· Oliver Newton · Jobs · 2 min read
Marie Skłodowska–Curie Fellowship begins
The new year marks the start of my two-year fellowship embedded in the Astrophysics Group at the University of Surrey.
Dwarf galaxies in context
Over the next two years I’ll be working alongside Denis Erkal, Justin Read, Ethan Taylor, and the wider EDGE Collaboration to implement the EU funded project Dwarf galaxies in context. The goal is to connect the physical properties of low-mass dwarf galaxies with the cosmological environment they reside within.
Observations and theoretical modelling suggest that a variety of dwarf galaxy properties may be sensitive to the details of their cosmological context. Dwarf galaxies inhabit the strongly non-linear regime of structure formation, which means that studying them in any level of detail requires numerical simulations to solve the equations governing their evolution. Establishing the physical mechanisms underpinning their connection with their cosmological environment is made even more challenging because dwarf galaxies are extremely ”small” compared to their cosmological environments. Running simulations with enough resolution to see the dwarf galaxies means that the computer will also spend a lot of time making calculations elsewhere in the cosmic web, perhaps in places that aren’t helpful to answering the questions we are interested in.
We’ll overcome this by using a ”zoom-in” technique to focus computational effort in particular regions that we are interested in (a particular dwarf galaxy, for example) while also capturing the larger scale evolution of the cosmic web. We’ll also be coupling the simulations to the advanced hydrodynamical models developed by the EDGE Collaboration, enabling us to explore the connection between the cosmic web and gas cycling, star formation, and galaxy colour.
The project funding runs from January 2026 until January 2028.
Return to the UK
On a more personal note, this career move brings me back to the UK for the first time in six years (notwithstanding my short stint in Liverpool in 2022). I’ve enjoyed my time exploring the continent but the prospect of being closer to old friends and family is a welcome one!
