Ore Gottlieb

Research Interests

Prof. Ore Gottlieb is a theoretical and computational astrophysicist who studies some of the most extreme events in the universe. His research focuses on black holes, neutron stars, the collapse of massive stars, and cosmic explosions such as supernovae, compact-object mergers, and gamma-ray bursts. These cataclysmic events not only shape the evolution of the universe but also create many of the heavy elements and the most powerful astrophysical events we observe today.

To study them, Prof. Gottlieb combines large-scale 3D general-relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations with analytic calculations. This approach makes it possible to model the complex physics of these extreme environments and connect the theory directly to observations. His work explores how these systems generate multi-messenger signals: electromagnetic and gravitational waves, neutrinos, and cosmic rays, which allow us to probe the hidden physics behind cosmic explosions and compact objects. Through this combination of tools, his research reveals new insights into how nature’s most cataclysmic events unfold.

Biographical Sketch

Prof. Ore Gottlieb grew up in Israel and first completed a B.Sc. in Computer Science at the Technion in 2011. During this time, he discovered his passion for physics and decided to change course, pursuing a B.Sc. in Physics (2014), and M.Sc. in Physics cum laude under the supervision of Amiel Sternberg (2016), and a Ph.D. in Physics and Astronomy under the supervision of Ehud Nakar (2021), all at Tel Aviv University.

He has been recognized with several prestigious fellowships, including the Rothschild Postdoctoral Fellowship (2021) and the CIERA Postdoctoral Fellowship (2021) at Northwestern University, as well as the Flatiron Research Fellowship (2023) and the Columbia THEA Postdoctoral Fellowship (2023), held jointly at the Center for Computational Astrophysics at the Flatiron Institute. His scientific achievements have also been honored by the Israel Physical Society with the Yoel Rakah Prize for Outstanding Theoretical Physics Student (2021) and by Tel Aviv University with the Yuval Ne’eman Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement (2019). In January 2026, he will join the Department of Physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as an Assistant Professor.

Inspired by the excitement he felt upon discovering physics while studying computer science, Prof. Gottlieb has been deeply committed to outreach and education. He developed educational programs for schools in Israel and has taught and mentored students of all levels, from elementary and high school through graduate research.