Nikole Nielsen

Nikole Nielsen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Oklahoma. Her research specializes in galaxy evolution, focusing on gas dynamics in the circumgalactic medium (CGM) using observational data from Keck, VLT, and Hubble telescopes. She leads the MAGIICAT project, a catalog of 200+ galaxies with MgII absorption measurements, and co-leads the DUVET survey mapping gas outflows in starburst galaxies.

Education:

• B.S. from Michigan State University (2009)
• M.S. from New Mexico State University (2013)
• Ph.D. from New Mexico State University (2015)

Research: She investigates gas inflows/outflows in galaxies, employing absorption spectroscopy of quasars and direct CGM emission mapping. Her work addresses the baryon cycle, galactic feedback, and environmental effects on gas reservoirs across cosmic time.

Publications: Her articles span observational techniques in galaxy evolution, including CGM emission mapping (2024), multiphase gas in galaxy groups (2022), and the foundational MAGIICAT catalog (2013). These highlight trends in gas kinematics, galaxy environments, and circumgalactic structure.

Team: She collaborates with the DUVET consortium and MAGIICAT team, which includes researchers from Swinburne University and New Mexico State University.