Academic Background
I am currently a postdoctoral research fellow (DAWN Fellow) at the Cosmic Dawn Center, affiliated with the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen. Previously, I was at the University of Cambridge as part of Sidney Sussex College, working within the Cavendish Laboratory and the Kavli Institute for Cosmology, where I also obtained my PhD in 2022.
My research interests revolve around galaxy formation and evolution in the early Universe: how the first stars and galaxies were formed, how they for the first time synthesised elements heavier than helium, and how they subsequently brought about the Reionisation of the Universe, a major phase transition that turned the neutral Universe back to a (mostly) ionised state. To this end, I am leading several ALMA observing programs and I am involved in large international collaborations as an Associate Member of the James Webb Space Telescope NIRSpec Guaranteed Time Observations team.
Personal
Outside of astronomy, I enjoy sports and the outdoors. I played baseball since I was 5, started rowing at university and have since picked up cycling as well.
Apart from being a professional astronomer, I also enjoy stargazing as an amateur. At the Old Observatory in Leiden, I learnt to operate the historical six-inch, ten-inch, and photographic double refractor telescopes (dating back to 1838), as well as being involved in outreach as tour guide and museum custodian.
