Blobs and Blurs: Extreme Galaxies in Clusters

Nicolas Mazziotti — Undergraduate, University of Arizona

Nicolas Mazziotti is an undergraduate studying Physics and Astronomy at the University of Arizona. He is a current intern at the Arizona/NASA Space Grant Consortium working with Prof. David Sand and Dr. Michael Jones to create this Zooniverse project.

Swapnaneel Dey — Undergraduate, University of Arizona

Swapnaneel Dey is an undergraduate researcher at the University of Arizona studying Astronomy and Physics. He is currently working with Dr. Michael Jones and Prof. David Sand to find blue blobs in the Virgo Cluster.

David Sand — Faculty, University of Arizona

David Sand is a Professor of Astronomy at the University of Arizona. He is an observational astronomer with interests which include nearby galaxies, dark matter, supernovae, gravitational wave events and instrumentation. He likes to hang out with his daughter. When he gets a chance he hikes, bakes and/or naps.

Michael Jones — Post-doc, University of Arizona

Dr. Michael Jones is an astronomer specializing in the formation and evolution of galaxies. He makes use of both ground and space-based telescopes from the radio, to the optical, to the ultra-violet to study the gas and stars in nearby galaxies.

Paul Bennet — Post-doc, Space Telescope Science Institute

Dr. Paul Bennet is an astronomer woking working at the Space Telescope Science Institute. His research interests include the study of dwarf galaxies via observations of nearby galaxies and the motions of galaxies within the Local Group.

Denija Crnojevic — Faculty, University of Tampa

Denija Crnojevic is a Physics & Astronomy Professor at the University of Tampa. Her research interests include resolved stellar populations and nearby dwarf galaxies.

Catherine Fielder - Post-doc, University of Arizona

Dr. Cat Fielder is a postdoctoral research associate at Steward Observatory, interested in understanding the Milky Way and Local group, in addition to the dwarf galaxy population at large. Currently she is working on constraining ultra diffuse galaxy formation scenarios and quantifying whether satellite galaxies do indeed form in planes around their hosts.

Ananthan Karunakaran — Post-doc, Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía

Dr. Ananthan Karunakaran is a postdoctoral researcher at the IAA in Granada, Spain. His research focuses on ultra-diffuse galaxies and satellite galaxies around Milky Way-like hosts.

Burcin Mutlu-Pakdil — Faculty, Dartmouth College

Professor Burcin Mutlu-Pakdil is an observational astrophysicist who works with large imaging surveys and tailored follow-up observations from large telescopes. Her main science focus is to understand the nature of dark matter and galaxy formation via observations of nearby galaxies.

Kristine Spekkens — Faculty, Royal Military College of Canada, Queen's University

Dr. Kristine Spekkens is a professor at the Royal Military College of Canada and Queen's University. She leads a research group focused on understanding the structure and evolution of nearby galaxies, and she is particularly interested in using their atomic gas reservoirs to probe cosmological galaxy formation.