Philip Fajardo Hopkins is a distinguished Professor of Theoretical Astrophysics at the California Institute of Technology where he has held a faculty position since 2013. He previously served as an Einstein Fellow and Miller Fellow at the University of California at Berkeley from 2008 to 2013 following the completion of his Ph.D. in Astronomy from Harvard University. His undergraduate education was completed at Princeton University where he earned a B.A. in Astrophysics Summa Cum Laude with Distinction in Astrophysical Sciences. Hopkins has held significant leadership roles including Executive Officer for Astronomy at Caltech from 2019 to 2022 and has served on numerous university-level faculty staffing and search committees across multiple departments.
Dr. Hopkins has made transformative contributions to computational astrophysics through the development of innovative algorithms and simulation codes for fluid, magnetic, radiation, particle, solid-body, and gravitational dynamics that are now widely utilized by dozens of research groups worldwide. His research focuses on the formation and evolution of astrophysical objects ranging from galaxies to stars to supermassive black holes to planets, with particular expertise in dark matter simulations and interstellar medium dynamics. His computational tools have become standard resources in the field, enabling new discoveries about galaxy mergers, quasar evolution, and cosmic structure formation. The impact of his work extends beyond astrophysics into engineering and fluid dynamics applications, demonstrating the broad utility of his methodological innovations.
Beyond his research, Hopkins has significantly influenced the field through extensive mentorship of 25 undergraduate students through Caltech's summer research fellowship program and leadership in the scientific community. He has served on computing time allocation committees for NASA, NSF, and DOE, and has participated in organizing over 35 international scientific conferences. Dr. Hopkins is also deeply committed to science communication, having served as a panelist for high school and undergraduate audiences as well as amateur astronomy groups, and has participated in public discussions with major science fiction franchises including The Expanse, Star Trek, and Doctor Who. His ongoing research continues to push the boundaries of computational astrophysics while training the next generation of scientists through his leadership at Caltech's TAPIR division.
