معرفی
Arjen van der Wel is a Full Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Ghent University's Faculty of Sciences. His research focuses on galaxy formation and evolution, with expertise in extragalactic astronomy, cosmology, and observations across multiple wavelengths including infrared, optical, radio, and sub-mm.
His research spans galaxy structure, stellar populations, kinematics, and the evolution of galaxies over cosmic time. He is heavily involved in major astronomical surveys including the Large Early Galaxy Astrophysics Census (LEGA-C), which examines galaxies at redshifts around 0.6-1.0, and utilizes data from cutting-edge telescopes such as the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). His work often combines observational data with cosmological simulations to understand galaxy evolution.
Professor van der Wel's recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on galaxy sizes, structural parameters, stellar populations, and the evolution of galaxy properties from the early universe to the present day. His research increasingly leverages the unprecedented capabilities of JWST to study galaxies at cosmic noon (z~2-3) and beyond, examining features like Sérsic indices, UVJ diagrams, and stellar mass-size relations with greater precision than ever before.
He has received funding from prestigious sources including European framework programmes and the Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO), and currently leads projects examining galaxy physics from 7 billion years ago and studying extragalactic astronomy through Ghent University's Special Research Fund.
Professor van der Wel actively supervises doctoral researchers including Marco Martorano, Daniela Barrientos Acevedo, Irham Taufik Andika, Inja Kovacic, and Anand Utsav Kapoor, guiding research on topics ranging from galaxy evolution with HST and JWST to synthetic spectroscopic observations and cosmological hydrodynamical simulations.
