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Bingjie Wang / 王冰洁

Astrophysicist

  • Hi there,
    I am a postdoc working with Prof. Joel Leja
    at the Pennsylvania State University.
    My research interests focus on galaxy formation and evolution.
    - CV -

    Education

    Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
    2016 -- 2021
    Ph.D. in Astronomy & Astrophysics
    Advisor: Prof. Timothy Heckman

    University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
    2012 -- 2016
    Magna Cum Laude
    B.A. in Philosophy
    B.Phil. in Physics, offered by Honors College
    Advisor: Prof. Arthur Kosowsky

RESEARCH

galaxy formation and evolution / reionization

In general terms, my research spans from the processes of galaxy formation to phenomenological models of the universe. Currently I focus on two areas: JWST observations of the early phases of galactic evolution, and machine learning techniques for inferring galactic properties. I am a core member of the JWST ultra-deep Cycle 1 Treasury survey UNCOVER, where I lead the spectrophotometric modeling together with Prof. Leja.

My Ph.D. thesis centers on the escape of ionizing radiation and galactic outflows (slides from my AAS dissertation talk). The former concerns the processes in early galaxies that enable a substantial fraction of their Lyman-continuum radiation to escape the dense interstellar medium, driving the cosmic reionization. The latter is on the physical processes governing starburst-driven outflows, which are often invoked as the principal feedback mechanism in models of galaxy formation and evolution.

I have also collaborated on projects on early universe cosmology, such as understanding large-angle anomalies in the Cosmic Microwave Background and developing analysis pipelines for the Cosmology Large Angular Scale Surveyor.


Press


• Media coverage of lead-author works:

Trio of early galaxies test our ideas of cosmic evolution; Sky & Telescope
Too many stars, too fast?; AAS NOVA research highlights
(see also the PSU release; Space.com, The Independent, ...)
JWST discovery of the second- and fourth-most distant galaxies; PSU release (Space.com, Newsweek, Daily Mail, ...)
JWST uncovers new details in Pandora’s Cluster; NASA/STScI/PSU release
[SII] deficiency and the leakage of ionizing radiation; AAS journal author series
Tracing gas flows out of star-forming galaxies; AAS NOVA research highlights

• Expert comments for:

BBC, New Scientist, Sky & Telescope.

• Selected other media coverage:

NASA telescopes discover record-breaking black hole; NASA release (CNN, ...)
Massive early galaxies defy prior understanding of the universe; NASA/Nature/ANU/PSU release (CNN, the Guardian, NPR, ...)

First-Author Publications

11 papers (as of 05/2024; click here to view in ADS)

Img: a composite image of the highest redshift "little red dot" exhibiting a Balmer break (at spec-z=8.35); Wang et al 2024.

All Publications

55 in total (as of 05/2024; click here to view in ADS)

Img: a cutout of one of the spec-z > 12 galaxies; Wang et al 2023.


"Two things fill me with wonder, the starry sky above me and the moral law within me."

-- Immaneul Kant

  • My life (or the lack of it) outside Physics

    I was born and raised in Shanghai, China, and then came to the United States for undergraduate study in 2012. Philosophy has been my passion ever since I read Sophie's World in middle school, and so I attended the University of Pittsburgh. How I decided to be a physicist... can be a story for another day.

    In essence, it is the same passion for the knowledge of nature that led me to the study of physics and philosophy -- we observe nature as a complexity, and through human ingenuity we disentangle the natural phenomena, and thus disenchant the world. In studying these two disciplines, I sense the power of mind: the ability to reach to the very beginning of the Universe, and to search for the answers to the oldest and deepest questions in the history of humanity.

    This is the journey which I would like to take on.

    P.S. If you are curious, I invite you to my occasionally updated blog, where I have posted some of my essays.