Michaela Hirschmann

Michaela Hirschmann is a Tenure Track Assistant Professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), holding dual appointments in the School of Basic Sciences. She is affiliated with the Laboratory for Galaxy Evolution and Spectral Modelling (GALSPEC) and the Laboratory of Astrophysics (LASTRO), and serves as a professor in the School of Physics (SPH) for teaching. Her office is located at Observatoire de Sauverny in Versoix, Switzerland.

Her research centers on galaxy evolution and formation, with emphasis on high-redshift universe (z > 4) phenomena. Key interests include:

• Galaxy evolution and formation mechanisms
• Cosmic web and large-scale structure
• Spectral modeling of galaxy populations
• Quiescent galaxies in the early universe
• Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) and Little Red Dots
• Physical properties of galaxies during reionization

Analysis of JWST data from COSMOS-Web, RUBIES, and CAPERS surveys reveals trends in galaxy quenching, star formation bursts, and black hole growth at cosmic dawn. Her work demonstrates that extreme UV slopes and compact structures characterize early massive galaxies, while gas outflows drive rapid quenching in some systems.

Dr. Hirschmann advises three PhD students: Hirling Patrick, Petersson Jonathan Erik Peter, and Scharré Lucie Anemone. She teaches undergraduate courses in General Physics (Thermodynamics) and graduate-level Astrophysics III (Galaxy Formation and Evolution), emphasizing analytical approaches to complex physical systems.

The GALSPEC laboratory, part of EPFL's Institute of Physics, develops spectral models to interpret observational data across cosmic time. Current projects focus on decoding stellar populations in quiescent galaxies at z > 4 and modeling AGN-host interactions in Little Red Dots using multi-wavelength JWST observations.