Recent Dissertations

For a full list of Astronomy Department theses, including Masters and undergraduate, visit the UVA Library website.

2020-Present

Shroyer, Jordan 
Summer 2026 
Toward Improved CMB Foreground Measurements: Laboratory Characterization of Multi-Chroic Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors and High-Resolution Observations of Anomalous Microwave Emission 

Rao, Mihika 
Summer 2026 
From Envelopes to Outflows: A Multi-Scale View of Protostellar Chemistry 

Saravia Sosa 
Spring 2026 
A Multi-Scale Study of Molecular Gas and Star Formation in Local Luminous Infrared Galaxy Mergers 

James, Nicholas 
Spring 2026 
Powering the Most Luminous Supernovae: Investigations Into Magnetar-Driven Superluminous Supernovae and Light Echoes From Interacting Supernovae 

Bhakta, Deven 
Spring 2026 
Pulsar Duality: Timing Pulsars Through the Lens of Radio Waves and Gamma-ray Photons 

Warfield, Jack 
Spring 2026 
Space-Based Proper Motion Measurements in the Era of JWST  

Long, Deryl 
Spring 2026 
Ionization in Protoplanetary Disks: Linking Chemical and Physical Evolution  

Assani, Korash 
Spring 2026 
Exploring the Structure and Emission of Protostellar Systems With JWST 

Garcia, Alex 
Spring 2026 
Metallicity as a Tracer of the Baryon Cycle in Modern Cosmological Simulations 

Behrens, Erica 
Spring 2026 
From Protostars to Galaxies: A Multi-scale Investigation of the Physics of Star Formation and Molecular Gas 

McClellan, Brian Connor 
Summer 2025 
Numerical Methods for Dynamically-Coupled Radiation in Atmospheric Outflows and Winds 

Tu, Yisheng 
Summer 2025 
Dynamics of Dust and Gas in Star Formation: Dust Evolution, Disk Formation, and Jet Launching 

Corcoran, Kyle 
Winter 2024 
Observational and Timing Studies of Compact Binaries Containing Compact Objects and Evolved Stars 

Bordenave, David 
Spring 2024 
Balanced Correlation Receivers With Applications to Precision Radiometry 

Siebert, Mark 
Spring 2024 
Molecular Footprints in the Deaths and Births of Stars: Observing Carbon-rich Chemistry From Evolved Stars to Prestellar Clouds 

Richstein, Hannah 
Spring 2024 
Near-Field Cosmology With Deep Hubble Space Telescope Imaging of Ultra-Faint Dwarf Galaxies 

Lin, Zhe-Yu 
Spring 2024 
On the Settling, Scattering, and Submillimeter Polarization of Dust in Planet-Forming Disks 

Cheng, Xinlun 
Spring 2024 
Galactic and Extragalactic Astronomy in the Age of Large Sky Surveys 

Mazzei, Renato 
Spring 2024 
The Role of Magnetic Fields in Star Formation, From Cloud to Disk Scales 

El-Abd, Samer 
Spring 2024 
A Chemical Exploration of Massive Star-Forming Regions: Unraveling the Molecular Complexity of Hot Cores 

Huang, Xiaoshan
Summer 2023
Modeling the Influence of Cosmic Rays and Photons on the Gas Dynamics in Extreme Astrophysical Systems

Finn, Molly
Spring 2023
Environmental Conditions of the Extremes of Star Formation: From Quiescent Clouds to Super Star Clusters

Mills, Brianna
Spring 2023
Bridging the Gap Between Black Hole Accretion Disk Theory and X-Ray Spectral Observations

Lam, Ka Ho (Andy)
Summer 2022
Numerical Studies of Disk Formation Around Low-Mass Stars

Song, Yiqing
Summer 2022
A Multi-frequency VLA Continuum Investigation of Starburst & AGN Activity in Local U/LIRGs

Cheng, Yu
Summer 2021
Star Formation in Massive Protoclusters and First Exploration of Environmental Dependence

Lewis, Hannah 
Summer 2021
Stellar Binaries and Higher-Order Multiples in and Beyond the Milky Way

Matthews, Allison 
Summer 2021
A Radio Measurement of the Star Formation History of the Universe

Wilson, Robert 
Summer 2021
The Population of Exoplanets as Sculpted by Their Host Stars

