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Faculty Research

  • Steve Furlanetto is a theoretical cosmologist studying the first galaxies in the Universe and their effects on the Universe around them, especially the "reionization era" when high-energy radiation from the first stars ionized the tenuous material between galaxies.
  • James Larkin uses infrared spectroscopy and diffraction limited imaging to study nearby active galaxies, galaxy evolution, and ultraluminous infrared galaxies.
  • Matthew Malkan studies the nature of active galactic nuclei and quasars, and the evolution of young galaxies in the high-redshift Universe. He is also working on the cosmic production of infrared radiation.
  • William Newman is a professor in the Departments of Earth and Space Sciences, Physics and Astronomy, and Mathematics. His astrophysical research focuses on the the dynamics and statistics of galaxy clusters, magnetic fields in the intercluster medium, and accretion processes in AGNs. His broader research relates to nonlinear dynamical problems, such as those encountered in solar system dynamics.
  • Michael Rich is a member of the Galaxy Evolution Explorer science team, a UV sky survey satellite. Rich's research on GALEX addresses the study of star formation in the 0
  • Shoko Sakai's research focuses on two areas: (1) determining the star formation rate in the current universe and examining the star formation properties of various morphological types of galaxies by imaging nearby clusters of galaxies, and (2) investigating the three-dimentional structure of the local universe by measuring accurate distances to galaxies, in order to find out how much dark matter exists on scales of a few Mpcs.
  • Alice Shapley uses optical and infrared imaging and spectroscopic observations of high-redshift galaxies to understand how galaxies form, evolve, and affect their intergalactic environments. Specifically of interest are the star-formation and metal-enrichment histories of galaxies, the development of galaxy structure, and the important process of "feedback."
  • Jean Turner uses the Keck, the VLA, infrared, millimeter, and sub-millimeter telescopes to study star formation in starbursts, especially super star cluster formation.

Postdoctoral Research

  • Joseph Muñoz is a theoretical cosmologist studying the formation of the first stars and galaxies, their feedback onto the intergalactic medium, and their present-day relics in the local group.
  • Daniel Nestor
  • Molly Peeples is a Center for Galaxy Evolution fellow whose research focuses on the chemical evolution across cosmic time and the observational consequences of star formation driven galaxy winds.
  • Sara Petty

Graduate Student Research

  • Kevin Hainline works with Alice Shapley, studying the galaxies that host AGN at high redshift, as well as trying to understand the gas properties of gravitationally lensed star-forming galaxies.
  • Lauren Holzbauer works with Steven Furlanetto on the epoch of reionization focusing on population I stars and what led to their extinction, which was mainly brought about by radiative and chemical feedback.
  • Kathy Kornei works with Alice Shapley studying high redshift galaxies using both spectroscopy and imaging. In addition to analyzing the stellar populations of galaxies as a function of Lyman alpha emission, Kathy is also examining a sample of z = 1 galaxies to understand how their outflow properties are correlated with their star formation histories and morphologies.
  • Kristin Kulas is working with Alice Shapley to understand the kinematics of star-forming galaxies at z~2-3 with multiple-peaked Lyman-alpha emission. The main goal is to understand the mass outflow (and inflow) rate of galactic-scale superwinds. She is also working with Ian McLean on the MOSFIRE instrument, specifically the characterization of the H2-RG detector. She was involved in the MOSFIRE commissioning and is now using MOSFIRE data to examine the formation and evolution of protocluster galaxies compared to "field" galaxies at z~2-3.
  • Robin Mostardi works with Alice Shapley, studying the role of escaping ionizing radiation from star-forming galaxies during the reionization epoch.
  • Nate Ross works with Matt Malkan in understanding the star-formation history of the universe.

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Former Graduate Students and Postdocs

