I am David Hernandez, an Astrophysicist in the field of Galactic star formation. Born in Kitzbühel, Austria, I grew up in the hometown of one of the worlds most challenging downhill ski slopes, the Streif. I studied to become an electrical engineer at the HTL Saalfelden and took a job at the cable car company Bergbahn AG Kitzbühel. During my time there I had two positions, at first as a technician and cable car operator, and later as an assistant manager, both for the Hahnenkamm division of the company.
After three years of service, I decided in 2016 to pursue my passion for astronomy and astrophysics and enrolled at the University of Vienna. There, I completed my bachelor's degree in physics in 2019, followed by a master's degree in astrophysics in 2022. During my studies, I developed a keen interest in the field of Galactic star formation, which led me to pursue a PhD in this area.
Currently I am PhD student at the University of Vienna and a member of the research group of Prof. João Alves at the department for Astrophysics. In my doctoral research I focus on developing an improved classification method for young stellar objects which will add another puzzle piece to our understanding of how new stars are born in our Galaxy. Find out more about my research here.
Aside from my academic pursuits I am an avid martial artist practicing Taekwondo since the age of 7 and hold a first degree black belt (1. Dan). Furthermore, I have recently started Hapkido as a complementary martial art to Taekwondo. In addition to martial arts I enjoy running, cycling and also go for the occasional hike in the beautiful Austrian Alps.