I am a professor in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at the University of Utah. This page shows a little of what I do here at The U. For more information please click below:
Faculty Profile at the University of Utah

My research interests include:

• Orbital dynamics
• Dust as a solar shield
• Cosmic voids
• Planet formation
• Fast-moving stars
• Black holes

These links are to archives where you can find my research papers and other material:

• A list of my astro publications on NASA's Astrophysics Data System
• My publications on Google Scholar
• Entry in an archive of random research iaages

My recent classes:

• ASTR 6410 Introduction to Astronomy Research (Spring 2026)
• ASTR/PHYS 1060 The Universe (Fall 2025, Fall 2024)
• ASTR/PHYS 1060 The Solar System (Fall 2024)

(And here are links to the University's course schedule for ASTR+PHYS class schedules)

My research interests are primarily in dark matter, gravity, gravitational lens detection and modeling, and advanced tools for accessing, reducing and analyzing data. I am the head of data management and archiving for the Sloan Digital Science Survey (SDSS), and I serve as the primary SDSS data scientist responsible for the SDSS science archive, centered at the University of Utah, which is the primary site for the survey’s data processing pipelines and web application hosting.

ON LEAVE

I was the Principal Investigator for the Extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey to constrain cosmology through the clustering of matter on scales of hundreds of millions of lightyears. In July, 2020, we released our final measurements and cosmological interpretation. A summary of this program can be found in the international press release and accompanying video.

I am now the co-Spokesperson for the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI). DESI will be the largest spectroscopic survey ever conducted, designed to map the cosmic distance scale and growth of structure over the last 12 billion years.

Here you will find information about my research, courses I am teaching or recently taught, and my research group at The U.

Welcome! I am an Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Utah (USA) since August 2022.

I study energetic transient astrophysical phenomena, with a focus on relativistic explosions such as gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and electromagnetic counterparts to gravitational wave (GW) sources. My group obtains and analyzes astronomical observations at all electromagnetic wavelengths. By combining these with theoretical modeling through rigorous statistical and computational analyses we explore and unravel the mysteries of the extreme Universe. My group's work informs our understanding of the final stages of stellar evolution, serve as laboratories of fundamental physics from particle acceleration to the launch and collimation of relativistic outflows, and provides precise probes of the infant Universe.

I study astrophysics with a focus on low-mass galaxies and their invisible nests, dark matter halos. My research answers key questions about galaxy formation and evolution, the nature of dark matter, and the uniqueness of our own Milky Way. Check out my research page and publication list.

I participate in many science collaborations: I have been co-piloting the SAGA Survey, a galaxy redshift survey that characterizes satellite systems around Galactic analogs. I am very involved in the Rubin Observatory science community, most actively in the LSST Dark Energy Science Collaboration (DESC).

In DESC, I serve on the 2025–27 Management Team as the Deputy Computing and Simulations Coordinator. Previously, I co-led the Science Release and Validation Working Group, the Dark Matter Working Group, and the Data Access Team. I also served as the Collaboration Council Chair and the Hack/Sprint Coordinator. I was credited the Builder Status by DESC in 2019.

I received the Cottrell Scholar Award in 2026, the University Early Career Teaching Award in 2026, and the Martha Bradley Evans Teaching Fellowship in 2025.

I received my Ph.D. in Physics from Stanford University in 2016, working with my thesis advisor, Risa Wechsler. I then conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Pittsburgh as a Samuel P. Langley PITT PACC Fellow (2016–19), and later at Rutgers University as a NASA Einstein Fellow (2019–22).

I was born and raised in Taipei, Taiwan. I received my B.S. in Physics from National Taiwan University in 2009.

I care about inclusion and equity, both in academia and more broadly, and I am committed to improving the inclusiveness and equity in my circles of influence. I have been leading the effort of improving the accessibility of instructional materials in my department. I am the current maintainer of the Astronomy and Astrophysics Outlist and also serve in the AAS Committee for Sexual-Orientation and Gender Minorities in Astronomy (SGMA).

I am an avid programmer. Check out some software tools that I've developed and my  GitHub profile.

I was born and raised in Lincoln, NE. I received my undergraduate degree in Physics, Astronomy & Music from Wesleyan University, and my PhD in astronomy from Univ. of Washington, Seattle. I spent five years as a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

I use observations of spatially resolved stars and gas in nearby galaxies to study the processes that regulate galaxy evolution.

I work with spectroscopy and imaging across the electromagnetic spectrum from both ground- and space-based telescopes. I aim to understand the fundamental connections between massive stars and the gas in their host galaxies, particularly at the low metallicities typical of both nearby, low-mass galaxies and galaxies in the early universe that are too distant to study in detail.

I'm an X-ray astronomer, primarily working on the NuSTAR mission along with data from other X-ray observatories such as Chandra, XMM-Newton, and Hitomi, studying galaxies and galaxy clusters. Previously a research scientist at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center outside of DC, I have just begun a new gig as an assistant professor at the University of Utah.

