Kristina Nyland
Astronomer
Overview
I have extensive experience in the field of galaxy evolution and have worked in a wide range of observational regimes, including the radio, optical, and infrared. I have led or contributed to studies of AGNs and star formation of nearby and high-redshift galaxies alike, with a focus on improving our understanding of the connection between AGN feedback and the quenching of star formation. I have also been involved with several large surveys, including the deep VLA and ALMA observing campaigns for the Hubble Ultra Deep Field, as well as the Spitzer Extragalactic Representative Survey (SERVS) team. My development of a parallelized Python driver that performs multi-band (optical and near-infrared) forced photometry for SERVS has proven to be essential for obtaining accurate photometric redshifts.
Education
After receiving my undergraduate degrees from the University of Michigan (Go Blue!) in 2007, I headed west to attend graduate school at New Mexico Tech in the small town of Socorro. During my time in the desert, I took full advantage of the opportunity to learn from leading experts in the field of radio interferometry at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO). From 2013 to 2014, I helped staff the data processing help desk for the CASA software package on a part-time basis, a role that helped me expand my knowledge of radio interferometry by helping others. I obtained my Ph.D. in early 2015 under the guidance of my advisors Dr. Lisa Young (NMT) and Dr. Joan Wrobel (NRAO). The title of my thesis was "Not Dead Yet: Low-level Star Formation and Active Galactic Nuclei in the Continued Evolution of Early-type Galaxies in the Nearby Universe."
Employment
I spent my first postdoctoral research position at ASTRON, the Dutch institute for radio astronomy, from 2014-2015. During my adventure in The Netherlands, I worked on imaging low-frequency data from LOFAR as part of the Radio Life team led by Dr. Raffaella Morganti. In late fall of 2015, I began my second postdoctoral position working as a research assistant with Dr. Mark Lacy at the NRAO in Charlottesville, VA, where I worked on applying new techniques for obtaining accurate multi-band photometry from mixed-resolution optical and infrared survey data. From 2018-2021, I was an NRC postdoctoral fellow in residence at the U.S. Naval Research Observatory. On November 8, 2021, I transitioned to a staff position at NRL as a radio astronomer. At NRL, I'm currently leading a project to identify and study distant quasars with newborn jets by comparing radio survey data taken over multiple epochs separated by years to decades.