Dirk Scholte
Astrophysicist | Galaxy formation
I am a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Institute for Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, based at the Royal Observatory. I study the chemical evolution and gas content of galaxies, combining large spectroscopic surveys of the nearby Universe with James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) observations of galaxies at intermediate and high redshift. I also use sub-mm and radio (21-cm) observations to measure the molecular and atomic gas that fuels star formation.
I chair the Galaxy and Quasar Physics working group of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) collaboration.
Research interests
- The accretion, retention, and removal of gas from galaxies, traced with 21-cm, CO and optical emission lines.
- How interconnected galaxy processes lead to tight correlations between observable properties, such as the mass-metallicity relation.
- The chemical enrichment of galaxies from the local Universe to cosmic dawn, measured with direct electron-temperature abundances.
- The relationship between galaxies and their dark matter haloes.
Chemical abundances of 50,000 nearby galaxies
Measuring metallicity in the early Universe with JWST
Gas and metals from dwarfs to massive galaxies
Background
I completed my PhD in Astrophysics at University College London in 2024, where my thesis was awarded the Jon Darius Memorial Prize for outstanding PhD research in astrophysics. Before that, I earned an MSc in Astronomy and Astrophysics at The University of Manchester and a BSc in Physics and Astronomy at Universiteit Utrecht.
Alongside research, I have a background in science communication: I worked full-time as a science communicator at Jodrell Bank Observatory. I am originally from Noord-Brabant, the Netherlands.