My main research interests are (click for more details):
Ever deeper observations have begun to uncover galaxies in the first 1 Gyr after the Big Bang, at z > 6. This is typically done using the Lyman break technique, or observing the shifting spectral break across several filters. Spectral confirmation for many of the highest redshift sources has proved reasonably elusive given the various ways in which Lyman-α emission is attenuated, but I am undertaking a blind search using 3D-HST grism spectroscopy, which will potentially yield sources at 8 < z < 12, where the emission line can be detected in exactly the same way as in lower-redshift sources. Making connections between these first galaxies and low-mass galaxies at lower redshifts is key, since both plausibly represent the initial stages of star formation in galaxies.

Using MUSE, I study the restframe-ultraviolet spectra of high-redshift galaxies. Features in this part of the spectrum, such as the C III] and Lyman-alpha emission lines, provide a lot of information about the physical state of these young galaxies. This type of study is extremly powerful when combined with information from the restframe-optical region, which can be obtained with Hubble's WFC3 camera. A key strength to this approach is the un-targeted nature of both instruments, allowing us to get a clear view of the full population of galaxies.

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