Research Areas
Astrophysics & Cosmology
Research Type
Experimentalist
Research Website
Current Projects
Dwarf Galaxies and Near Field Cosmology
Biographical Sketch
I am a Professor in the Astronomy Department at Yale University. As an observational astronomer, I am primarily interested in the formation, evolution and destruction of dwarf galaxies. My current work includes observations of ultra-faint galaxies recently discovered in the Local Group. These objects are the least-massive and most dark-matter dominated galaxies in the known Universe, providing significant constraints on both galaxy formation processes and cosmology.
Department of Astronomy
Research
Dwarf galaxies are the dominate type of galaxy in the Universe by number. Dwarf galaxies are less luminous and more dark-matter dominated as compared to our Milky Way, providing significant constraints on galaxy formation processes, cosmology and the nature of dark matter. We are focused on understanding dwarf galaxies around our Milky Way, Local Group and nearby Universe.
Education
Ph.D., University of California, Santa Cruz, 2003
Honors & Awards
- 2022 Dylan Hixon ‘88 Prize for Teaching Excellence in the Natural Sciences