Origins of the Universe

The discovery of the most distant galaxies in the universe, containing the first generation of stars and primordial supermassive black holes, lies at the cutting edge of astronomy. The Hubble Space Telescope has detected galaxies formed only a few hundred million years after the Big Bang, and with the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope it will be possible to study the stars and supermassive black holes in these distant galaxies in unparalleled detail. I will explain how the James Webb Space Telescope will shed light on the build up of stars and black holes within primordial galaxies.

In this talk I will discuss how new stars are formed from gas clouds in galaxies like the Milky Way, how those stars -- some like our own Sun, but most not -- interact with their surroundings while they live, and where the gas that they are composed of goes when they die. I will also discuss how the properties of stars and the planets around them may change as the next generation of stars forms from the remains of the stars that preceded them, and potential links between star formation and galaxy evolution.

I am an EPSRC funded PhD student based out of the Quantum Engineering Laboratory in UCL Electronic and Electrical Engineering department. The aim of my work is to investigate quantum effects in low dimensional semiconducting nanodevices with a particular focus on the spin of electrons and how we may image their polarisation. When not working in the lab you can find me playing jazz, cooking, playing a game of MtG or D&D, or enjoying a pint with a few friends while we discuss science.