Interstellar Medium, Molecular Clouds, Star Formation & Evolution, Supernovae & Their Remnants, Long Gamma-ray Bursts, Cosmic Rays
Image credit: ALMA / ESO / NAOJ / NRAO / Alexandra Angelich, NRAO / AUI / NSF.
Stars are the fundamental building blocks and probes of the Universe. They are formed in stellar nurseries enshrouded by dust and gas, and end their lives in violent explosions, creating some of the most captivating events one can witness. Faculty in CIERA study, model, and observe many stages of a star’s life from birth to death, the planets formed around them, how they impact their environments, as well as the compact remnants they leave behind.
Research at CIERA
Evolving to the end states of stellar evolution, Professor Fong’s team uses radio and optical observations to study and model relativistic explosions called gamma-ray bursts and their host galaxy environments, probing star formation from the local neighborhood to the high-redshift Universe.
Professor Tchekhovskoy uses state-of-the-art simulations to study the formation of relativistic jets in core-collapse gamma ray bursts.
Professor Miller’s group uses ground- and space-based telescopes to study the endpoints of the stellar life cycle as punctuated by supernovae. The group uses data science methods, such as machine learning, to support the discovery and classification of these explosions prior to studying their properties in greater detail.
Professor Figueroa-Feliciano’s group studies the X-ray signatures of supernova remnants through the NASA Micro-X Sounding Rocket, a Northwestern-led rocket payload which takes high-energy-resolution spectra of remnants in suborbital flights.
Professor Kilpatrick uses optical, infrared, and X-ray imaging of nearby galaxies to understand the stellar channels that lead to their cataclysmic collapse and explosion as supernovae, focusing on deep, high-resolution imaging and spectroscopy that can be used to study their local environments, nucleosynthetic content, and progenitor stars.
Opportunities
Deadline: 11:59pm, May 1, 2025
CIERA and Northwestern University’s Baxter Center for Science Education (BCSE) are inviting high school STEM teachers to apply for their summer Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) program. Four outstanding teachers will be selected to gain hands-on research experience working alongside CIERA astronomers and BCSE curriculum experts. Teachers will participate in cutting-edge research projects using Python
Deadline: 11:59pm, December 31, 2025
CIERA supports a wide range of interdisciplinary projects focused on research, education, and public outreach in Astrophysics. Our faculty and postdocs work on projects that couple astronomy and astrophysics analysis with many other disciplines: computer science, applied math, planetary sciences, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, data science, science education, and more. Many have hired/mentored undergraduate researchers
News
Gallery
2024 CIERA public lecture – “The Jazz of Physics” with Stephon Alexander
2024 CIERA public lecture – “The Jazz of Physics” with Stephon Alexander
On November 14, over 300 people packed Northwestern University’s Lutkin Hall to join Professor Stephon Alexander in a celebration of The Jazz of Physics for CIERA’s 15th anniversary public lecture. Over 100 others joined the livestream for an evening that began with a live jazz performance from the Star Eyes Initiative, followed by Prof. Alexander’s public lecture, and concluded with a
- Interdisciplinary,
- Outreach,
- Event
NGC 261 captured by Hubble
NGC 261 captured by Hubble
NGC 261 blooms a brilliant ruby red against a myriad of stars in this new image from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. Discovered on Sept. 5, 1826 by Scottish astronomer James Dunlop, this nebula is located in one of the Milky Way’s closest galactic companions, the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). The ionized gas blazing from within this
NASA, ESA, and L. C. Johnson (Northwestern University); Image Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)
- Science
Sun’s magnetic field originates surprisingly close to the surface
Sun’s magnetic field originates surprisingly close to the surface
On May 22, 2024 an international team of researchers, including CIERA Professor Daniel Lecoanet, published a paper in Nature that brings scientists closer than ever before to solving a 400-year-old solar mystery that stumped even famed astronomer Galileo Galilei. Since first observing the sun’s magnetic activity, astronomers have struggled to pinpoint where the process originates.
NASA/SDO/AIA/LMSAL
- Data Science & Computing,
- Interdisciplinary,
- Science
Witch Head Nebula and Rigel
Witch Head Nebula and Rigel
Near Rigel, a bright star found in the constellation Orion, lies the Witch Head Nebula (look closely to see the face!). This nebula is a reflection nebula– a cloud of dust that is lit up by nearby stars. Rigel’s starlight reflects off the dust to light up this very faint nebula. Photographer and CIERA graduate
Imran Sultan/Northwestern/CIERA
- Science
Eagle Nebula with the Pillars of Creation
Eagle Nebula with the Pillars of Creation
This is a picture of the Eagle Nebula, a magnificent emission nebula. At the heart of the Eagle Nebula are the Pillars of Creation, famously photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope in 1995, and recently by the James Webb Space Telescope. In this image, photographer and CIERA graduate student Imran Sultan depicts the Eagle Nebula
Imran Sultan/Northwestern/CIERA
- Science
Elephant’s Trunk Nebula
Elephant’s Trunk Nebula
Photographer and CIERA graduate student Imran Sultan captured the Elephant’s Trunk Nebula (IC 1396) over two nights (July 9-10, 2023) from the bright skies of the Chicago suburbs. Observing the Elephant’s Trunk reveals emission from the ionized gas in the star-forming region, shown here in the HOO color palette. Sultan was able to overcome light
Imran Sultan/Northwestern/CIERA
- Science
People
Core Faculty
Tarraneh Eftekhari
Assistant Director of CIERA, Research Assistant Professor
Kari Frank
Sr. Director of Operations of CIERA, Research Assistant Professor
Giles Novak
Professor, Faculty Director of Northwestern University Research Shop
External Faculty
Shane L. Larson
Adjunct Professor; Professor and Director of Integrated Engineering and Applied Science Projects at Clarkson University
Postdocs
Research Staff
Graduate Students
NU SkAI Personnel
