Hai Fu

Hai Fu is a Professor at the Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Iowa. His research focuses on galaxy formation and evolution, with emphasis on massive galaxies, dual active galactic nuclei (AGN), and circumgalactic medium studies using multi-wavelength observations.

• PhD from University of Hawai’i (2008)
• Postdoctoral work at Caltech and UC Irvine
• Faculty at University of Iowa since 2013

His research interests span:

• Galaxy mergers and nuclear activity triggering
• Statistical methods for Tully-Fisher relations
• Observational cosmology with ALMA and MaNGA surveys
• Gas kinematics in high-redshift starbursts
• Gravitational lensing of submillimeter galaxies

Recent publications include studies on:

• Statistical rectification of Tully-Fisher relations (2024)
• High-redshift cold gas streams detected via quasar absorption (2024)
• Binary AGN in galaxy mergers (2023)
• Gas fraction evolution in galaxies (2018)

Scientific awards include:

• NSF Grant AST-2103251 for MaNGA Merger Project
• NSF funding for Gravbox augmented-reality sandbox

He has advised multiple students including Dr. Joshua Steffen and Dr. Arran Gross, whose work contributed to understanding galaxy mergers and dual AGN systems. His team utilizes advanced instrumentation like the LISA Spectrograph at Van Allen Observatory and ALMA for high-resolution observations.