Senior Member, KICP
Assistant Professor, Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics
- Email:
- alexji@uchicago.edu
- Website:
- https://www.alexji.com/
Background
Ph. D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2017
Research
I am a near-field cosmologist. I study nearby stars and galaxies to understand the first stars and galaxies, the origin of the elements, the history of our galaxy, and the nature of dark matter. I am especially interested in the first stars and galaxies, which formed in the first billion years of our universe. This early epoch is one of the last unexplored frontiers in the history of our universe.
My research interests can broadly be divided into four questions: What were the first stars like? What were the first galaxies like? Where are the relics of these systems in the Milky Way today? And how can we use these to learn about dark matter? I aim to answer these questions with a mix of observations (especially stellar spectroscopy) and theoretical models and simulations.
News & Highlights
- “Scientists find an unusual star that hints at a new way stars can die”, UChicago News, January 11, 2024
- “Twelve for dinner: How the Milky Way ‘ate’ smaller star clusters and galaxies”, UChicago News, January 12, 2022
- “Massive Webb Telescope May See Close to the Beginning of Time”, bloomberg.com, January 4, 2022