I am a computational/theoretical astrophysicist and 3rd year PhD student at Steward Observatory, at the University of Arizona. I have a B.A. in Physics and a minor in Computer Science from Northwestern University. I am passionate about science education, soccer, and music.

I currently work with Prof. Vasilis Paschalidis on simulating magnetohydrodynamic accretion onto binary black holes and uncovering their multi-messenger emission. I am part of the Theoretical Astrophysics Program (TAP) and the Transient Astrophysics group (SONATA) at the University of Arizona.

Previously, I was at the Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA) at Northwestern University, where I worked with Prof. Sasha Tchekhovskoy on angular momentum transport mechanisms in magnetically arrested disks around spinning black holes.

I am a theoretical and computational astrophysicist whose research focuses on the multi-messenger nature of compact objects such as supermassive black hole binaries, neutron stars, supernovae, and other high-energy transients. I use numerical relativity and magnetohydrodynamic codes, such as Einstein Toolkit, IllinoisGRMHD, and H-AMR, to simulate these systems from first principles.

Currently, I am studying magnetohydrodynamic accretion onto supermassive binary black holes, with a specific interest in uncovering the electromagnetic counterparts to gravitational wave signals from these systems. We simulate these systems from first principles by fully solving Einstein's equations of general relativity to accurately model the spacetime and then evolving the magnetohydrodynamic equations on the curved spacetime to simulate the accretion flow.

Publications

google scholar,^↗ ADS^↗

1. "Effects of Eccentricity on Accreting Binary Black Holes: MHD Simulations in Full GR Reveal Novel Periodicities in Jet Power and Synchrotron Spectra" Vikram Manikantan, Vasileios Paschalidis, and Gabriele Bozzola, 2025. Submitted. arXiv preprint arXiv:2504.12375.
2. "Coincident Multimessenger Bursts from Eccentric Supermassive Binary Black Holes" Vikram Manikantan, Vasileios Paschalidis, and Gabriele Bozzola, 2025, ApJL, 984 L47. doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/adccb8.
3. "Winds and Disk Turbulence Exert Equal Torques on Magnetically Arrested Disks" Vikram Manikantan, Nick Kaaz, Jonatan Jacquemin-Ide, et al. 2024, ApJ, 965 175. doi: 10.3847/1538-4357/ad323d.

I am passionate about developing programs that increase undergraduate students success in astrophysics research. I currently focus on two aspects of this: 1. training students with fundamental skills needed to perform leading research, and 2. providing mentorship and a support structure to create sustainable success and increase retention of underrepresented groups.

To do this, I have taken a leading role in developing several programs at the University of Arizona, including the TIMESTEP Research Apprenticeship program and the Computational and Mathematical Program for incoming Arizona Science Students (COMPASS). I am also interested in, and attended a workshop on, developing Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) to increase undergraduate research opportunities.

You can learn more about my mentorship and outreach efforts below:

I have played the electric guitar for over 14 years and am an experienced live performer. I also play the electric bass and, as a last resort, the drums. My proudest moments came as part of Poor Man's Yacht Club, a band my best friends and I started in our dorm during our freshman year. It kept us going through the pandemic. We won Northwestern University's Battle of the Bands, played many shows in the Evanston area, and wrote, recorded, and released our own music.

Check us out on Spotify^↗

Find us on Instagram^↗

They wrote an article^↗ about our battle of the bands win.

I also have a personal Instagram music account.^↗

Email: vik@arizona.edu ^↗
Bluesky: @vikmani.bsky.social
Github: vikrammanikantan ^↗
Publications: Google Scholar ^↗; Astrophysics Data System (ADS) ^↗