UMass Department of Astronomy : 2024

The Department of Astronomy is an independent, active and vibrant department that offers undergraduate and graduate instruction at a public university in New England. Our Department is active in a broad range of award-winning observational and theoretical astrophysics, engaging students in cutting-edge research inside and outside of the classroom. We seek to challenge and enhance our understanding of the cosmos that we live in.

UMass is a member of the Five College Astronomy Department, alongside Amherst College, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, and Hampshire College. Our students have access to a broad array of resources and can interact with individuals across all five colleges.

Table of contents
100
Undergraduate majors
22
PhD students
21
UMass professors + FCAD professors
7
Postdocs and research fellows

Telescopes and Resources

Partner in the 50-m Large Millimeter Telescope (LMT) in Mexico Partner in the 50-m Large Millimeter Telescope (LMT) in Mexico Access to the Perkins 1.8-m optical telescope for AST341 and research Access to the Perkins 1.8-m optical telescope for AST341 and research Access to advanced computational facilities  Access to advanced computational facilities  Continuum and heterodyne instrument labs  Continuum and heterodyne instrument labs  Involved in Subaru Prime Focus Spectrograph (PFS) project Involved in Subaru Prime Focus Spectrograph (PFS) project Faculty with joint affiliation at the Cosmic Dawn Center in Copenhagen  Faculty with joint affiliation at the Cosmic Dawn Center in Copenhagen 

Awards, Grants, and Fellowship Opportunities

Travel grants are available for conferences every semester, and students have access to the following funding sources: 

  • FCAD fellowships for travel, graduate stipends, and computer resources (Mary Daily Irvine Fellowship, Judith S. Young Memorial Fellowship)
  • Graduate School fellowships (including Spaulding-Smith Diversity Fellowship)
  • Massachusetts Space Grant Consortium (MASGC) Scholarships
  • Undergraduate Awards (Outstanding Astronomy Senior Award, Astronomy Award for Academic Excellence, David J. Van Blerkom Scholarship) 

Areas of Research

  • Research areas cover the X-ray, UV, Optical, IR, (Sub)mm and Radio regimes
  • Computational probability and statistics (big data)
  • Simulations of the formation and evolution of galaxies
  • Large scale structure
  • Interaction of galaxies with their environment: structure of dark matter halos and global properties of galaxy clusters
  • Chemical evolution of the ISM and the circumgalactic enrichment
  • Resolved star formation: star cluster formation and the initial mass function
  • Star formation and feedback: examining high-energy sources of the ISM
  • Coevolution of galaxies and supermassive black holes
  • Astronomical instrumentation

Statement on Diversity and Inclusion

The Department of Astronomy at the University of Massachusetts strongly values diversity and inclusion at all levels and is committed to provide opportunities to all. Towards the goal of being a community that reflects the diverse makeup of our society, the Department, in its graduate admission proceedings, will strive to increase the admission of students from historically underrepresented groups in Astronomy, aiming at aligning with national population averages. The Department will continue to be a welcoming beacon of scholarship for all.