David Nataf

David Nataf is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Iowa. His research focuses on Galactic archaeology, near-field cosmology, and extrasolar planets, leveraging data from observatories like Gaia and the James Webb Space Telescope. He holds a PhD from The Ohio State University and is affiliated with the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

His work includes analyzing star-formation histories in the solar neighborhood, studying the extragalactic distance scale via RR Lyrae and Mira variables, and preparing for the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope’s exoplanet survey. Recent studies challenge stellar evolution models by deriving star ages near the Universe’s age and refining the Large Magellanic Cloud’s distance.

Publications highlight contributions to the GALAH survey (e.g., data releases, abundance analyses), Milky Way structure (e.g., bulge dynamics, bar modeling), and interstellar extinction corrections for future surveys. His research integrates observational data with advanced modeling to probe cosmic evolution.

No scientific awards are listed, but his work is impactful in galactic and extragalactic studies. He advises no listed students and has no highlighted grants. His team participates in large-scale surveys like GALAH and Roman, contributing to collaborative projects in astrophysics.