Focus Areas and Specialties

Our award-winning faculty in Astronomy & Astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz are leading research at the forefront of the field, mentoring students while advancing knowledge across the cosmos.

This page highlights the diverse and dynamic areas our faculty are focused on—from the search for exoplanets and the study of cosmic structure and evolution, to breakthroughs in particle physics and the development of cutting-edge astronomical instrumentation.

Explore the wide-ranging expertise that drives discovery and innovation in our department and see which faculty are represented in each area.

Planetary Astrophysics

Explores the formation, evolution, and characteristics of planets—both within our solar system and around other stars—to understand planetary systems and their potential for life.

Exoplanetary Atmospheres

Jonathan J Fortney

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- Web Page
- Web Page

Andrew J Skemer

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- Personal Website

Xi Zhang

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- Website

Ruth Murray-Clay

Rebecca Jensen Clem

Website
- Click here to access my webpage

Detection of Exoplanets

Steven S Vogt

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- Web Page

Andrew J Skemer

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- Personal Website

Rebecca Jensen Clem

Website
- Click here to access my webpage

Structure and Evolution of Exoplanets and Solar System Objects

Jonathan J Fortney

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- Web Page
- Web Page

Francis Nimmo

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- Web Page

Ian Garrick-Bethell

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- Web Page

Douglas N Lin

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- Web Page

Pascale Garaud

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- Web Page
- Kavli Summer Program in Astrophysic

Planet Formation and Dynamics

Ruth Murray-Clay

Douglas N Lin

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- Web Page

Enrico Jorge Ramirez-Ruiz

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- Web Page

Convection in the Interiors of Stars and Planets

Pascale Garaud

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- Web Page
- Kavli Summer Program in Astrophysic

Nicholas H Brummell

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- Web Page

Galaxies in the Local Volume

Investigates nearby galaxies to uncover the structure, dynamics, and histories of galactic systems in our cosmic neighborhood.

Stars, Star Clusters and Stellar Evolution

Michael Bolte

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- Web Page

Graeme H Smith

Ryan J Foley

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- UCSC Transients Team

Stellar Populations, Galactic Structure and Galaxy Interactions

Michael Bolte

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- Web Page

Graeme H Smith

Jean Brodie

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Puragra Guha Thakurta

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Piero Madau

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Claire Ellen Max

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Constance Mary Rockosi

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Extragalactic Astrophysics and Cosmology

Probes the large-scale structure of the universe, the evolution of galaxies, dark matter, and dark energy to understand the origins and fate of the cosmos.

Inter(galactic + stellar) Medium Program of Studies

Piero Madau

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Nia Imara

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- Publications

Joel R Primack

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Galaxy Formation and Evolution

Piero Madau

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Joel R Primack

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Jason Xavier Prochaska

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- Fast and Fortunate for FRB Followup

Brant E Robertson

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- Research Website
- List of Publications

Puragra Guha Thakurta

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Jean Brodie

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- Web Page

Kevin A Bundy

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- Personal research page

S M Faber

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- Web Page

Claire Ellen Max

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- Web Page

David C Koo

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- Web Home Page

Alexie S Leauthaud-Harnett

Website
- Click here to access my webpage

Constance Mary Rockosi

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- Web Page

Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and Galaxies

Ryan J Foley

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- UCSC Transients Team

Alexie S Leauthaud-Harnett

Website
- Click here to access my webpage

Constance Mary Rockosi

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- Web Page

Joel R Primack

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- Web Page

Steven M Ritz

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Michael Dine

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Stefano Profumo

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Piero Madau

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- Web Page

The Early Universe

Ryan J Foley

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- UCSC Transients Team

Alexie S Leauthaud-Harnett

Website
- Click here to access my webpage

Michael Dine

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- Web Page

Stefano Profumo

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- Web Page

Piero Madau

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- Web Page

Brant E Robertson

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- Research Website
- List of Publications

Anthony N Aguirre

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- Web Page

High Energy and Particle Astrophysics

Studies the most energetic phenomena in the universe—such as black holes, neutron stars, and cosmic rays—using both observational and theoretical tools.