Galaxy Evolution and Cosmology (GECO) is a research initiative focused on galaxy evolution and cosmology made possible by generous seed funding from the Provost and Dean’s office at UVA. The relevant themes include resolved stellar populations, near-field cosmology, the dark universe, and galaxy formation and evolution, from both theoretical and observational perspectives. UVA is a member of the LSST-Discovery alliance, SDSS, and has access to a range of telescope apertures and wavelengths (including LBT, MMT/Magellan). The UVA astronomy faculty have strong research ties to the scientific staff at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), which is located on the grounds of the University.

Current GECO Fellows

Image	Christopher Garling’s research focuses on near-field cosmology and dwarf-galaxy evolution, using Local Group and nearby low-mass galaxies to study star-formation quenching, satellite populations, and the connection between galaxies and their dark-matter halos. His work combines deep resolved-stellar-population data from facilities such as HST and JWST with theoretical interpretation from semi-analytic models and cosmological simulations, with particular emphasis on how dwarf galaxies constrain galaxy formation and small-scale cosmology.
Image	Aklant Bhowmick's research focuses on galaxy formation and evolution, especially the origin, seeding, growth, and observable signatures of supermassive black holes across cosmic time. His work uses cosmological simulations, including IllustrisTNG and BRAHMA, to connect high-redshift quasars, massive black-hole seed formation, and present-day black-hole demographics.
Image	Núria Torres-Albà's research is focused on active galactic nuclei (AGN) and their surroundings across the electromagnetic spectrum. In particular, she has worked on X-ray analysis of luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs) and Compton-thick AGN in the local Universe, as well as the modeling of gamma-ray emission produced in the interactions between AGN jets and obstacles.
Image	Andrew B. Pace’s research centers on near-field cosmology, using the structure and kinematics of Milky Way and Local Group dwarf galaxies, star clusters, and stellar streams to study dark matter and galaxy formation. His work combines dynamical modeling, proper motions, stellar populations, and tidal/orbital analyses to infer the mass profiles and evolutionary histories of low-mass galaxies and their relation to the Milky Way halo.
Image	Niusha Ahvazi’s research focuses on the formation and evolution of low-mass galaxies, especially Milky Way dwarf satellites, using semi-analytic models and cosmological simulations to connect galaxy properties to their underlying dark matter halos. Her work emphasizes faint dwarf galaxies, environmental effects, baryonic-physics uncertainties, and how small-scale galaxy populations can be used to test dark matter and galaxy-formation models.
Image	Xiaowei Ou’s research uses stellar kinematics and chemistry to study the Milky Way’s formation history and dark matter distribution, combining large survey data, high-resolution spectroscopy, and cosmological simulations. Her work connects dynamical modeling of the Galactic potential with chemo-dynamical studies of accreted stellar populations and dwarf galaxies, with an emphasis on using the Milky Way as a near-field laboratory for galaxy formation and dark matter physics.

Graduate Students

Image	Andrés Almeida’s research focuses on the Magellanic Clouds and Local Group dwarf-galaxy dynamics, using Gaia astrometry together with APOGEE radial velocities and chemical abundances to study stellar populations, tidal structure, and galaxy interactions. His work on the Small Magellanic Cloud interprets distance and kinematic substructure as evidence of tidal perturbation by the Large Magellanic Cloud, connecting resolved stellar data to the dynamical evolution of interacting dwarf galaxies.
Image	Kaia Atzberger’s research focuses on near-field cosmology and stellar archaeology, using spectroscopy and resolved stellar populations to study ultra-faint dwarf galaxies and stellar streams. Her work on stellar streams and ultra-faint galaxies uses chemical abundances and photometric metallicities to study the stream originating from a disrupted ultra-faint dwarf galaxy, connecting stream morphology with its progenitor density profile.
Image	Jonathan Kho’s research focuses on galaxy formation and black-hole seeding, using cosmological simulations to study how different seed models imprint themselves on black-hole demographics and scaling relations. His work with the BRAHMA simulations connects early black-hole formation, high-redshift quasars, and local black-hole–galaxy relations, and he is also involved in developing large suites of simulated galaxies for testing galaxy-formation models.
Image	Yanbo Pan’s research applies modern statistical methods to astrophysical problems, with work spanning ultra-faint dwarf galaxies, binary-star orbits, and exoplanet systems. His current interests sit broadly in observational near-field cosmology, using quantitative modeling of resolved stellar systems to study low-mass galaxies and stellar populations.

Cross-disciplinary Opportunities

GECO strives to be a space for innovation, including as a nexus for art and design.

1. With William Wylie, Commonwealth Professor of Art, we are developing a series of cyanotype prints made from spectrographic plates that were used in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey’s APOGEE experiment. Whilst these cyanotypes depict beautiful star charts, they also capture and render the quite technical (and mostly opaque to the larger community) way in which astronomical surveys are planned and executed, all in the form of a tactile, approachable, object.
2. With Katy Marks, Founder of the award winning London-based architecture firm Citizens Design Bureau (@citizensdesignbureau) that specializes in conservation of museums, performing arts centers and other community venues, we are developing a “brief” to figure out how to depict in design (possibly via installation space) the concept that we only know about 4% of the Universe.