Miguel Montargès' personal webpage

CV

Current position

Since November 2024: Assistant astronomer at Paris Observatory, at the LIRA (previously LESIA)

Previous positions

November 2022 - November 2024: Paris Region Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellow at Paris Observatory, at the LESIA
November 2020 - November 2022: PSL post-doctoral fellow at Paris Observatory, at the LESIA
June - October 2020: Post-doctoral research associate at KU Leuven, Institute of Astronomy
June 2017 - May 2020: FWO PEGASUS² Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow at KU Leuven, Institute of Astronomy
Nov. 2014 - May 2017: Post-doc astronomer, Institut de Radioastronomie Millimétrique, Grenoble. (research in the field of astrophysics, involvment in the NOEMA project, astronomer on duty at NOEMA)

PhD Thesis

Sept 2011 - Oct. 2014: Mass loss of evolved massive stars: the circumstellar environment at high angular resolution, Advisors : P. Kervella and G. Perrin, UPMC - LESIA - Observatoire de Paris, High honors. (available online)

Awards and honors

Medal of the town of Collioure awarded on July 30th 2021, for the Nature publication (see ESO’s press release, or the press coverage), and for the organization of the Festival from the Beach to the Stars for the past 10 years.

PhD thesis supervision

November 2017 - December 2021: Emily Cannon, PhD thesis student at the KU Leuven, Observations et diagnosis of red supergiant winds (co-supervision)

Internship supervisions

March - July 2025: Lucie Hamel, Master 2nd year at Paris Observatory, Imaging the convective surface of the red supergiant Antares
June - July 2024: Edwige Lecerf, Bachelor 3rd year at Paris-Saclay University, Characterization of the polarized signal of the red supergiant Betelgeuse
June - July 2023: Margot Courtoux & Nicolas Wozny, Bachelor 3rd year at Paris-Saclay University, The Great Dimming of Betelgeuse at high angular resolution
January - June 2023: Aishabibi Ashimbekova, Master 1st year at Paris Observatory - PSL, The dusty circumstellar environment of Betelgeuse
May - July 2022: Estelle Salibur & Tim Dewachter, Bachelor 3rd year at Paris-Saclay University, VLT/NACO lucky-imaging of the environement of Betelgeuse
March - May 2020: Lucas Levrouw & Jonathan Luyts, Bachelor 3rd year at the KU Leuven, The dust of GY Aquilae (co-supervision)
October - December 2019: Cassandra Van der Sijpt & Mathijs Vanrespaille, Bachelor 3rd year at the KU Leuven, The dusty envelope of AH Sco (co-supervision)
October - December 2018: Sheila Roelens & Bram van den Borne, Bachelor 3rd year at the KU Leuven, Antares: Flux calibration of VLT/SPHERE data (co-supervision)
March - June 2018: Laurens Bloemens, Master 1st year, Theoritical Astrophysics at the KU Leuven, Characterizing the molecular layer around the red supergiant CE Tauri
Spring 2014: Anthony Soulain, Master (1st year) Dissertation at LESIA/Observatoire de Paris, HST/STIS observations of the environment of Betelgeuse (co-supervision)

Teaching

Since September 2024: Master 1st year - Universe Sciences and Space Technologies. In charge of the Observations Techniques and data analysis unit. Co-resp. : L. Casamiquela (LIRA), Observatoire de Paris.
Since September 2024: M2 Astronomy, Astrophysics and Space Engineering, supervision of the spectrometry experiment at the 60 cm telescope in Meudon in the framework of the methodology M01 Instrument project / High Angular Resolution. Resp. : P. Gallais (CEA), Observatoire de Paris.
January - April 2022: Master 1st year - Universe Sciences and Space Technologies. In charge of the Observations Techniques and data analysis unit. Co-resp. : C. Leyrat (LESIA), Observatoire de Paris.
October 2016: 9th IRAM interferometry school. Grenoble.
March 2016: Master 2nd year - Astronomy, Astrophysics, and Space Engineering. Observational project at the Observatoire de Haute Provence. Spectroscopy at the 152cm telescope. 1 week. Resp : P. Gallais, Obsevatoire de Paris.
2011 - 2014: Teaching mission during the PhD thesis (192h spread over 3 years). Observatoire de Paris.
Spring 2009: Teaching Internship: 43h of teaching in two classes of a high school. Resp. : B. Raulin, Lycée F. Mistral, Fresnes.

