Pavlo Plotko

I am a PhD student at DESY. I am a high-energy astrophysicist and I have a keen interest in outreach and bouldering.

Hello! I’m Pavlo Plotko. Since September 2020, I’ve been a PhD student at the Astroparticle Theory Group at DESY. I’m originaly from Kharkiv, located in eastern Ukraine. Influenced by my mother, a teacher, I was introduced to computers and physics early on, writing my first code, when I was 9 years old. During high school, I actively participated in scientific Olympiads and tournaments. My interest in Astronomy started in 2012 when I did a photometric observation of asteroid 4 Vesta. This experience has influenced me and I got both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s in Astronomy in Kyiv. Right from my first year, I was involved with scientific projects and organized conferences and meetups. My research focused on the non-thermal emission from SNRs and PWNs. After completing my degrees in 2020, I started my journey at DESY.

My current focus is on self-consistent modeling of propagation UHECRs from sources such as AGNs and TDEs.

Outside of my research, I’m actively involved in numerous Ukrainian outreach projects and initiatives aimed at enhancing student life at DESY. Additionally, I have a keen interest in physiology and bouldering.