Observational studies of galaxy assembly and evolution. Properties of star clusters in galaxies along the Hubble sequence. Assembly history of early-type galaxies and bulges of spiral galaxies. Stellar Populations in external galaxies. The multi-phase ISM in early-type galaxies. Formation and evolution of globular clusters and globular cluster systems. The nature of multiple stellar populations in star clusters. Simulation of astronomical data. Optimization of instrument calibration. Building analysis pipelines of astronomical software.
My full list of refereed publications
Recent and Ongoing Research Projects
The Nature of Multiple Stellar Populations in Star Clusters
- Selected Recent Papers on Intermediate-Age Star Clusters in the Magellanic Clouds:
Paper I: Properties of the Extended Main Sequence Turnoff (eMSTO) in NGC 1846 (2009)
Paper II: New Insights from eMSTOs in 7 LMC Clusters (2011)
Paper III: Evidence for a Range of Ages Being Responsible for eMSTOs in Intermediate-Age Star Clusters (2011)
The Star Formation History of the 1.5 Gyr old LMC Star Cluster NGC 1751 (2011)
The Star Formation History of the LMC Star Clusters NGC 1783 and NGC 1846 (2013)
An eMSTO in the Small Magellanic Cloud Star Cluster NGC 411 (2013)
- Recent and Ongoing Observing Programs on Intermediate-Age Star Clusters in the Magellanic Clouds:
HST-GO-10595 (PI Goudfrooij): HST/ACS, A Reference Database for Accurate Ages and Metallicities of Globular Clusters in the Magellanic Clouds
HST-GO-12257 (PI Girardi): HST/WFC3, The Nature of Multiple Main Sequence Turn-offs and Dual Red Clumps in Magellanic Cloud Star Clusters
HST-GO-12908 (PI Goudfrooij): HST/WFC3, What Causes Extended Main Sequence Turn-offs in Intermediate-Age Star Clusters?
HST-GO-13011 (PI Puzia): HST/WFC3, Searching for the Hα "Smoking Gun" of Prolonged Star Cluster Formation
ESO 090.D-0368(A) (PI Puzia): ESO/VLT/FLAMES, The Light-Element Enrichment in Magellanic Cloud Star Clusters featuring extended Main-Sequence Turnoff Regions
The Nature of Globular Clusters (GCs) Associated with Early-Type Galaxies
- Selected Recent Papers on the Nature of Metal-Rich GCs in Early-Type Galaxies:
Kinematics, Ages and Metallicities of GCs in NGC 1316: a 3-Gyr-Old Merger Remnant (2001)
The GC System of the 3-Gyr-old Merger Remnant NGC 1316: Clues from Optical and Near-IR Photometry (2001)
Deep Luminosity Functions of Old and Intermediate-Age GCs in NGC 1316: Evidence for Dynamical Evolution of Second-Generation GCs (2004)
Dynamical Evolution of GC Systems Formed in Galaxy Mergers: Deep HST/ACS Imaging of Old and Intermediate-Age GCs in NGC 3610 (2007)
Sizes, Half-mass Densities, and Mass Functions of GCs in the Merger Remnant NGC 1316: Clues to the Fate of Second-Generation GCs (2012)
New insights into the Star Formation Histories of Candidate Intermediate-Age Early-Type Galaxies From K'-band Imaging of GCs (2012)
- Selected Recent Papers on GC Systems of Early-Type Post-Starburst (E+A) Galaxies:
Evidence for Three Subpopulations of GCs in the Early-Type Post-Starburst Shell Galaxy AM 0139-655 (2007)
GC Populations in Four Early-Type Post-Starburst Galaxies (2009)
- Selected Recent Papers on the Formation of Spiral Galaxies and their GC Systems:
HST Observations of GC Systems Along the Hubble Sequence of Spiral Galaxies (2003)
The Formation of Spheroids in Early-Type Spirals: Clues from their GCs (2010)
The Accuracy of Population Synthesis Models as Judged by GC Colors
- Selected Recent Papers:
Integrated-light VRI Imaging Photometry of GCs in the Magellanic Clouds (2006) (see also this)
A Database of 2MASS Near-IR Colors of Magellanic Cloud Star Clusters (2006)
A Comparison of Optical and Near-IR Colors of Magellanic Cloud Star Clusters with Predictions of Simple Stellar Population Models (2008)
The HST/ACS Treasury Survey of the Coma Cluster (see project website)
Mentoring/Advising
Postdoctoral Fellows:
- Dr. Iskren Georgiev (Apr 2009 - Sep 2009, STScI) --> Now ESA Fellow at ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands
- Dr. Aparna Maybhate (Oct 2005 - Mar 2008, STScI) --> Now Deputy Lead of Research & Instrument Analyst Branch at STScI
- Dr. Thomas Puzia (Oct 2003 - Sep 2006, STScI) --> Now Faculty at P. Universidad Catolica, Santiago, Chile
- Dr. Lucimara Martins (May 2005 - Apr 2006, STScI) --> Now Faculty at Universidade Cruzeiro do Sul, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Graduate Students:
- Dr. Iskren Georgiev (Oct 2005 - Sep 2008, STScI & U. Bonn) --> Now ESA Fellow at ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands
- Dr. Peter Pessev (Mar 2005 - Mar 2008, STScI & U. Sofia) --> Now Gemini Fellow at Gemini South
Undergraduate Students:
- Raquel Chicharro (Summer 2012, STScI, from U. Complutense de Madrid) --> Now Ph. D. Student at University of Heidelberg
- Xinyi Guo (Summer 2010, STScI, from Pomona College)
- Corey Dow (Summer 2002, STScI, from U. Oregon) --> Received M.S. in Physics at UCSC. Now Researcher at Bend Research
- Jay Strader (Summer 2001, STScI, from Duke U.) --> Now Faculty at Michigan State University
- Erin McNally (Summer 1999, STScI, from Cornell U.) --> Received M.A. in Science Education at Tufts U.
- Laura Brenneman (1998 - 1999, STScI, from Williams College) --> Now Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
Research Analysts/Scientists:
- Michael Dulude (2013 - present, STScI)
- Vera Kozhurina-Platais (2004 - present, STScI)
- Diane Karakla (2002 - 2005, STScI)
- Jennifer Mack (1999 - 2000, STScI)