As an observational extragalactic astronomer, Dr. Katherine E. Whitaker studies galaxy formation and evolution over the past twelve billion years of cosmic time and is Assistant Professor in the Physics Department at the University of Connecticut. In addition to her position at UConn, she is also an associate faculty at the new Cosmic Dawn Center in Copenhagen, Denmark. Dr. Whitaker and her students actively collaborate with DAWN, working towards pushing the detection of quiescent “red and dead” galaxies even earlier in time (within a billion years of the Big Bang itself!) in an effort to understand the detailed physics of the structures and underlying stellar populations of these early massive galaxies. With exquisite Hubble Space Telescope imaging and spectroscopy, Dr. Whitaker and her colleagues continue to explore the rich uncharted territory of the distant universe. Our understanding of the cosmos is fundamentally tied to the study of galaxies, the birthplace of all stars and life itself. As we reveal how galaxies are evolving from the earliest times to the present day, we are continually piecing together an intriguing timeline of the cosmos.
