Astronomer Stella Offner Joins Oden Institute Core Faculty

“What computational problems look the most interesting?”

Like many students and faculty members at the Oden Institute, this question has followed Stella Offner, a new Core Faculty member at the Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin.

“All of my degrees are in physics,” Offner remarked. “When I had to choose a concentration for my Ph.D. at Berkeley, I gravitated towards astronomy because it encompassed every kind of physics - from fluids, to turbulence, to gravity, to magnetic fields.” 

Astronomy served as the ultimate computational and scientific playground for Offner, providing an endless source of multidisciplinary questions to research, model, and understand. Much of her research focuses on understanding how stars like our Sun form. “I perform computer simulations of the turbulent birth environment of stars, and use them to make predictions for what telescopes observe - it gives us a window into the evolution of galaxies and the initial conditions of planetary systems,” Offner explained. In the background, operatic music softly hummed, as a visualization of a simulation from the STARFORGE project played on the screen in front of us. 

These visualizations bridge computational research with storytelling ”the processes that generate these images happen over huge timescales, far longer than the human experience,” Offner said. “Telescopes can give us a snapshot, but it’s not always the whole story.”

Now, as she transitions into her new role, working with the Center for Scientific Machine Learning, she finds herself particularly drawn to the interdisciplinary nature of the work here. 

“One of the best parts of being a research faculty member is waking up in the morning with new ideas and being able to work on them. Scientific machine learning is something that I’ve become deeply interested in recently, and the Oden Institute is a natural nexus point to collaborate with other interdisciplinary scientists,” Offner noted. “Everything’s more exciting when you have collaboration.”

While she’s always enjoyed math and physics, Offner has had long standing passions for literature, writing, and other creative fields. “People tend to think about research as just programming, or just solving equations all day,” Offner said, laughing. “Things like scientific visualization, publishing papers, and giving talks are intrinsically communication heavy. You really need to understand how to explain these complex concepts. The best part of working in research is using these diverse skill sets together, instead of being siloed into one specific thing.”

Offner’s passion for communications work is reflected in her teaching and mentorship roles. Previously serving as the graduate student advisor in UT Austin’s Department of Astronomy, she continues to prioritize early-career scientists’ development and growth. 

“All scientists require mentors,” Offner said. “Sometimes those people are available and obvious, but so often, they’re not - especially to students that haven’t historically had access to  academic institutions, or to those that don’t know how to ask. Playing that role for budding scientists is absolutely critical to me.”

Offner’s advocacy for creating a welcoming community in academia and research goes beyond its impact on individual students and scientists. “Supporting all researchers is a statement of human capital. As a scientific community, we need to build up and take advantage of the full range of human experiences. Science is analytical, but it’s also creative. People bring their own stories and ideas, and it makes the field so much richer.”