W. Nielsen Brandt

Eberly Chair Professor of Astronomy & Astrophysics
Professor of Physics

Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics
525 Davey Lab
The Pennsylvania State University
University Park, Pennsylvania 16802 USA

Office: 514A Davey Lab
Phone: (814) 865-3509
Email: wnbrandt @ gmail.com

Brief Research Statement:

My research focuses on observational studies of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) and cosmic surveys. Specific objects investigated include actively accreting SMBHs (i.e., active galactic nuclei: AGNs), dormant SMBHs, starburst and normal galaxies, and transients. Observations utilized are from facilities at the forefront of astrophysical discovery, including the Chandra, XMM-Newton, and NuSTAR satellites and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. I soon plan to work on data from new X-ray missions, the Legacy Survey of Space and Time, and the MOONS spectrograph on the VLT. Ultimately, my research aims to understand the physics, demographics, and ecology of SMBHs across all of cosmic time.




Primary Research Interests:


Curriculum Vitae (as of 2023 January):

Postdoctoral, Graduate, and Undergraduate Collaborators at Penn State:

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