Towner, Allison 
Summer 2020
Investigating the Early Stages of Massive Star Formation in Protocluster Environments: Multiwavelength Studies of Extended Green Objects

Cromartie, Hannah Thankful
Spring 2020
Massive, Bright and Brand-New Millisecond Pulsars as Probes of Fundamental Physics

Hayes, Christian 
Spring 2020
Dwarf Galaxy Accretion in the Milky Way: Viewing Dwarf Galaxy Accretion Through the Eyes of Large Surveys

Linden, Sean
Spring 2020
Contrasting Normal and Extreme Environments: A Multiwavelength Census of Star Clusters and Star Forming Regions in Nearby Galaxies

Zivick, Paul Jeffrey
Spring 2020
Understanding Satellite Galaxies Through the Kinematics of the Small Magellanic Cloud in the Age of HST and Gaia

Liu, Mengyao
Fall 2020
Massive Star Formation Across Evolution and Environment

Patil, Pallavi
Fall 2020
Understanding the Properties of Obscured Radio AGN and Faint Submillimeter Galaxies at z-2

Pryal, Matthew
Fall 2020
The Atmospheres and Orbital Dynamics of Hot Jupiters
 

2015-2019

King, Patrick
Summer 2019
Gas Dynamics Near and Far: Observational MHD of Interstellar Molecular Clouds and X-Ray Ablation of Asteroids for the Earth's Defense

Wenger, Trey 
Spring 2019
Structure in the Milky Way

Bittle, Lauren
Summer 2018 
Millimeter Observations of Molecular Interstellar Medium From Parsec to Kiloparsec Scales

Burkhardt, Andrew
Summer 2018 
Probing Isolated Ice and Gas-Phase Chemistry in Astrophysical Environments

Liss, Sandra 
Summer 2018
Star Formation in Interacting Dwarf Galaxies

Pesce, Dominic 
Summer 2018
AGN Accretion Disk Megamasers

Sun, Meng
Summer 2018
Pulsating White Dwarfs and Orbital Decay in Binaries

Suriano, Scott
Summer 2018
The Formation of Rings and Gaps in Magnetized Wind-Launching Disks

Turner, Jake
Summer 2018
Studying the Atmospheres and Magnetic Fields of Exoplanets

Yang, Haifeng
Summer 2018
Origins of (sub)Millimeter Disk Polarization

Huang, Chenliang
Summer 2017
Spectral Line Formation in Hot Jupiter Atmospheres and in Interacting Supernovae

Prager, Brian
Summer 2017 
Using Long-Term Millisecond Pulsar Timing to Model Pulsar Companions and Their Host Star Clusters

Troup, Nicholas
Summer 2017
Companions to APOGEE Stars: A Stellar Populations View of the Milky Way's Stellar and Substellar Companion Hosts

Borish, Henry 
Spring 2017
Star Formation and Nuclear Activity in Local Starburst Galaxies: A Near-Infrared Perspective

Barcos Munoz, Loreto De Los Angeles
Summer 2016
High Resolution Radio Observations of Energetically Dominant Regions in Local Luminous Infrared Galaxies

Damke Calderon, Guillermo Jose
Summer 2016
Spectroscopic Explorations of Milky Way Stellar Populations

Irwin, Christopher 
Summer 2016
Long-Duration, Low-Luminosity Gamma-Ray Bursts: Towards a Comprehensive Model of the Weakest Engine-Driven Explosions

Jones, Kristen
Summer 2016
The Environments of Obscured Quasars

Sanpa-arsa, Siraprapa
Summer 2016
Searching for New Millisecond Pulsars With the GBT in Fermi Unassociated Sources

Sokal, Kimberly 
Summer 2016
Massive Star Cluster Evolution in Action: The Extreme Environmental Impacts of Wolf-Rayet Stars

Corby, Joanna
Spring 2016
Astrochemistry in the Age of Broadband Radio Astronomy

Pennucci, Timothy
Summer 2015
Wideband Observations of Radio Pulsars

Romero, Charles
Summer 2015
Interpreting High Resolution Sunyaev Zel'dovich Effect Measurements With MUSTANG

Tang, Xiaping
Summer 2015
Nonthermal Particle Propagation and Radiation in Supernova Remnants