James E. AguirreView profile
Associate Professor
James E. Aguirre is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Pennsylvania. His research focuses on understanding galaxy formation, cosmology, and large-scale structure through advanced instrumentation and observational techniques. He leads projects such as HERA (Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array) and TIM (Terahertz Intensity Mapper), dedicated to studying the early universe and distant star-forming galaxies. Aguirre’s work involves cutting-edge millimeter-wave and radio instrumentation design, including Z-Spec, PAPER, and MUSTANG. He has contributed to significant discoveries, such as detecting massive water reservoirs around quasars and determining distances to gravitationally lensed galaxies. Supported by NSF grants, his research bridges observational astronomy with cosmological theory. Education: Ph.D. in Astrophysics (thesis work on TopHat balloon-borne telescope). Teaching: ASTR011 Introduction to Astrophysics I. Current Projects: HERA, TIM, Simons Observatory, and PAPER. Grants: NSF Grant No. 0807990 and others. His research group collaborates on instrumentation like the Bolocam Galactic Plane Survey and explores techniques for mitigating calibration errors and improving signal analysis in radio interferometry. Aguirre’s efforts advance both observational methods and our understanding of cosmic evolution from the epoch of reionization to present-day galaxy formation.








