David Bour

PhD thesis: TBC

My PhD project is focused on trying to find the origin of highly magnetic white dwarf stars. To do this, I will simulate the evolution of systems containing two stars in orbit around one another, called binary stars. I will analyse the evolution of the magnetic fields of both stars and the overall remnant(s) of the system in order to find a possible progenitor for these magnetic white dwarfs.

Who or what inspired you to pursue your research interests?

Astronomy has always represented the unknown to me, with all of these objects and systems hundreds of light-years away that we can only interpret via measurements made from the vantage point of one small planet. The enormity of this puzzle is what drew me to astronomy in the first place, and my interest in it has only increased since then.