Nikki Miller –
postdoctoral researcher in astrophysics
I work on techniques to improve our understanding of the fundamental properties of stars. I’m based in Uppsala, Sweden.
Hi! I’m an astrophysicist working to improve our knowledge of stars.
What do I do? I am a postdoctoral researcher at Uppsala University in Sweden, working on the M-dwarf stellar analysis pipeline for the upcoming PLATO mission, which aims to detect Earth-like planets around Sun-like stars. I also measure the fundamental properties of eclipsing binary stars, building a sample of very accurately-measured benchmark stars that will be useful for testing and calibrating stellar models and results from large-scale spectroscopic surveys. When I’m not doing research, I volunteer at the International Astronomical Youth Camp, make music and enjoy exploring new places through hiking and photography.
What’s my background? I studied Physics at the University of Warwick, graduating with a Bachelor of Science and Master of Physics degree in 2018. My Masters’ research looked at the interactions between exoplanets and their stars, particularly the X-ray and EUV irradiation and evaporation of the planetary atmospheres. During my PhD studies, I worked with Dr. Pierre Maxted to develop a new method for measuring the fundamental effective temperatures of stars in detached eclipsing binary systems. The first paper in the series describes the method and its application to the well-characterised binary AI Phoenicis. During this time, I began contributing to the PLATO Benchmark Stars group, along with supporting the EBLM and BEBOP projects with observations and scientific input. I also designed and implemented the observation scheduler on the Xamidimura telescopes, which are located at the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO). After finishing my PhD, I moved to the Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Center (CAMK) in Warsaw, where I was a postdoctoral researcher working with Dr. Dariusz Graczyk and a member of the international Araucaria team working on the cosmic distance scale.
Research interests
I use observations of eclipsing binary stars to measure their masses, radii and effective temperatures to sub-percent accuracy. I also measure fundamental properties of M-dwarfs. I contribute to the PLATO benchmark stars work package.
Publications
The refereed publications I have led and contributed to can be found via ADS, ORCiD, ResearchGate and Google Scholar. I have made some of my posters and slides from conferences and seminar talks available.
Outreach
I am an experienced public speaker and outreach volunteer who loves to share their passion for astronomy. My main activity is currently as an organiser at the International Astronomical Youth Camp (IAYC).
Nikki Miller, PhD 