Emma Curtis Lake

Dr. Emma Curtis Lake is a Research Fellow at the University of Hertfordshire's Centre for Astrophysics Research (CAR), affiliated with the School of Physics, Engineering & Computer Science and Department of Physics, Astronomy and Mathematics. She holds an STFC Webb Fellowship, supporting her work on early universe galaxy formation and UK community engagement with the James Webb Space Telescope.

• Education: D.Phil in Astrophysics from the University of Oxford (2011)
• Positions: Postdoctoral researcher at University of Edinburgh (2011-2014), Institute d'Astrophysique de Paris (2014-2016), University of Cambridge (2016-2021)

Her research focuses on galaxy formation and evolution in the first billion years post-Big Bang, using space-based observatories like Hubble, Spitzer, and JWST. As a member of the JWST NIRSpec GTO team and co-lead of JADES survey target selection/data analysis, she investigates:

• Stellar and gas properties during cosmic noon and Epoch of Reionization
• Star formation rates and dust content in early galaxies
• Chemical enrichment and obscured AGN activity
• Development of BEAGLE-AGN software for spectral analysis

Analysis of her 66+ publications reveals trends in:

• High-redshift galaxy spectroscopy (z > 7)
• AGN properties during reionization
• Advancements in JWST data processing
• Chemical abundance modeling
• Lyman-alpha emission studies
• Population III star constraints

Scientific awards:

• STFC Webb Fellowship
• Key contributor to JADES survey

Her work contributes to understanding how galaxies formed and evolved during the universe's first 1-2 billion years, leveraging cutting-edge space telescope data.