Allison Kirkpatrick

Allison Kirkpatrick is an Associate Professor, Associate Chair, and Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at the University of Kansas. Her research focuses on understanding the relationship between supermassive black holes and galaxy evolution through observational astronomy.

Dr. Kirkpatrick earned her PhD in Astronomy from the University of Massachusetts in 2016 and her BS in Mathematics from the University of Florida in 2007. Prior to joining KU in 2018, she was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Yale Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics.

Her research centers on observational studies of supermassive black holes and their effect on galaxy evolution. She utilizes data from major space telescopes including Spitzer, Herschel, Hubble, Chandra, and the James Webb Space Telescope. She is particularly known for coining the term "cold quasar" in 2019 to describe galaxies hosting luminous unobscured AGN while simultaneously maintaining prodigious star formation.

Dr. Kirkpatrick serves as Principal Investigator for the MIRI EGS Galaxy and AGN (MEGA) survey, a 67-hour Cycle 2 JWST observing campaign that represents the largest area MIRI survey in more than 3 filters. Her work has been featured extensively in the press, with coverage in NewScientist, The Atlantic, Space.com, and other major media outlets from 2019-2024.

She actively contributes to diversity and inclusion efforts in astronomy as the inaugural chair of her department's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, faculty liaison for the Diversity in Physics group, and former Co-Director of the university's Multicultural Scholars Program.