CV

since 2017
Professor for theoretical astrophysics
at the LMU Munich
2015-2017
Postdoc at the Max-Planck-Institute for Astronomy
in Heidelberg, Germany
with Hubert Klahr
2013-2015
Postdoc at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
in Cambridge, MA, USA
with Sean Andrews
2011-2012
Postdoc at LMU Munich & the Excellence Cluster 'Universe'
with Barbara Ercolano
2010-2011
Postdoc at the Max-Planck-Institute for Astronomy
in Heidelberg, Germany
with Kees Dullemond
2007-2010
PhD in Astrophysics at the University of Heidelberg
and the Max-Planck-Institute for Astronomy
Supervisor: Kees Dullemond
2007-2008
Master of Science in Physics an der State University of New York
in Albany, NY
with Kevin Knuth
2003-2006
Undergraduate (2005) und Graduate Studies of Physik
at the University of Würzburg, Germany

Prizes and Awards

2023
ERC Consolidator Grant 2023

2 Million Euro funding for the project EarlyBird.
2023
Highly Cited Scientists 2023

The ranking "Highly Cited Scientists" by Clarivate ranked Til Birnstiel in the category "Space Science". They state: "Of the world’s population of scientists and social scientists, Highly Cited Researchers™ are 1 in 1,000."

LMU Press Release
2023
New Horizons in Physics Breakthrough Prize

awarded by the Breakthrough Foundation, together with Prof. Nienke van der Marel, Prof. Paola Pinilla, and Prof. Laura Pérez for "the prediction, discovery, and modeling of dust traps in young circumstellar disks, solving a long-standing problem in planet formation."
2020
Astrophysical Software Award 2020
awarded by the German Astronomical Society "for the software he developed for modelling the temporal and spatial evolution of dust in protoplanetary disks."

Origins Cluster Press Release
2017
ERC Starting Grant

1.4 Millionen Euro funding for the project DustPrints.

Public Outreach

Til Birnstiel organizes the Munich Physics Colloquium together with colleagues from TUM. He is committed to equal opportunities, supervises school interns and holds lectures for the public, teacher training courses and more.

Recording of the talk "Formation of the Planets" (in German) in the Deutsches Museum

He also contributes to radio and television with fact checks, expert statements and interviews, including on radio stations B2, B5, Süddeutsche Zeitung and BR television and to TV documentaries.

Funded by an Origins Cluster Seed Project, he developed open source software to 3D-print astrophysical datasets for outreach and teaching.

Teaching

Til Birnstiel regularly gives Master's lectures in the field of planet formation and planetary astrophysics, the lecture "Essentials of Modern Astrophysics" and the introductory lecture for Bachelor's students "Astrophysics 1". He also supervises students in seminar presentations as well as Master's and Bachelor's theses and is involved in the Physics trial studies programme.

Sign-up for lectures and seminars is done via the LSF and course-related communication via Moodle.

Lecture: Astrophysik I (Bachelor)
Seminar: Astrophysik des Sonnensystems (Bachelor)

Lecture: Protoplanetary Disks and Planet Formation (Masters)
Seminar: Astrophysik des Sonnensystems (Bachelor)

Lecture: Essentials of Advanced Astrophysics (Masters)
Seminar: Astrophysik des Sonnensystems (Bachelor)

Lecture: Protoplanetary Disks and Planet Formation (Master)
Seminar: Astrophysik des Sonnensystems (Bachelor)

Lecture: Astrophysik I (Bachelor)

Lecture: Astrophysik I, (Bachelor)
Seminar: Astrophysik des Sonnensystems (Bachelor)

Lecture: Protoplanetary Disks and Planet Formation (Master)
Seminar: Astrophysik des Sonnensystems (Bachelor)

Lecture: Essentials of Advanced Astrophysics (Masters)
Seminar: Astrophysik des Sonnensystems (Bachelor)
Seminar: Astrophysical Advanced Seminar (Masters)

Lecture: Protoplanetary Disks and Planet Formation (Masters)
Seminar: Astrophysik des Sonnensystems (Bachelor)
Seminar: Astrophysical Advanced Seminar (Master)

Lecture: Astrophysik I (Bachelor)
Seminar: Astrophysik des Sonnensystems (Bachelor)
Seminar: Astrophysical Advanced Seminar (Masters)

Lecture: Protoplanetary Disks and Planet Formation (Master)
Lecture: Essentials of Advanced Astrophysics (Master)

Lecture: Introduction to Radiative Transfer Processes (Master)
Seminar: Astrophysical Advanced Seminar (Master)

Lecture: Protoplanetary Disks and Planet Formation (Master)
Seminar: Astrophysical Advanced Seminar (Master)
Seminar: Astrophysik des Sonnensystems (Bachelor)

Lecture: The Formation and Evolution of Planets in Protoplanetary Disks (Master)
Seminar: Astrophysik des Sonnensystems (Bachelor)