Kosmas Gazeas

Title: Lecturer of Observational Astrophysics

Phone: +30 210 7276892 (office)

Fax: +30 210 7276725

e-mail: kgaze@phys.uoa.gr

web page: http://www.users.uoa.gr/~kgaze

 

Dr. Kosmas Gazeas was born in Kastoria, Greece. He studied Physics at the Aristotelion University of Thessaloniki (AUTH) and he got his MSc and PhD degree in Observational Astrophysics from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (UOA).

His post-doctoral research in astrophysics was conducted at Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA), USA, where he worked with images taken from Hubble Space Telescope (NASA). He worked at the European Space Agency - ESA, Netherlands where he specialized in space technology and optics. Since 2012 he act as an ESA scientific consultant in projects related to space optics.

His educational and research work is focused in astronomical study of eclipsing binary stars, supernovae, blazars, black holes and other exotic objects in our Universe, while we works in parallel with asteroseismology, on various space technology topics, applied optics and astronomical instrumentation.

In parallel to his research activity, his passion about space exploration led him to participate at the Astronaut Selection Process at ESA in 2008. He managed to be shortlisted among the top 500 candidates in the world.

For several years (2000-2021) he performs research astronomical observations at the University of Athens Observatory (UOAO) and he performs the public events entitled: "Public Nights - Astronomomy for All" at the Physics Department at UOA every month.

He is a member of the International Astronomical Union (IAU), and of the Hellenic Astronomical Society (HELAS).

Academic Qualifications:

Degree in Physics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

M.Sc. in Astrophysics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens

Ph.D. in Observational Astrophysics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens

 

Appointments:

2006-2009: Research Fellow at Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA), Cambridge, MA, USA

2009-2012: Research Fellow at the European Space Agency (ESA), Noordwijk, Netherlands

2012-present: Research Consultant at the European Space Agency (ESA), Noordwijk, Netherlands

2012-present: Lecturer, Faculty of Physics, University of Athens

 

Teaching: (current)

Undergraduate courses

Observational Astrophysics

Applied Optics and Laboratory of Applied Optics

Laboratory of Astrophysics

Core Laboratory I

Laboratory of Physics II

Laboratory of Physics II

 

Graduate courses

Observational Methods and Data Reduction in Astrophysics

 

Courses in other Departments

General Astronomy I (Department of Mathematics)

Physics I (Department of Chemistry)

 

Research Interests/Activities: (last 10 years)

Observational Astronomy - Astrophysics

Photometry and spectroscopy of variable stars

Evolution of binary stars

Galactic and extragalactic stellar popullations

Solar and Lunar Eclipses, transits, occultations

Asteroseismology

Applied Optics

Astronomical Instrumentation

Spectroscopy and Photometry

Space Technology

LIDAR technology and applications on planetary landing and atmospheric studies

Optical and thermal study of Nd:YAG crystal slab and applications on laser amplifiers (ADM-AEOLUS and EarchCARE-ATLID missions)

Optical laser communications in near space (application on optical link between ground station on earth and NASA/LADEE mission around the Moon)

Archeaoastronomy

Study of ancient scripts and/or oral documents (Iliad and Odyssey) in order to determine time and location and even explain various phenomena described in them, using astronomical methods

 

Scientific Publications/Announcements:          (until December 2020)

196 research publications in Astrophysics (106 in refereed journals, 90 in conferences and bulletins)

5 research publications in Optics and Instrumentation

2319 citations

h-index: 26 (source: NASA ADS http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html)

 

Selected Publications

Gazeas, K., Niarchos, P., "Masses and angular momenta of contact binary stars", 2006, MNRAS, 370, L29

Gazeas, K., Stepien, K., "Angular momentum and mass evolution of contact binaries", 2008, MNRAS, 390, 1577

Stepien, K., Gazeas, K., "Evolution of Low Mass Contact Binaries", 2012, AcA, 62, 153

Gazeas, K., Palafouta, S., "DV Psc: A Magnetically Active Hierarchical Triple System", 2019, AcA, 69, 261

Gazeas, K., Zola, S., Liakos. A., et al., "Physical Parameters of Close Binary Systems: VIII", 2021, MNRAS, 501, 2897

Gazeas, K., Loukaidou, G., Niarchos, P., Palafouta, S., et al., "CoBiToM project-I. Contact binaries towards merging", 2021, MNRAS, 502, 2879

Loukaidou, G. A., Gazeas, K. D., Palafouta, S., et al., "CoBiToM project-II: Evolution of contact binary systems close to the orbital period cut-off", 2021, MNRAS, tmp, 3077, L2021/11

Complete list of publications

 

Honorary Awards:

1997 Astronomy Prize of Vasileios Barbanis awarded for exceptional progress in Observational Astronomy of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

2003 July. Honorary award at the NASA - International Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama, USA («Right Staff Award»), for exceptional performance and skills on the communicational and educational program of the NASA - Space and Rocket Center.

2002-2003. Scholarship from the University of Athens, during the postgraduate studies (MSc).

2003-2005. Scholarship «Hrakleitos»: Research grand for the PhD degree, ΕPEAEK II, European Union.

2009-2010. Scholarship from the State Foundation of Scholarships (IKY) for the Greek Trainee Program at the European Space Technology & Research Center, ESA/ESTEC, Mechatronics and Optics Division, Noordwijk, The Netherlands.

 

Various Interests:

Photography (astrophotography, landscapes)

Sports (archery, running, trecking, mountaining)