Recent Invited Talks & Presentations

talks/
├── 2024/
│   ├── Transient Phenomena and Physical Processes Around SMBHs (invited) — Oct
│   ├── 50 years of Binaries and Disks: Lubow@75 — Apr
│   └── Anticipating the Rising Tide of TDEs, KITP — Apr
├── 2023/
│   ├── Graduate Seminar, Nanjing University (invited) — Jun
│   ├── AGN Santafe Conference, Los Alamos National Lab (invited) — Mar
│   ├── Graduate Seminar, Stony Brook University (invited) — Feb
│   ├── Astro-coffee, IAS, Princeton University (invited) — Feb
│   └── Bahcall lunch talk, IAS, Princeton University (invited) — Feb
├── 2022/
│   ├── Graduate Seminar, Georgia Institute of Technology (invited) — Sep
│   └── 53rd Annual DDA Meeting, CCA, Flatiron Institute — Apr
├── 2021/
│   ├── Astrophysics seminar, Univ. Balearic Islands (invited) — Oct
│   ├── Planet formation group meeting, CCA, Flatiron Institute — Oct
│   ├── Astronomy Seminar, Universidad de Concepción (invited) — Sep
│   ├── Astronomy Seminar, Stony Brook University — Aug
│   └── Compact Object Group meeting, CCA, Flatiron Institute — Mar
└── 2018/
    ├── Astronomy Seminar, American Museum of Natural History — Aug
    └── Astronomy Group meeting, Cornell University (invited) — Jun

Teaching

courses/
├── AST-203  Astronomy                              Spring 2019
├── AST-248  Search for Life in the Universe         Fall 2018
├── PHY-134  Classical Physics Lab II                Spring 2018
├── AST-205  Introduction to Planetary Sciences      Fall 2017
└── E&M      Electromagnetism (USTC)                 Fall 2014

Mentoring

students/
├── graduate/
│   ├── Connery Chen        UNLV           2023 – present
│   ├── Chaitanya Prasad    Stony Brook    2022 – 2023
│   └── Michael Ray         Stony Brook    2021 – 2022
└── undergraduate/
    ├── Antonio Frigo       Stony Brook    2021
    └── Robert Serrano      Stony Brook    2019 – 2020

press/
├── 2024/
│   ├── "Evidence of a Past Merger of the Galactic Center Black Hole"
│   │   ├── CBC — "A cosmic collision 9 billion years ago..."
│   │   ├── Phys.org — "Massive merger: Study reveals evidence..."
│   │   └── ScienceDaily
│   │
│   └── "Floating Binary Planets from Stellar Encounters"
│       ├── Quanta Magazine — "Rogue Worlds Throw Planetary Ideas Out of Orbit"
│       └── Physics World — "Pairs of rogue planets found wandering..."
│
└── 2020/
    └── "A Planet Could Have Been Stolen from the Solar System"
        └── New Scientist

┌──────────────────────────────────────┐
│  ~/group $ cat openings.md           │
└──────────────────────────────────────┘

I am building a research group at the intersection of gravitational dynamics, high-energy astrophysics, and theoretical/computational physics. Whether you prefer deriving things on a whiteboard or running simulations on a supercomputer — there’s a place for you here.

Research Themes

research/
├── agn-disk-dynamics/
│   ├── Stellar capture and migration in AGN disks
│   ├── Disk-mediated binary formation
│   └── Population evolution in nuclear clusters
├── nuclear-transients/
│   ├── Tidal disruption events
│   ├── Changing-look AGN
│   └── Quasi-periodic eruptions
├── gravitational-waves/
│   ├── Extreme mass-ratio inspirals
│   └── Binary black hole mergers (LIGO/LISA)
└── computational-tools/
    ├── SpaceHub — few-body dynamics
    ├── VegasAfterglow — GRB afterglow modeling
    └── New projects — open to ideas

What I Offer

• Hands-on mentoring
• Projects spanning analytical theory, semi-analytic modeling, and large-scale simulations
• Access to HPC resources, subscriptions to state-of-the-art AI models, and funding for conference travel
• Opportunities to work with data from the Einstein Probe (EP) and SVOM space missions as part of our collaboration memberships
• Training in theoretical methods, C/C++, Python, and high-performance computing
• A collaborative environment where physical insight drives the code

What I Look For

• A strong foundation in physics
• Curiosity about how extreme astrophysical environments work
• Comfort with mathematical derivations — pen-and-paper skills matter here
• Interest in analytical theory, numerical simulation, or both
• No prior expertise in my specific topics required

How to Reach Out

If you’re interested, send me an email at yihan.astro@gmail.com with:

1. A brief description of your background and interests
2. Your CV or transcript
3. (Optional) Any work you’re proud of — a derivation, a simulation, a code project, or a paper you enjoyed reading

// Positions available for PhD students, Master's students, and undergraduates.
// Visiting students and postdocs are also welcome to inquire.