Andrew R Zentner

Andrew R Zentner is a Professor and Department Chairperson in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at the University of Pittsburgh, part of the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences. He holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Cooper Union and a Ph.D. in Physics from The Ohio State University. His research focuses on theoretical cosmology, including dark matter and dark energy dynamics, galaxy formation, and observational cosmology. He leads a research group with four graduate students and undergraduate researchers, funded by the NSF and DOE. His work integrates advanced simulations and data analysis to address fundamental questions in astrophysics. Zentner has held postdoctoral positions at the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics and the University of Chicago before joining Pitt in 2007. He organizes academic events and contributes to public outreach initiatives.

Education:

• Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, Cooper Union (New York City)
• Ph.D. in Physics, The Ohio State University (2003)

Research Interests:

• Cosmology: Dark matter dynamics, dark energy constraints, and large-scale structure formation
• Galaxy Formation: Role of baryonic processes and merger histories in shaping galactic structures
• Weak Lensing: Applications to testing gravity and constraining cosmological parameters
• Indirect Dark Matter Detection: Gamma-ray and neutrino signatures from annihilation/capture processes

Advising & Funding:

• Current advisees: Andrew Hearin, Mei-Yu Wang, Advait Salgarkar, Shailendra Vikas, and others
• Funding: NSF Astronomy & Astrophysics grants, DOE Office of Science

Labs/Teams: Active contributor to Pitt's Astrophysics & Cosmology Group, maintaining a collaborative wiki and calendar for event coordination.