Francis-Yan Cyr-Racine

Francis-Yan Cyr-Racine is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of New Mexico, holding the Robert E. Young Origins of the Universe Chair. His research focuses on particle astrophysics, cosmology, and dark matter interactions, particularly exploring how non-standard dark matter impacts structure formation and astrophysical observations. He leads projects like DREAMS (DaRk mattEr and Astrophysics with Machine Learning and Simulations), which employs advanced computational techniques to study subhalo populations and dark matter dynamics. His work also addresses cosmological tensions, such as the Hubble constant discrepancy, through novel parametrizations and observational systematics analyses.

Education: PhD in Physics from the University of British Columbia (2012). His research interests include dark matter self-interactions, neutrino physics, and the interplay between fundamental physics and cosmological observations. He contributes to major initiatives like the CMB-S4 experiment and the Vera C. Rubin Observatory to probe dark matter and cosmological parameters.

Research interests span particle astrophysics, cosmological data analysis, and machine learning applications. Recent work includes studies of self-interacting dark matter subhalo evolution, constraints on neutrino models, and leveraging gravitational lensing anisotropies to test dark matter hypotheses. His projects often bridge theoretical frameworks with observational data from telescopes like the James Webb Space Telescope and CMB surveys.

Publications emphasize interdisciplinary approaches, combining astrophysical observations with particle physics models to uncover the nature of dark matter and resolve cosmological anomalies. His work frequently addresses high-redshift phenomena and the early universe, including cosmic dawn studies and dark acoustic oscillations.