Dr. Zasowski received a B.S. in Physics from the University of Tennessee--Knoxville and a M.S./Ph.D. in Astronomy from the University of Virginia. As an NSF Astronomy & Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellow, she spent time at The Ohio State University and Johns Hopkins University before being awarded the inaugural Barry M. Lasker Data Science Research Fellowship at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, MD. She moved to the University of Utah as an Assistant Professor in 2017, and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2023.

The mechanisms by which galaxies evolve underpin some of the most fundamental questions in cosmology — in particular, how the baryonic content of the Universe evolves into the range of galaxies observable across cosmic time. The Milky Way and Local Group galaxies serves as unique "archeological laboratories" in which we can study the signatures of galaxy evolution on the scales of individual stars and small interstellar clouds. Dr. Zasowski's research focuses on the stars, gas, and dust of the Milky Way, Local Group, and more distant Milky Way-like galaxies, using high resolution spectroscopy, large photometric and spectrocopic data sets, and theoretical models.

Hi, this is Zheng Zheng^*, professor in Physics and Astronomy at the University of Utah.

My main research areas are in cosmology, large-scale structure, galaxy formation and evolution, and Lyman-alpha radiative transfer. I also have broad interests in other fields of astrophysics.

^*My first and last name have the same pronunciation, but they are different characters in Chinese:  (last name and then first name).

I’m Catherine, an NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Utah. I am an observer, which means I collect data from telescopes to study the cosmos. As a Galactic archaeologist, I study the chemical compositions of stars to understand how stars form, how they synthesize elements, and how our Milky Way has evolved into what it looks like today. I received my PhD in Astronomy from the University of Texas at Austin in 2024. I was advised by Prof. Keith Hawkins.

Hello! My name is Sam, and I'm a fifth year graduate student working with Dan Wik at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City. I also work with Francesca Civano, who is a Physics of the Cosmos cheif scientist at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. As an X-ray astronomer, I use space-based telescopes like NuSTAR and XMM-Newton to study Galaxy Clusters and Active Galactic Nuclei.

Outside of graduate school, I enjoy doing anything that gets me outside, especially snowboarding, backpacking, and taking road trips. I also swing dance, make art, and volunteer at the Natural History Museum of Utah.

My graduate thesis work---supervised by Dr. Gail Zasowski---focuses on using the chemistry and ages of stellar populations, such as open clusters and binaries, to study the chemical and dynamical evolution of the Milky Way. As a stellar spectroscopist, I use high-resolution spectra from optical and near-infrared surveys such as GALAH and SDSS in addition to codes like Turbospectrum and Korg to derive elemental abundances. And to study ages, I use synthetic stellar populations and integrated TESS lightcurves to detect variable star signals.

Beyond my scientific research, I am also deeply passionate about science outreach and communication. While I have particiapted in numerous outreach activities throughout my career, currently I am focusing on two avenues of particiaption: I a writer for Astrobites, as well as the organizer for Salt Lake City's branch of Astronomy on Tap.

Hey there! I’m Aishwarya Ashok, an Astronomer Turned Data Scientist!

From the vast universe to the data-driven world, my journey has been a stellar exploration!

Welcome to my digital space where I share my experiences, creative projects, and insights on the fascinating blend of science and technology!

I've worn several hats throughout my career. Currently I am the Managing Director of TILOS, The Institute for Learning-enabled Optimization at Scale, a national artificial intelligence institute funded by the National Science Foundation and Intel Corporation, based out of UC San Diego.

Before returning to San Diego I was a postdoctoral researcher with the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) Collaboration from 2020 to 2023, based at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.

I received my Ph.D. in physics from UC San Diego in August 2020, where I worked with Prof. Alison Coil studying large-scale structure and galaxy evolution using both spectroscopic galaxy redshift survey data and empirical models of galaxy star-formation histories.

Before moving to San Diego in 2014 I earned an M.S. in astrophysics from San Francisco State University. While living in the San Francisco Bay area I was also a public presenter at the Morrison Planetarium at the California Academy of Sciences in from 2009 to 2014.

Postdoc at the U until Aug. 2021

I am a postdoctoral researcher at the University of St Andrews. I received my PhD from this university in 2018, and then I worked at the University of Utah as a postdoc for more than three years.

My research is focused on understanding the structure of nearby galaxies, using the rich detail encoded within integral-field spectroscopic observations. I have developed a particular interest in star-forming gas in recent years, due to its ability to teach us much about how galaxies form and evolve.

Postdoc at the U from 2012 to 2015

I was borned and raised in the southern regions of Chile. I received my undergrad studies in Applied Physics at the Universtiy of Santiago in 2015. In 2016 I joined the graduate program in Physics & Astronomy at the University of Utah where I obtained my milestone master and Ph.D in Phyiscs in 2022. Currently, I work as a postdoctoral researcher at the Galactic Nuclei group at the Max Planck Institut fur Astronomie lead by Dr. Nadine Neumayer.

