Tereasa Brainerd

Tereasa Brainerd is a Professor in the Department of Astronomy at Boston University, where she has been a faculty member since 1995. She earned her PhD in Astronomy from The Ohio State University in 1992 and previously held postdoctoral positions at Caltech and Los Alamos National Laboratory. Brainerd has served as Director of the Institute for Astrophysical Research and Chair of the Department of Astronomy at BU, as well as Trustee-at-Large for the American Astronomical Society.

• Education: B.Sc., University of Alberta (Canada); Ph.D., The Ohio State University
• Affiliation: Boston University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Astronomy
• Leadership Roles: Director, Institute for Astrophysical Research (6 years); Chair, Department of Astronomy (6 years); Trustee-at-Large, American Astronomical Society (2018-2021)

Brainerd’s research focuses on understanding dark matter halos through the study of satellite galaxies, weak gravitational lensing, intrinsic galaxy alignments, and large-scale structure formation. Her work bridges observational data with cosmological simulations to explore the universe’s invisible dark matter web and galaxy evolution dynamics.

Recent publications highlight her expertise in analyzing satellite galaxy distributions (notably in TNG simulations), cosmic voids, and the role of dark matter in shaping galaxy alignment patterns. While her work does not explicitly list scientific awards, her leadership roles and extensive publication record underscore her prominence in astrophysics.

Brainerd contributes to teaching advanced courses such as GRS AS865: Space Physics Seminar, CAS AS109: Cosmology, and CAS AS413: Extragalactic Astrophysics & Cosmology. She is a member of the Interdisciplinary Cosmology Group at Boston University, which spans departments of Astronomy, Physics, and Data Sciences.