Abigail Crites

Abigail Crites is an Assistant Professor at Cornell University within the College of Arts and Sciences, affiliated with the Astronomy and Physics departments. Her research focuses on the early universe (<1 billion years after the Big Bang), observational cosmology, and astronomical instrumentation development, particularly for mm-wavelength measurements of the epoch of reionization and the cosmic microwave background.

• PhD (2013) in Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Chicago
• BS (2006) in Physics, Caltech

She leads the development of the Tomographic Ionized Carbon Intensity Mapping Experiment (TIME), a 200–300 GHz spectrometer with resolving power R ~100, as part of a multi-institutional collaboration including ASIAA, Caltech, RIT, University of Arizona, and Cornell. This work complements 21 cm measurements and observations from ALMA, Hubble Space Telescope (HST), and James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Her research also contributes to the CMB-S4 project and CCAT-prime/FYST facilities.

Abigail Crites has received the Fred Young Faculty Fellow award, recognizing her contributions to astrophysics and cosmology. She teaches courses such as Physics II: Electricity and Magnetism (PHYS 2217) and Independent Study in Physics (PHYS 4490), engaging students in advanced physics concepts and research opportunities.