Participation in research is a defining component of undergraduate education at Chicago. Opportunities for research in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics and the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics take many forms, but are united by the purpose of guiding students to develop and master the skills of inquiry and scholarship. Students may participate as a member of a research group or individually tackle a portion of a larger research project. Throughout, faculty mentoring prepares students as emerging researchers capable of contributing to novel scholarship leading to conference presentations, publications, and future opportunities. Recent faculty-led research projects include:
- Characterizing the circumgalactic medium around massive star-forming galaxies.
- Developing a planet evolution model that simulates the thermal evolution of both the planet gas envelope and the planet interior.
- Exploring the distribution of velocities of satellites around the main parent halo hosting the Milky Way galaxy.
- Developing sub-systems for a spectrograph, including a laser-based calibration system, a fiber optic feed, and vacuum systems.
Contact
Current students seeking research opportunities may contact Dr. Julia Brazas to schedule an appointment.