Astrophysics Colloquium schedule
Wednesdays, 3:30-4:30 pm
The Astronomy Colloquia Meetings are held in the P&A building, room 1-434. Zoom information sent in email.
The UCLA Department of Physics & Astronomy Astrophysics group established the Astrophysics Colloquium speaking series 20+ year ago. Throughout the academic year, distinguished speakers travel to UCLA to share their latest research. The department sponsors and organizes these events to encourage collaboration within the field. This exposure is critical for our graduate students particular. The content shared in these events broaden their academic horizons. Additionally, the colloquium provide opportunities for our students to network with other specialists and peers.
Can’t make these times? Watch the Astrophysics Colloquium recordings on our newly minted YouTube channel here! Big thanks to our to our donor and program alumnus, Robert J. Altizer '70 BA Astronomy & Astrophysics, for making this repository possible.
Help us continue this enriching speaking series by making a donation online here. Gifts to the Astronomy and Colloquium Fund offset event costs including those related to speaker travel. Support from our event attendees and donors is greatly appreciated. For check instructions or other giving related questions, please contact Madeleine Martin at mmartin@support.ucla.edu or (310) 882-3633.
Winter 2026
Jan 28, 2026
Kim-Vy Tran (Harvard CfA)
Illumininating the Dark Universe with Strong Gravitational Lensing
Abstract: With recent and upcoming all-sky surveys such as Euclid, LSST, and Roman, deep high resolution imaging of increasingly vast cosmological volumes is now available. Using machine learning to search for the distinct visual signature of strong gravitational lensing, the AGEL survey identified thousands of strong lensing candidates that span a wide range in mass. The AGEL lenses include deflectors at z>0.5 that are ideal for follow-up spectroscopic studies to address a range of questions in astrophysics and cosmology. I highlight AGEL results including cosmography with compoound lenses, evolution of mass density profiles, and our discovery of Einstein spirals that can be used to constrain super-massive black hole scaling relations to z~1.
Feb 4, 2026
Mansi Kasliwal (Caltech)
Cosmic Fireworks: Building Discovery Engines for Time-domain Astrophysics
Abstract: Our dynamic Universe is adorned by cosmic fireworks: energetic and ephemeral beacons of light that are a million (nova) to a billion (supernova) times brighter than our sun. Fireworks synthesize most elements in our periodic table -- while supernovae synthesize the lighter elements, neutron star mergers synthesize half the elements in the periodic table heavier than iron. Combining information from multiple messengers - photons, gravitational waves and/or neutrinos - powerfully completes the astrophysical picture. I will describe how we discover cosmic fireworks with robotic telescopes at Palomar Observatory (Zwicky Transient Facility) and how we undertake a global, panchromatic follow-up campaign to characterize the underlying astrophysics (GROWTH Collaboration). Owing to the atomic physics of bound-bound opacity, the infrared is the most sensitive probe of the heaviest elements. I will describe building a series of surveyors to open up wide-field infrared astronomy: Palomar Gattini IR, WINTER, RAPID/Roman and the Cryoscope pathfinder in the Antarctic. I will conclude with discussion of a new spectrograph (Z-shooter) for W. M. Keck Observatory that will enable deciphering the astrophysics and astrochemistry of cosmic fireworks.
Feb 11, 2026
Juliette Becker (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
Feb 18, 2026
Aliza Beverage (Carnegie)
Feb 25, 2026
No colloquium
Mar 4, 2026
Malena Rice (Yale)
Dynamical Demographics of Planetary Systems
Abstract: The current configurations of planetary systems each provide a snapshot in time, encoding fossilized clues about the prevalence and diversity of systems’ evolutionary pathways. Orbital architectures, therefore, offer fundamental insights into the physical processes shaping planetary systems at both the individual and population level. In this talk, I will describe recent advances in our understanding of the 3D orbital architectures of planetary systems, outlining both observational constraints and their theoretical implications. I will discuss how the dynamic relationship between stars and planets informs the underlying processes sculpting diverse planetary systems.