I am particulary interested in the center of galaxies and their conection to AGN actretion, specially at low-lumiosities, and also the fomation and evolution of nearby galaxies.

Welcome! I am Ben Gibson, a fifth year grad student at the U! I am currently working on a project to determine the chemistry, kinematics, and star formation history of the stellar populations in the Andromeda Galaxy (M31)! I was born and raised in Charlotte, NC and did my undergraduate studies at Florida State University.

I currently serve as the Chair of my department's Graduate Student Advisory Committee, which plans social events for our students, organizes a Peer Mentor Program, the Graduate Research Seminar, and has recently advocated for and received improved health care, fairer testing standards, and better wages for grads in our department and around campus!

Postdoc at the U until Aug. 2015

Postdoc at the U until June 2021

My name is Sten Hasselquist. I am a Staff Scientist working on the Hubble Space Telescope’s Ultra Violet Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) at Space Telescope Science Institute. Our goal is to keep this instrument alive and well through 2030! I also dabble in some Galactic research on the side.

I'm currently a Postdoc researcher at Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, working with Maria Bergemann. I have a broad research interest, from stellar population and abundance to galaxy structure and environment. My recent research is focusing on inferring the formation and evolution of our Milky Way from the chemical compositions of its stars and mapping the Milky Way's structure using data from massive stellar spectroscopic survey.

Postdoc at the U until Aug. 2021

PHD Thesis: Improving Cosmological Growth-Rate Constraints with Galaxy Clustering

Eccles Fellow at the U from 2022 to 2024

My research interests include finding and characterizing black holes in dwarf galaxies, as well as black hole and star formation activity in galaxies.

NASA Hubble Fellow at the U from 2023 to 2025

Dr. Ekta Patel is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Astrophysics and Planetary Science at Villanova University.

Her research interests include near-field cosmology, galaxy dynamics, and dark matter. She uses the combined power of observational data sets, orbital modeling, and high-resolution simulations of the Universe to uncover how galaxies grow, evolve, and interact with each other over cosmic time.​​​​​

Outside of teaching and research, Dr. Patel is committed to advancing equity, inclusion, and belonging within higher education.

I am currently studying the dynamics of the centers of globular clusters in the Milky Way especially Omega-Centauri due to its proposed intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH). My research involves studying the velocities of stars around the center to confirm the presence of any IMBH. I am also studying the dynamics of stars at the centers of globular clusters in Magellanic clouds.

PHD Thesis: Exploring Galactic Chemical Evolution Using Cluster Chemistry and Variability

Ph.D. 2022. Postdoc at the U from 2022 to 2023

PHD Thesis: Extending the Search for Strong Galaxy-Galaxy Gravitational Lenses within SDSS

Astrophysicist.
Postdoc at the U from 2019 to 2022

(PhD physics, movie enthusiast, Northern soul, mother of abandoned things.)

I was born and raised in İstanbul, Türkiye. I chose science as my major in high school, when I decided to study Physics.

I received my joint masters-PhD degree in physics from Bogazici University, İstanbul in 2019, in collaboration with the University of Rome, Tor Vergata. Between October 2019 – October 2022, I worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Utah, Department of Physics and Astronomy. I completed my second postdoctoral appointment at MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research between October 2022 and October 2024.

In May 2023, I have become an official member of the X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM) team. We launched XRISM on 7 September 2023, that made it the youngest X-ray satellite we have in space.

I am currently a XRISM Support Scientist at NASA GSFC, and a Professional Track Faculty at The University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

My work focuses on the largest objects in the universe- galaxy clusters. I use X-ray satellite data from NuSTAR, XMM-Newton, Chandra, and XRISM to study the hot gas within these clusters (ICM) and I hope to contribute to our understanding of their formation and evolution.

Postdoc at the U from 2016 to 2019

I am an Associate Professor of Astrophysics (called Astronome-adjoint in the French System) at the Strasbourg Observatory in France.

Before that I was a post-doctoral researcher also in Strasbourg, as well as the University of Utah. I did my thesis at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in Garching and the Ludwigs-Maximilian Universität (LMU) Munich as a fellow of the International Max Planck Research School on Astrophysics (IMPRS). Before that I did my undergrad at the University of Heidelberg

My research has been focussed on using globular clusters and nuclear star clusters of galaxies as tracers of galaxy and super-massive black hole physics. If you want to know more about this please continue reading below.

I am also often doing outreach events about Astronomy in either German, English or the French language. For an inquiries to join your event, drop me an email

Hello! I am Tobin Wainer. I graduated from the University of Utah in May of 2021 with an Honors Bachelors of Science in Physics and Astronomy. I took a post-baccalaureate researcher with Dr. Gail Zasowski at the University of Utah and am now a graduate student at the University of Washington primarily working with Dr. Ben Williams, and Dr. James Davenport.

Postdoc at the U from 2019 to 2022

PHD Thesis: Galaxy Color-Luminosity-Halo Mass Relation from Galaxy Clustering

PHD Thesis: An Investigation of Halo and Galaxy Assembly Bias