Expert on massive double stars
Selma de Mink is an expert in the area of massive double stars. With advanced computer simulations she has shown that these are much more common then had previously been assumed by astronomers. She obtained her PhD cum laude in 2010 at Utrecht University and was later awarded a Hubble Fellowship at NASA. In 2014 she was awarded a MacGillavry Fellowship, the UvA Faculty of Science programme for female top scientists, allowing her to set up her own research group at the Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy.
In October 2015 she garnered media attention for her research on the ‘intimate kiss’ of double star VFTS 352. Last January she was awarded an NWO TOP grant, a programme of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research for young researchers who, at the beginning of their scientific career, already are considered top of their field.
