Dr. Dominik Hintz joined LPL in May 2021 as a Postdoctoral Research Associate. Together with Professor Travis Barman, he works on stellar atmospheres of the Sun and solar-like low mass stars using the state-of-the-art atmosphere code PHOENIX. The project encompasses improvements of the code in order to gain valuable interpretations of the physics in the atmospheres of these stars when comparing the model spectra to real observations. In particular, the work aims at investigations of ultraviolet radiation of planet-host stars which affect the habitability of exoplanets orbiting them.

Dominik lived in Hamburg, Germany, before moving to Tucson. He earned his B.Sc., M.Sc. and Ph.D. in physics at the University of Hamburg. His Ph.D. research dealt with the investigation of stellar activity among M dwarf stars. This work focused on fitting atmosphere models to observed spectral lines from the visible to the near-infrared wavelength range using high-resolution spectra in order to improve the understanding of stellar activity among low mass stars.

During his free time, Dominik is interested in sports such as soccer, cycling, and football. He also likes to travel and to engage in outdoor activities.