Member of scientific societies

Since 2022: Member of the International Astronomical Union (IAU)
Since 2014: Member of the French Astronomical and Astrophysical Society (SF2A)

Collective responsibilities

Since January 2025: representative of the Training and Teaching Unit (UFE) of Paris Observatory at the Instrumentation Coordination and Programming Committee of the Observatory.
Since July 2024: co-chair of the instrumentation group of the Training and Teaching Unit (UFE) of Paris Observatory
Since November 2024: elected member at the board of Paris Observatory
Since Spring 2024: Member of the external communication cell of the LIRA
Since Spring 2024: Member of the web site working group of the LIRA
December 2011 to December 2013: PhD student representative at the LESIA lab council

Reviewing activities

May 2022 to May 2023: Expert for the Programe Comittee (OPC) of ESO, D category (Stellar evolution)
Since Spring 2022: Referee for ApJ et A&A
Since Spring 2016: Referee for MNRAS

Education

2010-2011: Graduation, Master 2nd year : Astronomy, Astrophysics and Spatial Engineering (AAIS), Astrophysics option, Observatoire de Paris, with Honors.
2009-2010: Physics "Agregation", ENS Cachan, 43 out of 102 national opened positions. (Agregation is a highly competitive examination of the Ministry of National Education to recruit a high category of teachers)
September 2007: Gained admittance to Ecole Normale Supérieure de Cachan. (ENS de Cachan is one of only three institutes of higher education training students to become professors and researchers in their field.)

Others

Since September 2017: president of the association From the beach to the stars
January 2015 to April 2017: in charge of the organization of seminars at IRAM
In charge of the astronomy club of Meudon observatory from April 2012 to October 2014

Research activities

Publication list

Available here or on NASA ADS.

International collaborations

Since April 2021: Member of the PEPPER collaboration
Since April 2018: Member of the ATOMIUM collaboration and leader of the Science Working Group Observations optiques

Organisation of conferences/workshops/sessions

March 2022: Organizer of the ATOMIUM Winter 2023 meeting
September 2022: Organizer of the ATOMIUM 2022 meeting
June 2021: Organizer of the Session 21 of the 2021 week of the French Astronomical and Astrophysical Society (SF2A)
June 2021: Organizer of the Session 22 of the 2021 meeting of the European Astronomical Society (EAS)
June 2020: Organizer of the Session 5 of the 2020 week of the French Astronomical and Astrophysical Society (SF2A)
June 2019: Organizer of the Session 19 of the 2019 European Week of Astronomy and Space Science (EWASS)

Outreach activities

Youtube channel

https://www.youtube.com/c/MiguelMontargès

The head towards the stars

Every Saturday at 7:25am in 2022-2023 on France Bleu Roussillon. The full playlist is available here.

Festival from the Beach to the Stars

In 2011, I co-founded an astronomy outreach festial in my hometown, Collioure (South of France). Now, I am the president of the association From the Beach to the Stars that organizes the event. To learn more: the Festival's website (in French)

Publications

Montargès, M. Septembre 2021, L’Astronomie, 135, p 6, Betelgeuse's wink
Montargès, M. 2018, Ciel & Espace, 558, p 24 : The Supermoon Blues
Montargès, M. 2017, Ciel & Espace, 556, p 70 : The French instrumental heritage: inertia, perils (and hopes)?
Montargès, M. Décembre 2017, L’Astronomie, 111, p 18 : Betelgeuse, the star of winter: a much observed star

Contact

To send me an email: