Dr Eleftheria Sarafidou
Postdoctoral Research Assistant
School of Physical and Chemical Sciences
Queen Mary University of London
Research
protoplanetary disks, non ideal MHD, magnetic winds, disk dynamics, planet - disk interaction, planet formation
Interests
My research interests lie in theoretical astrophysics, with a focus on the numerical modelling of protoplanetary disks. I use grid-based magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) codes such as NIRVANA and IDEFIX to study the dynamics and long-term evolution of disks. During my PhD, I concentrated on non-ideal MHD effects and their impact on disk structure, turbulence, and angular momentum transport, with particular emphasis on both magnetically driven and photoevaporative disk winds. My current work centres on planet–disk interactions, investigating how disk properties influence planetary migration, eccentricity evolution, and overall orbital dynamics.
Research Group
News
May 2026
14 May 2026
Przemek Wałęga is part of a team that has had a paper accepted at the Forty-Third International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML) in Seoul, South KoreaJuly 6th - 11th, 2026. It is one of the three main machine learning conferences.
Their paper shows that graph neural networks have "winning tickets": ... [more]
11 May 2026
International Women in Mathematics Day is celebrated on 12 May, marking the birthday of Maryam Mirzakhani, the first woman to receive the Fields Medal in 2014. Born in Iran, Mirzakhani made groundbreaking contributions to mathematics before her life was cut short at a young age. Her legacy continues to inspire women and ... [more]
11 May 2026
Three researchers of the Centre for Complex Systems (CCS) have been ranked among the Top 100 UK Scientists in their respective disciplines by Research.com in its 2026 evaluation. The assessment is based on bibliometric data and impact measures.
Christian Beck, Professor of Applied Mathematics and Head of the CCS, was ranked 64... [more]
8 May 2026
Przemyslaw Wałęga has had two full papers (and 2 further extended abstract papers) accepted for the 23rd International Conference on Principles of Knowledge Representation and Reasoning, July 20-23, 2026 - Lisbon, Portugal. KR is the main conference paper on knowledge representation and reasoning, which takes place as part of FLoC.
The ... [more]
7 May 2026
As Arctic temperatures rise, frozen soils are thawing for longer periods—but new research shows this doesn't fully activate the life hidden underground. Instead, only about half of soil microbes "wake up," meaning greenhouse gas release depends on which microbes respond, and how quickly, rather than warming alone.
A partially ... [more]
6 May 2026
Two students from the School of Engineering and Materials Science at Queen Mary University of London delivered impressive research presentations at this year's STEM for Britain competition, held at the House of Commons on Tuesday 17 March 2026.
Sarah Hussain and Rory Bennett were selected as finalists in this highly competitive national ... [more]
5 May 2026
The secret behind insects' lightning fast reactions could offer a blueprint for more energy efficient robots and self-driving cars, according to a new study challenging our understanding of how brains process information.
The secret behind insects' lightning fast reactions could offer a blueprint for more energy efficient robots and self-driving ... [more]
4 May 2026
Marcus Pearce has delivered two keynote addresses at the Society for Education, Music and Psychology Research (SEMPRE) 2026 conference at the University of Cambridge and at the International Conference on Music and Sleep at Aarhus University, Denmark.
These presentations follow the publication of his book Learning to listen, listening to learn ... [more]
1 May 2026
Benjamin Schäfer, who was a postdoctoral researcher in the Centre for Complex Systems between 2019 and 2021 working with Professor Christian Beck, will receive the prestigious 2026 Ecology Prize of the Viktor & Sigrid Dulger Foundation, awarded by the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities. The prize recognises outstanding achievements by young researchers ... [more]
April 2026
30 April 2026
Yesterday (29th April 2026), the Centre for Digital Music (C4DM), part of the School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science, hosted the inaugural event of the London Interdisciplinary Music Research Initiative (LIMRI) - bringing together leading researchers and practitioners from across London to explore the science, scholarship, and art of ... [more]
30 April 2026
The Statistics and Data Science Clinic, a successful initiative of the Centre for Probability, Statistics and Data Science has received funding from QMUL ERICA fund to continue its operation in 2025/26 and 2026/27. The Clinic, which launched in June 2025, aims to provide a range of services, from statistical advice and new methodology ... [more]
29 April 2026
Cognitive Science group PhD student Daniel Gill gave a CS in Academia Industry Talk to the Computer Science Society at the University of Lincoln.
Dan's PhD concerns the Identification of Interactive Motion Patterns in Neurodivergent Children and Adults. He is using a robotic system to experimentally investigate how neurodivergent people ... [more]
29 April 2026
Tyler Kelly is a professor in the Centre for Combinatorics, Algebra and Number Theory and a Future Leader Fellow working on open mirror geometry for Landau-Ginzburg models. Their inspiring commitment to EDI has been recognised by the appointment to prestigious learned societies and advisory boards, as the London Mathematical Society ... [more]
29 April 2026
Vasileios Klimis will be presenting a paper at the 34th ACM Joint European Software Engineering Conference and Symposium on the Foundations of Software Engineering to be held 5 - 9 July 2026 in Montreal, Canada.
It introduces a new way to validate compilers and so make all software created using them potentially more ... [more]
29 April 2026
Researchers in the Centre for Theoretical Physics and Astronomy in the School of Physical and Chemical Sciences and the Centre for Geometry, Analysis and Gravitation in the School of Mathematical Sciences at Queen Mary have been awarded £1.4 million from the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) to fund the four-year ... [more]
28 April 2026
Vasileios Klimis is part of a team that have a paper accepted for the 19th IEEE International Conference on Software Testing, Verification and Validation in Daejeon, Republic of Korea to be held 18-22 May
It concerns Noise Fingerprints for Cross-Platform Quantum Simulator Discrepancy Analysis. Quantum algorithms are tested on quantum ... [more]
28 April 2026
On Wednesday 6 May, we will host the next Chemistry Seminar in the series, delivered by Dr Antonio Attanzio from Cambridge Display Technology Limited.
The seminar will take place in the People's Palace Lecture Theatre 1 (PP1) from 2.00 pm to 3.00 pm.
We hope to see you there!
Antonio, a former PhD student ... [more]
27 April 2026
On Wednesday 29 April, we will host the next Chemistry Seminar in the series, delivered by Dr Robert Menzel from the University of Leeds.
The seminar will take place in G. O. Jones Lecture Theatre, from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm.
For more details about Dr Menzel's profile and research interests, please visit ... [more]
24 April 2026
New paper in Neuroscience & Biobehavioural Review proposes first neurobiological model for how emotionally meaningful touch stays in our memory and influences our connections with others.
Why does a comforting touch stay with us for years, while other sensations quickly fade from our minds? A new paper offers a novel answer, ... [more]
22 April 2026
Study reveals some bees shift colour depending on humidity – and may explain why the same species can look different across climates.
Some bees really do change colour with the weather, according to new research that shows humidity can temporarily alter the shimmering hues of certain species.
In a study published ... [more]
