Akash (Devnagri: आकाश) signifies “space” or “sky”, while my full name, Akash Vani, translates to “a message from heaven”. If you are from the Indian subcontinent, my name might ring a bell, it is similar to the radio broadcasting station and/or the Hindi movie. If not, now you know!

Currently, I’m a PhD researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics (MPA), Garching and a part of the International Max Planck Research School on Astrophysics (IMPRS-A) at the Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU) in Munich. In the Galaxy Formation and Evolution group, I am trying to understand the redshift evolution (0<z<10) of various galaxy scaling relations derived from different observations in a semi-analytical cosmological galaxy evolution model called L-Galaxies.

Before starting my PhD, I was an intern at MPA, exploring similar cosmic inquiries. I earned my master’s degree with a specialisation in Stellar, Galactic and Extragalactic astrophysics from the University of Heidelberg, Germany in September 2022. During this time, I focused on researching the properties of stars and mainly white dwarfs around the Sun within a semi-analytical Milky Way model called the JJ model. This work involved extending the JJ model’s capabilities to synthesise white dwarf population, and actively contributing to the development of an extenstive local stellar catalogue. This work was supervised by Apl. Prof. Dr. Andreas Just and Dr. Kseniia Sysoliatina.

Originating from the town of Mapusa in the paradise state of Goa-India, I completed my schooling at New Goa’s G.S. Amonkar Vidya Mandir (until class 10th) and later at St. Xavier’s Higher Secondary School (until class 12th). Additionally, I acquired expertise as a watchmaker working with my father, specialising in quartz-based and automatic wristwatches.

My journey led me to the city of Pune, also known to be the educational capital of India, where I obtained my bachelor’s degree with a major in physics and minor in mathematics and electronic sciences from Savitribai Phule Pune University in June 2019.

When I am not coding and evolving galaxies, I like to visit museums, go on hikes and walks, and do some analogue and digital photography.