Beatriz Villarroel
Research interests
The Vanishing & Appearing Sources during a Century of Observations project (VASCO)
Structure and coevolution of active galactic nuclei (AGN) and their host galaxies.
The Unified Model of AGN.
Searches for Extra-terrestrial Intelligence, optical SETI.
Education
February 2017
PhD degree in astronomy, Uppsala University. Title of PhD thesis: “Active Galactic Nuclei in galaxy surveys: empirical paths to the fiery hearts of cosmic beasts”.
February 2012
Masters degree in physics, Uppsala University.
academic positions
Aug 2023
Assistant professor, Nordic Institute of Theoretical Physics (Stockholm Univ.)
Jan. 2023 – July 2023
Postdoctoral Researcher, Nordic Institute of Theoretical Physics (Stockholm Univ.)
Oct. 2018 – Dec. 2022.
Postdoctoral researcher, Nordic Institute of Theoretical Physics (Stockholm University) & Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias.
Mar. 2018 – Sep. 2018.
Researcher position at the Department of Information Technology, Uppsala University (system controls group).
1st Feb. 2017 – 31st Jan. 2018.
Postdoctoral position in the Black Hole Group at ETH Zurich in Switzerland.
Awards/honors
Mitchell Lecturer at the Physics Festival at Texas A&M, April 2024. Title: ”Vanishing Stars and the Hunt for Extraterrestrial Artifacts”. The Mitchell Lecture is a prize lecture.
Heterodox Academy “2023 Courage Award”. The Courage Award is “For the person who has demonstrated consistent courage in pursuing truth, and embodies bravery in championing the principles of open inquiry, viewpoint diversity, and constructive disagreement in the academy despite social and professional costs.
L’Oreal-UNESCO For Women in Science “International Rising Talents” prize, 2022. Prize sum: 15 000 euros. This prize is given to the 15 most promising female early-career scientists among more than 250 national prize winners around the globe.
L’Oreal-UNESCO prize For Women in Science with Support of Young Academy of Sweden, 2021, Prize sum: 150 000 SEK. Prize motivation (in Swedish): “…för sin unika förmåga att länka astronomi, artificell intelligens och medborgarforskning för att identifiera försvunna ljuskällor på himlen. Hennes banbrytande forskning kan i framtiden leda till en lång rad upptäckter, från stjärnor som kollapsar direkt till svarta hål – så kallade fallerade supernovor – till möjliga tecken på intelligent liv i universum.”
Crafoords research scholarship 2012, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (received during the Crafoord Prize Ceremony). Sum: 50 000 SEK.
Selected grants
Vetenskapsrådets (Swedish Research Council) postdoctoral fellowship/grant, autumn call 2017. Sum: 3150 000 SEK. The associated research position started October 2018.
Märta and Erik Holmberg’s research grant, Kungliga Fysiografiska Sällskapet i Lund. Years: 2013, 2014, 2020. In total: 40 000 + 40 000 + 57 500 SEK. Sum: 137 500 SEK.
Selected publications
Solano, E., Marcy,G., Villarroel,B., Geier,S., Streblyanska,A., Lombardi,G., Bär,R.E., Andruk,V.N., “A Bright Triple Transient that Vanished within 50 Minutes”, 2023, arXiv
Villarroel B., Mattsson L., Guergouri H., Solano E., Geier S., Dom O.N. and Ward M.J., “A glint in the eye: photographic plate archive searches for non-terrestrial artifacts”, 2022, Acta Astronautica, 194, 106.
Villarroel B., Marcy G.W., Geier S., Streblyanska A., Solano Marquez E., Andruk V.A., Shultz M.E., Gupta A.C., Mattsson L., “Exploring nine simultaneously occurring transients on April 12th 1950”, 2021, Scientific Reports (Nature journals), 11, 12794. This article is the 6th most read physics paper in Scientific Reports during 2021 https://www.nature.com/collections/jagdfeiaaa
Villarroel B., Soodla J., Comerón S., Mattsson L., Pelckmans K., López-Corredora M., Krisciunas K., Guerras E., Kochukhov O., Bergstedt J., Buelens B., Bär R.E., Rubén C., Enriquez J.E., Gupta A.C., Imaz I., Torgny K., Prieto M.A., Shlyapnikov A.A., de Souza R.S., Vavilova I., Ward M.J., “The Vanishing & Appearing Sources during a Century of Observations project: I. USNO objects missing in modern sky surveys and follow-up observations of a ‘missing star’ “, 2020, The Astronomical Journal, 159, 8.
Villarroel B., A. Nyholm, T. Karlsson, S. Cómerón, A.J. Korn, J. Sollerman & E. Zackrisson, “The Different Star-formation Histories of Type-1 and Type-2 AGN in the Eyes of Supernovae”, 2017, Astrophysical Journal, 837, 110
Villarroel B., I. Imaz, & J. Bergstedt “Our Sky now and then – searches for lost stars and impossible effects as probes of advanced extra-terrestrial civilisations”, 2016, Astronomical Journal, 152, 76
Villarroel B. & A.J. Korn “The different neighbours around Type-1 and Type-2 active galactic nuclei”, 2014, Nature Physics, Vol. 10, p. 417.
Assistant Professor, Nordic Institute for Theoretical Physics (NORDITA)
Video
Publications
In selecting my associates, I adhere to the UNESCO recommendations and
the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights” by the United Nations. I believe in the inherent dignity, and the equal and inalienable rights, of all humans.