Jill Naiman

Jill Naiman is a Teaching Assistant Professor at the School of Information Sciences (iSchool) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a Visiting Scholar at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA). She holds a PhD in Astronomy & Astrophysics from the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she studied feedback in star clusters and galaxy formation simulations. Prior to her current role, she completed postdoctoral fellowships at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, including the National Science Foundation and Institute of Theory and Computation Fellowships.

Her research focuses on data visualization, scientific digitization with machine learning, and image processing, particularly in astrophysics. She develops open-source tools for cinematic and interactive visualization of astrophysical simulations, such as AstroBlend and Ytini, and explores methods to extract insights from historical scientific literature through projects like the Reading Time Machine.

Her recent publications highlight expertise in astrophysical data analysis, 3D visualization, and software development using tools like Houdini and Blender. These works span adaptive mesh refinement, scientific graphics, and multiresolution data analysis.

• NASA grant to digitize astrophysical literature
• National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship
• Institute of Theory and Computation Fellowship

She actively mentors students, contributes to educational outreach, and teaches courses in Data Visualization and Data Storytelling at the iSchool, including Fall 2025 offerings in IS389JPN, IS445BCG, IS445BCU, IS457BCG, IS457BCU, and IS589JPN.