  • David Law studies the structure and dynamics of galaxies. Current research projects include using infrared IFU imaging and spectroscopy to determine the morphology and kinematics of galaxies at redshift z~ 2-3, and using N-body models of Local Group satellite galaxies to map out the mass distribution within the dark matter halo of the Milky Way.
  • Antonio Pipino's main topic of my research are elliptical galaxies: mass-metallicity and [Mg/Fe]-mass relations, metallicity gradients, dust, their hot ISM and the connection with the intracluster medium. He pursues this research by means of chemo-photometric and hydrodynamical simulations of single galaxies as well as in the broader framework of semi-analytical models for galaxy formation. Lately he focussed also on the Brightest Cluster Galaxies.
  • Chun Ly works with Matthew Malkan on the Subaru Deep Field to study the redshift evolution of over 100,000 galaxies. In addition, Chun is working with R. Craig Walker (NRAO) and William Junor (LANL) on imaging the radio jet of M87 at 43 GHz to study jet collimation and launching mechanisms around a supermassive black hole.
  • Ryan Mallery works with Mike Rich studying GALEX detected galaxies in the optical wavelengths with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey in order to determine if they are dominated by AGN or star formation.
  • Chao-Wei Tsai works with Jean Turner on the ongoing star formation activities in nearby galaxies, using imaging and spectroscopic data mainly from the VLA and Keck telescopes. He also works on dust and molecular gas line emission from merging galaxies in the sub-mm region.
  • Nate McCrady studies extragalactic clustered star formation. In particular, he uses high resolution spectroscopy plus adaptive optics and HST imaging to characterize young, massive "super star clusters" (SSCs). SSCs are common in merger and interaction galaxies, and can have millions of solar masses in stars. Observations of SSCs place important constraints for models of high mass star formation, and provide insight into the formation of globular clusters. He is also interested in how dissociation of massive star clusters creates stellar populations in galaxies. Adaptive optics imaging in the infrared enables Nate to probe the stellar content of the dusty starburst galaxies in which SSCs are common.
  • Andrei Mesinger studies the dawn of the first astrophysical structures and how they and subsequent generations impacted their environments and reionized the universe. He uses analytic, numerical, as well as semi-numerical tools in these investigations.
  • Joerg-Uwe Pott's research focusses on the application of new high angular resolution techniques to observe dusty stellar environments, phenomena in the Galactic center, and AGNs. He likes the challenges of interferometry from radio to optical wavelengths, and uses telescope arrays to resolve phenomena close to the central black holes in galaxies. Currently he is involved in the ASTRA-sensitivity upgrade of the Keck Interferometer as instrument scientist, and spends half of his time at the Keck telescopes.
  • Jong-Hak Woo's main research is on the connection between the growth of supermassive black holes and galaxy evolution. Using Keck spectra and HST imaging, he has been investigated black hole-galaxy scaling relations and constrained cosmic evolution of black hole-galaxy connection. He is also involved in several other projects, including studies of AGN variability, accretion disk, Virgo cluster galaxies with multi-wavelength data, and star formation in Seyfert galaxies with AKARI data.
  • Alaina Henry works with Matthew Malkan, on the NICMOS Parallel Survey. The main focus of this survey is to learn about galaxy formation and evolution by selecting and studying evolved, red galaxies at z ~ 2.
  • Andreas Koch's main field of research is the study of stellar populations and stellar chemical abundances in order to gain insight in galactic formation and evolution. This will be accomplished by deriving metallicities and chemical abundance ratios ([alpha/Fe]) from low-resolution spectroscopy in M31. Furthermore, high-resolution abundance studies of giants in the Galactic bulge will aid to underpin the chemical evolution of the Galaxy. Further projects comprise analysing metallicities and chemical abundances in dwarf spheroidal galaxies, both of satellites of the Milky Way and companions to M31, as well as the investigation of stellar kinematics in nearby dSphs, e.g., LeoII.
  • Shelley Wright works with James Larkin using OSIRIS with the Keck II Laser Guide Star Adaptive Optics (AO) system to study the formation and evolution of galactic disks. She is also a CATS team member which uses the NIRC2-AO system to observe thousands of galaxies with AO in the deepest fields covered by the Great Observatories.
  • Matthew Barczys works with James Larkin in the UCLA Infrared Imaging Lab where they are developing OSIRIS -- an adaptive optics near-infrared integral field spectrograph for the Keck Telescope, and SHARC -- a near-IR, wide-field imager for Keck AO. He also works on galaxy evolution and galaxy mergers.
  • Joseph Rhee worked with James Larkin to carry out near-IR & mid-IR spectroscopic surveys of Seyfert galaxies using the Gemini twin-channel near-IR camera at the Lick telescope and LWS at the Keck telescope.
  • Alex Markowitz (grad) is working with Rick Edelson on X-ray variability timing and spectral analysis of Active Galactic Nuclei, using data from both the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) and the X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission (XMM-Newton) .
  • Ivo Saviane (postdoc) was conducting a long term study (using wide-field imaging) of the substructures in Local Group dwarf spheroidal galaxies as traced by their different generations of stars.
  • James Colbert (grad) worked with Matthew Malkan on the discovery and study of high redshift galaxies using their colors from the optical through the infrared and then KECK spectroscopic follow-up. He is also searching for infrared counterparts to DLA absorption line objects using HST's NICMOS camera and finishing up a study on the morphology and possible evolution of a sample of isolated elliptical galaxies.
  • Pat Crosthwaite (grad) worked with Jean Turner on large scale mapping of CO molecule line emission (the primary tracer of molecular hydrogen, H2) using the NRAO 12m telescope at Kitt Peak, producing the first fully sampled maps covering the entire optical disks of IC 342, M83, NGC 1097, NGC 4736 and NGC 6946 (nearby, gas rich, spiral galaxies). He is also studying neutral carbon (CI) tracers of photodissociation regions with the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory and deeply embedded star cluster formation with Br line observations at Keck.
  • Tiffany Glassman (grad) worked with James Larkin on diffraction limited imaging of faint field galaxies with the Keck Adaptive Optics system. These observations will yield the basic morphological parameters of the galaxies and provide insight into galaxy evolution.
  • Dave Meier (grad) worked with Jean Turner on the physical and chemical conditions of molecular gas in the nuclei of starburst galaxies.
  • Ranga-Ram Chary (grad) worked with Eric Becklin on high-resolution, near and mid-infrared imaging of prototypical low luminosity AGN.
  • Varoujan Gorjian (grad), Matthew Malkan and undergraduate researcher Raymond Tam have compiled a snapshot study of nearby Seyferts using the Hubble Space Telescope.
  • Tommaso Treu (postdoc)
  • Harry Teplitz (grad)
  • Samir Salim (postdoc) worked with Michael Rich to investigate the star formation history of the galaxies in the local universe by investigating their broad-band SEDs from ultraviolet (GALEX) and optical (SDSS) surveys.
  • Erin Hicks (grad) worked with Matthew Malkan using NIRSPEC-AO on the Keck telescope to study gas dynamics in the inner regions of Seyfert I galaxies. These dynamics were then modeled to determine the mass of the galaxy's supermassive black hole. She also studied starburst galaxies with LRIS on Keck.


Last updated: Monday, 12-Aug-2013 16:32:00 PDT.
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