Dawn Erb

Dawn Erb is a Professor and Associate Chair in the Department of Physics at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM), where she has held the rank of Professor since 2021. Previously, she served as Associate Professor (2014–2021) and Assistant Professor (2010–2014). She also holds a visiting role as Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin Madison's Department of Astronomy. Her research focuses on galaxy formation and evolution, particularly in low-mass, low-metallicity galaxies at high redshifts. She earned her PhD in Astrophysics from Caltech (2005), followed by postdoctoral fellowships at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (2005–2008) and the University of California, Santa Barbara (2008–2010).

• Education: PhD in Astrophysics, Caltech (2005); Postdoctoral Fellowships at Harvard and UCSB.
• Research Interests: Galaxy kinematics, chemical evolution, stellar populations, feedback processes, intergalactic medium, and starburst galaxies.

Her work has been supported by grants including the NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Grant (2019–2022) and the NSF Early Career Award (2013–2020). She has received notable awards such as the Research Mentor of the Year (2020) and the Wenner-Gren Visiting Researcher Award (2018). Dr. Erb actively contributes to service roles, including the Gemini Board of Directors and Space Telescope Users Committee, and leads outreach initiatives like the UWM Astronomy Club.

Her research leverages observations from the Hubble Space Telescope, Keck Observatory, and others to study galactic outflows, circumgalactic medium dynamics, and the evolution of star-forming galaxies.