DAWN-IRES Scholars Program

The first stars, galaxies and black holes burst into existence only a few hundred million years after the Big Bang, bringing light to the cosmos and putting an end to the dark ages.  Many mysteries remain about these early epochs, but not for too much longer: upcoming facilities such as the James Webb Space Telescope are precisely designed to revolutionize our understanding of this time period, known as “Cosmic Dawn”.  The Cosmic Dawn Center of Excellence (DAWN, established 2018), an international research center in Copenhagen, Denmark, brings together comprehensive scientific expertise that spans the full observational and theoretical realm of cosmic dawn.  This beautiful and enriching environment, together with the scientific expertise of DAWN, serves as an ideal site to send US students abroad. The DAWN-IRES Scholars Program will empower future generations of US scientists through a once in a lifetime opportunity of visiting Copenhagen and joining this vibrant international research center.  DAWN was founded to leverage the upcoming world-class observational facilities, so early-career scientists stand to gain the most from the center.  The overall structure of the program is founded on growing learning communities amongst the cohorts, equipping the students with practical research and communication skills, while also giving them a unique opportunity to expand their own cultural and scientific horizons.

Students will lead observational and/or theoretical projects that contribute towards understanding some of the most fundamental questions in astrophysics today: What caused the reionization of the Universe?  How do the first, massive galaxies form?  What is the origin of galaxy scaling relations? What quenches star formation in massive galaxies?  Over the next decade, the center’s mission is to develop and test a physical model explaining the key processes responsible for the assembly of the earliest galaxies through to the present day. The DAWN-IRES Scholars will join this thriving international research network, bridging the world class research performed by the US-based associate faculty coordinating this program with the DAWN permanent faculty and the local program coordinator.  The key learning goals of this international research experience include: (1) building a learning community to stimulate personal and academic growth, (2) developing effective scientific communication skills, and (3) performing globally competitive research addressing an open question in astrophysics.