معرفی
Amy Reines is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physics at Montana State University's College of Letters & Science, specializing in massive black holes in dwarf galaxies and star formation. Her groundbreaking work has identified over 100 dwarf galaxies hosting supermassive black holes, including the smallest known (~50,000 solar masses).
Education:
- Ph.D. in Astronomy, University of Virginia (2011)
- M.S. in Astronomy, University of Virginia (2007)
- M.S. in Physics, San Francisco State University (2002)
- B.S. in Astronomy, University of Maryland (1998)
Research Interests: Professor Reines pioneers the study of black holes in dwarf galaxies to unravel the origins of supermassive black holes. Her research demonstrates that black hole growth is intrinsically linked to galaxy evolution, even in the smallest systems. She investigates off-nuclear "wandering" black holes and their role in triggering star formation, utilizing multi-wavelength observations from Hubble, Chandra, and ground-based telescopes.
Article Trends: Her publications reveal a consistent focus on observational detection of black holes in low-mass galaxies, spanning optical, radio, and X-ray techniques. Key themes include black hole demographics in dwarf systems, AGN identification methods, and the connection between black hole activity and star formation. Her work has established dwarf galaxies as critical laboratories for understanding primordial black hole seeds.
Scientific Awards:
- Hubble Fellowship (2014)
- Einstein Fellowship (2011)
Advising and Grants: Dr. Reines leads multiple NASA-funded projects including "The Origin of Supermassive Black Holes" and "Testing Mid-Infrared AGN Selection in Dwarf Galaxies with Chandra and HST." Her STScI and Smithsonian grants support studies of radio-selected black holes and dwarf irregular galaxies. She mentors graduate students in observational astrophysics and teaches courses like Astrophysics of Galaxies.
Labs and Teams: She directs an active research group at Montana State University analyzing data from major observatories. Her team collaborates internationally on projects requiring Hubble Space Telescope, Chandra X-ray Observatory, and Very Large Array observations to study black hole-galaxy coevolution in low-mass systems.
