Professor Nelson's research program is centered around galaxy formation and evolution: understanding how the Universe evolved from its uniform state shortly after the Big Bang to the rich diversity of galaxies we see today. She uses cutting-edge observational techniques and cosmological hydrodynamical simulations to understand the physical processes that drive the growth of galaxies and supermassive black holes. These fundamental processes in turn provide the strong constraints on theoretical models of galaxy formation. She is heavily involved in the newly launched James Webb Space Telescope which acts as a time machine to see the formation of the first galaxies and black holes near the beginning of cosmic history.
keywords
Galaxy formation, galaxy evolution, galaxy structures and kinematics, star formation, stellar populations, early universe, high redshift, first galaxies, observations, simulations, James Webb Space Telescope, supermassive black holes
