Dr Ivy Wong

wa_portrait_low_res_wong

International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research, University of Western Australia

Astrophysics

 

Dr Ivy Wong investigates how galaxies form stars and evolve. Some galaxies stop forming stars because they have run out of gas, while others stop forming stars even before their gas reservoir is depleted. Ivy’s research is to understand why this happens by studying the gas content of galaxies.

Recently she has been studying galaxies that live fast and die young, that is, galaxies that have had a very recent burst of star formation but then experience a shut down of star production. By understanding these rare objects she hopes to reveal the physical processes that are currently missing from our theoretical understanding of galaxy formation and evolution.

Ivy has presented her research through a range of public forums, published numerous science articles, volunteered with ‘Scientists in Schools’, and appeared on TV and radio. She has also lead a highly successful and international citizen science project to help identify growing supermassive black holes.

  • Galaxy Evolution
  • Supermassive Black Holes
  • Star Formation
  • Astronomy
  • Space Science
2016