Ore Gottlieb
2025 Regional Award Finalist — Post-Doc
Current Position:
Flatiron Research Fellow
Institution:
Flatiron Institute
Discipline:
Astrophysics & Cosmology
Recognized for: Shifting the paradigm describing neutron star mergers, giving scientists a roadmap for finding and studying these rare events.
Areas of Research Interest and Expertise:
High-Energy Astrophysics, Gravitational Wave Astrophysics, Multi-Messenger Astronomy, Black Holes, Relativistic Jets
Previous Positions:
B.Sc. in Computer Science, Technion Israel Institute of Technology, Israel
B.Sc. in Physics & Astronomy, Tel Aviv University, Israel
M.Sc. in Physics & Astronomy, Tel Aviv University, Israel (Advisor: Amiel Sternberg)
Ph.D. in Physics & Astronomy, Tel Aviv University, Israel (Advisor: Ehud Nakar)
Rothschild/CIERA Fellow, Northwestern University (Advisor: Alexander Tchekhovskoy)
Flatiron Research/Columbia Fellow, Flatiron Institute (Advisor: Brian D. Metzger)
Research Summary:
Across the universe, massive objects like black holes and neutron stars are colliding into each other, warping the spacetime around them and releasing showers of radiation and particles. Research conducted by astrophysicist Ore Gottlieb, PhD, is laying the groundwork for future study of these extreme events using multi-messenger astronomy – studying the same event through multiple different lenses, like looking at both the electromagnetic radiation and gravitational radiation of these mergers. Gottlieb’s work allows us to extract as much information as possible to transform our understanding of these events and their origins as they echo across the cosmos.
“Deeply honored and grateful to the Blavatnik Awards for recognizing my quest to crack the cosmic mysteries of black holes and illuminate the engine powering the Universe's most explosive events where gold is born.”
Key Publications:
O. Gottlieb, B. D. Metzger, E. Quataert, D. Issa, T. Martineau, F. Foucart, M. Duez, L. Kidder, H. Pfeiffer, M. Scheel. A Unified Picture of Short and Long Gamma-ray Bursts from Compact Binary Mergers. ApJL, 958, 33 (2023).
- O. Gottlieb, B. D. Metzger, F. Foucart, E. Ramirez-Ruiz. A Unified Model of Kilonovae and GRBs in Binary Mergers Establishes Neutron Stars as the Central Engines of Short GRBs. ApJ, 984, 77 (2025).
- O. Gottlieb, M. Liska, A. Tchekhovskoy, O. Bromberg, A. Lalakos, D. Giannios, P. Mösta. Black hole to photosphere: 3D GRMHD simulations of collapsars reveal wobbling and hybrid composition jets. ApJL, 933, 9 (2022).
- O. Gottlieb, A. Levinson, Y. Levin. In LIGO's Sight? Vigorous Coherent Gravitational Waves from Cooled Collapsar Disks. ApJL, 972, 4 (2024).
Other Honors:
2023 Flatiron Research Fellowship, Simons Foundation
2023 THEA Postdoctoral Fellowship, Columbia University
2021 CIERA Postdoctoral Fellowship, Northwestern University
2021 Rothschild Postdoctoral Fellowship, Yad Hanadiv
2021 Yoel Rakah Prize for Outstanding Theoretical Physics Student, Israel Physical Society
In the Media:
Phys – Simulations reveal black holes inherit magnetic fields from parent stars
- Phys – Astrophysical simulations predict new detectable gravitational wave source from collapsing stars
- SPACE – The elusive origins of long gamma-ray bursts may finally be revealed
- Science Daily – New astrophysics model sheds light on additional source of long gamma-ray bursts
- Yahoo! – Scientists find explanation for ‘impossible’ blast of light that hit Earth
- Science Daily – Unprecedented gamma-ray burst explained by long-lived jet
- SPACE – This gamma-ray space mystery may finally be solved with new black hole simulations
- Sky & Telescope – We could soon “hear” the gravitational waves of dying stars
- Live Science – Dying stars build humongous ‘cocoons’ that shake the fabric of space-time
- SPACE – Gravitational waves may come from ‘cocoons’ of debris around dying stars
- Science Daily – Dying stars’ cocoons could be new source of gravitational waves
- Yahoo! – Gravitational waves may come from ‘cocoons’ of debris around dying stars
- Yahoo! – How wobbling black holes explain blinking cosmic lights
- SPACE – Gamma-ray bursts might be much rarer than we thought, study suggests
- Science Daily – Falling stardust, wobbly jets explain blinking gamma ray bursts
- Astronomy – What makes gamma-ray bursts blink on and off?
- Yahoo! – Otherworldly blue lights in space are no longer shrouded in mystery
- SPACE – Cocooned, dying stars may cause sudden, bright blasts that confound scientists
- Science Daily – Dying stars’ cocoons might explain fast blue optical transients
- Science Daily – Radio observations point to likely explanation for neutron-star merger phenomena
- Science Daily – Exactly how fast is the universe expanding?
- Scientific – Faster Than Light? Neutron-Star Merger Shot Out a Jet with Seemingly Impossible Speed
- Science Daily – Radio observations confirm superfast jet of material from neutron star merger