PhD Projects: Extragalactic Astrophysics

The formation and evolution of the first galaxies and black holes with JWST

When and how did the first stars and galaxies form? How were heavy elements synthesised after the Big Bang? What were the seeds that produced the first supermassive black holes?

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is rewriting the textbooks on galaxy formation and evolution within the first billion years of the universe, discovering remarkably luminous galaxies out to redshifts z~12-14, unexpected chemical abundances from supermassive stars at z>8, and massive formation seeds giving rise to the first supermassive black holes at z>6. Understanding the origins of these puzzles requires a thorough understanding of the underlying star formation, metal and dust, and black hole physics in the global and dominant population of high-redshift galaxies.

This PhD project will explore the physical properties of z>6 galaxies and black holes using the largest spectroscopic and photometric data sets from JWST. These include leading the discovery of the most luminous and distant galaxies in the universe and mapping their star formation histories, tracing the metal and dust contents of faint and gravitationally lensed galaxies, and developing detection and characterisation techniques of primordial supermassive black holes. The student will learn how to reduce and analyse JWST data, lead observing efforts for state-of-the-art telescopes (e.g., JWST, VLT, and ALMA), and use those observations to test theoretical predictions of how the first generations of galaxies and black holes formed.

Contact: Dr Guido Roberts-Borsani (g.robertsborsani AT ucl.ac.uk)

Related projects are also advertised under Cosmology & Surveys.