Meet our squad
We are a group of collaborative astronomers with the goal of achieving a better understanding of our cosmic origins. The SQuAD is driven, detail oriented, and rigorous - and is working to tease out clues to the inner workings of galaxy evolution.
The Werk SQuAD 2019, from left to right: Travis Mandeville, Steven Bet, Sophia Taylor, Mercedes Thompson, Apurva Goel
The team
Meet the PI
Jessica Werk is a professor of astronomy at the University of Washington. She studies the extended gaseous atmospheres of galaxies and the role they play in galaxy formation and evolution. She is primarily an observational astronomer with expertise in optical and ultraviolet spectroscopy, and uses both ground and space-based telescopes to carry out her research. She works closely with theorists to interpret the data.
Postdoctoral Fellows:
Dr. Kirill Tchernyshyov, SQuAD Co-Advisor
Ph. D., Johns Hopkins University, 2019
Dr. Yakov Faerman
Ph.D., Tel Aviv University, 2017
CURRENT AND FORMER Graduate Students:
Hannah Bish, Ph.D.
University of Washington, 2022
Iryna Butsky, Ph.D.
University of Washington, 2021
Bonni Choi
University of Washington, Ph.D. expected 2026
Akaxia Cruz
University of Washington, Ph.D. expected 2023
Samantha Garza
University of Washington, Ph.D. expected 2026
Nicole Sanchez, Ph.D.
University of Washington, 2022
O. Grace Telford, Ph.D.
University of Washington, 2019
Matthew Wilde, Ph.D.
University of Washington 2022
Undergraduate SQuAD Members
Thomas Do, Postbacc SQuAD Lead, class of 2022
Ally Payne, class of 2023
Caleb Wilkins, class of 2022
Dominic Michael Levenseller-Watland, class of 2024
Alexandre Ramirez, class of 2023
Grace Moya-Ranallo, class of 2022
Haikun Xue, class of 2022
Kalel Coleman, class of 2023
Erik Solhaug, class of 2022
Evan Klein, class of 2024
Seeking cosmic adventurers
Do you want to make astronomical discoveries with us? Learn more about how to join the SQuAD.