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Prof. Cornelis Dullemond (ZAH)We warmly congratulate our member Cornelis P. Dullemond (Centre for Astronomy Heidelberg, ZAH) on receiving the 2026 Astrophysical Software Award of the German Astronomical Society. The award recognizes his conception, development, and long-term stewardship of the radiative transfer software RADMC-3D.
The RADMC-3D software package has become one of the leading frameworks for modelling radiative transfer in gas and dust; and for generating synthetic observations for comparisons with astronomical data. It is widely used across a broad range of research areas in astrophysics, including protoplanetary disks, star formation, evolved stars, and active galactic nuclei.
In its citation, the Astronomical Society emphasized the flexibility and reliability of the RADMC-3D, which have established it as standard tool used by researchers worldwide. As a result, they conclude “RADMC-3D has played a key role in transforming theoretical models into testable predictions and has enabled significant advances in our understanding of the Universe.”
Cornelis Dullemond has been Professor of Theoretical Astrophysics at Heidelberg University's Centre for Astronomy (ZAH) since 2010, and has been a Principal Investigator of STRUCTURES since the start of the cluster in 2019. His research on the theoretical and numerical modelling of planet formation is closely aligned with the scientific scope of STRUCTURES' Comprehensive Project CP2 (From Dust to Planets).
The German Astronomical Society (AG) is the professional German national association for astronomy and astrophysics. The AG promotes activities in science and research, strengthens exchange between its members and supports the dissemination of science to the public and in education.
The award ceremonies will take place during the annual meeting of the German Astronomical Society in Garching from September 7-11, 2026.
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