I am an observational astronomer — my research explores the interplay between growing supermassive black holes (SMBHs), a.k.a. active galactic nuclei (AGN), and their host galaxies. Rapid growth of SMBHs occurs when gas and dust flow to the innermost regions of a galaxy, spiraling into a hot, bright accretion disk, and falling across the event horizon (hence disappearing from view). Inflowing gas is also responsible for star formation in the galactic bulge. The bulge and the central black hole may even be connected via physical process that are not well understood, a connection across nine orders of magnitude! One candidate is feedback, wherein jets and winds from the accretion disk regulate both the growth of the central black hole (at small scales) and star formation (at much larger ones). During growth cycles, AGN are highly variable, since the accretion disk, jets, and winds are all dynamic structures.
My research involves strategic surveys of AGN at multiple wavelengths (X-ray, optical, IR, and radio) and on a wide range of time scales (days, months, and years). My most recent work, highlighted on my webpage, has focused on the Galactic Center and Sgr A*.
