Research Overview
Much like humans, galaxies reside in a diversity of environments — ranging from low-density voids to densely packed clusters. Just as the environments in which we grow up influence our life outcomes, galaxies are also significantly affected by their surroundings. Over a century of observations have demonstrated that overdense regions of the cosmos — such as galaxy groups and clusters — can influence a galaxy's morphology, gas content, and even its ability to form stars. However, the physical drivers behind these observations are still poorly understood. My research is fundamentally focused on understanding the physics that governs the interplay between cosmic environment and galaxy formation and evolution.
My research
I am primarily an observational astrophysicist; however, my work bridges the gap between observations and simulations to better understand the physical mechanisms that drive galaxy evolution in a diversity of environments. My previous and ongoing research is motivated by several unresolved questions, such as:
For more information view my CV.
First Author Peer-Reviewed Publications
- A Supervised Learning Approach for Exploring Low-Mass Satellite Quenching Beyond the Local Group (2021) D.C. Baxter et al.
- The GOGREEN survey: Constraining the Satellite Quenching Time-scale in Massive Clusters at z ≳ 1 (2022) D.C. Baxter et al.
- When the Well Runs Dry: Modeling Environmental Quenching in Massive Clusters at z≳1 (2023) D.C. Baxter et al.
Select Nth Author Peer-Reviewed Publications
- Sizing from the Smallest Scales: the Mass of the Milky Way (2022) M.K. Rodriguez Wimberly et al.
- GOGREEN: A Critical Assessment of Environmental Trends in Cosmological Hydrodynamical Simulations at z ≈ 1 (2023) E. Kukstas et al.
- The First Quenched Galaxies: When and How? (2024) L. Xie et al.