Dr. Miika Pursiainen

Biography

Miika Pursiainen is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow specializing in the understanding of peculiar extragalactic transients, particularly Supernovae (SNe). His work largely revolves around understanding how the interaction of Circumstellar Material (CSM) affects the observables of SNe. He focuses on massive stars, which exhibit elevated mass loss for decades or centuries before their explosion into SNe. The ejecta of the explosion collides with the lost CSM, where the kinetic energy of the SN ejecta is converted into radiation, resulting in the diverse observational properties of SNe. Detailed observations of SNe allow researchers to decipher the mass lost during the explosion and ultimately determine the type of star that exploded. His specialties include optical polarimetry of extragalactic transients, which helps to elucidate the geometry of SN explosions, revealing their shapes and complexities. His PhD work at the University of Southampton uncovered a large population of events that evolve faster than standard SNe are expected to. Pursiainen's studies have contributed to making fast transients a hot topic within transient astronomy, leading to significant press releases. He continues to explore this phenomenon, having published studies on exceptionally bright fast transients in 2025.

Research Interests