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Devontae Baxter

Contact Information:

Fellowship Status:

Devontae (Tae) Baxter

NSF Fellowship Research Program:

Constraining the Cosmic Evolution of Environmental Quenching & Predicting Protocluster Populations

Research Interests:

I am primarily interested in merging observations and cosmological simulations to better understand the processes driving galaxy evolution in extreme environments, from cosmic voids to massive galaxy clusters. A few questions that I am currently investigating include: What physical mechanisms are responsible for giving rise to the puzzling population of isolated quenched dwarf galaxies? How do galaxy overdensities in the early universe — such as protoclusters — shape massive galaxy evolution, and how do these structures grow over time, influencing the galaxies within them? Finally, how can we bridge theoretical and observational definitions of protoclusters, and how can these definitions lead to more robust predictions that can inform future observational studies? By addressing these questions, my work aims to deepen our understanding of the physics that drives galaxy formation and evolution.

Education and Outreach Interests:

I am currently the Director of the Computational Astrophysics Research Preparation (CARP) program, where I organize coding and mentorship workshops for junior college students interested in transferring to a four-year university to pursue astronomy research. This program aims to facilitate the transition from a two-year to a four-year institution by equipping students with the necessary skills and mentorship to embark on their research journeys in astronomy. Additionally, I serve as an instructor in the Computational Research Access NEtwork (CRANE), a virtual nationwide data science training program led by a diverse group of graduate and postdoctoral researchers in physics and chemistry. CRANE’s mission is to ameliorate the high barriers to entry in STEM research that often results in the de facto exclusion of students that are historically underrepresented in the field.