Warrick Ball

asteroseismologist turned research software engineer

If you're generally interested in asteroseismology, you might enjoy the review I wrote for Astronomy & Geophysics, magazine of the Royal Astronomical Society, in 2023.

If you'd like an introduction the asteroseismic surface effect, have a look at the proceedings of a review talk I gave in 2017.

Contact

CV

2023 — Research Software Engineer, University of Birmingham, Advanced Research Computing
2017 — 2022Postdoc, University of Birmingham, School of Physics and Astronomy
Group: Solar and Stellar Physics
2012 — 2016Postdoc, Institut für Astrophysik Göttingen
Group: Physics of the interior of the Sun and Sun-like stars
2008 — 2012PhD in Astronomy, University of Cambridge
Thesis: Quasi-stars and the Schönberg—Chandrasekhar limit
2007 — 2008MSc in Astrophysics, University College London
2003 — 2006BSc (Hons) in Theoretical Physics, University of Cape Town

Publications

Code

I lead and contribute to various open source projects. Here are some highlights. You can find more of my projects and contributions on GitLab or GitHub.

As lead

tomso
is a set of Python modules for reading (and sometimes writing) input and output from a number of stellar evolution and oscillation codes.
AADG3
simulates light curves of solar-like oscillators.
mistery
is a Python module for retrieving data from the MESA Isochrones and Stellar Tracks (MIST) database of stellar models.
AIMS3
is a (partial) re-implementation of AIMS, which interpolates in a grid of stellar model data (including mode frequencies) to determine stars' properties.
allium
is a Python module that computes eigenfunctions and eigenfrequencies for spheres assuming the sound speed is a piecewise constant function.

As contributor

MESA
is a widely-used stellar evolution code software instrument. I was invited to join the development team in 2017. Most of my contributions are to the asteroseismology module.
GYRE
is a widely-used stellar oscillation code.

Side projects

I have a few experimental projects that I chip away at when I find time.

An Atlas of TESS Light Curves
shows example TESS light curves of many classes of variable stars.
A Tufte-like Book with Quarto
is an experiment in using Quarto to create a Tufte-like open education resource that renders both as a webpage with animated and interactive elements and as a static PDF.