AGM and Lecture - Dr Emma Curtis-Lake - JWST: The first year of science and the search for the earliest galaxies

About Dr Emma Curtis-Lake

Dr

School of Physics, Engineering & Computer Science

Department of Physics, Astronomy and Mathematics

Centre for Astrophysics Research

"Research interests

My research is based on studying galaxy formation and evolution in the Early Universe.  I primarily use space-based observatories to search for and characterise galaxies inhabiting the Universe in the first billions of years after the Big Bang.  

I am a member of the JWST (James Webb Space Telescope) NIRSpec guaranteed time observations (GTO) team.  We are observing two patches of sky that have been previously observed with many other observatories, including the Hubble and Spitzer Space telescopes.  With the NIRCam GTO team we are taking imaging and spectroscopy of objects identified with Hubble (and other observatories) and JWST.  This is the JADES survey (JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey).  I am co-lead of the target selection and data analysis sub work packages.  With the data I will be investigating the stellar and gas properties of galaxies from cosmic noon to well within the Epoch of Reionisation (the time shortly after the Big Bang throughout which the Hydrogen in the Universe is being reionised by starlight).  I am studying the star formation rates, stellar masses, dust content, presence of active galactic nuclei and chemical enrichment in these early galaxies.

I'm also very keen on developing the tools required for this kind of analysis, and have been the team lead to the update to the BEAGLE (BayEsian Analysis of GaLaxy sEds) that includes the line emission from obscured active galactic nuclei (named BEAGLE-AGN). http://www.iap.fr/beagle/

I currently hold and STFC Webb fellowship to do science with Webb, but also to support the Astrophysics community in the UK to best utilise the new observatory, and also take the public on the journey."

Credit, https://researchprofiles.herts.ac.uk/en/persons/emma-curtis-lake