, I have been involved in co-supervising four Master's students during their final theses and one Master's student during their spring project. Since 2022, I have been a referee for the Astrophysical Journal.