3rd year PhD student at the
Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics
My name is Eileen and I am currently a third year PhD student at the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics (MPA) in Garching under the International Max Planck Research School on Astrophysics at the Ludwig Maximilian University Munich. I obtained my B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Physics from the Georg August University of Goettingen.
I am interested in galaxy evolution and galaxy protoclusters, and my research focuses on massive galaxies in the early universe. I utilize data from multiple different telescopes, including VLT/MUSE, JCMT/SCUBA-2 and ALMA.
In my free time, I enjoy cooking, going on walks through nature, and playing games with friends.
I am also dedicating time to outreach activities: I contributed the MPA Research Highlight in January 2025 about part of my PhD work, am a member of the MPA mentorship team, aiding undergraduate students from underrepresented groups in pursuing a career in Astrophysics, and participate in the yearly Girls' Day, a German-wide career day for high school students to get insights into jobs in science and technology.
My PhD research is focused on the environment of quasar pairs at high redshift, from the circumgalactic medium out to the Megaparsec-scale galaxy population.
Extended Lyα emission observed with VLT/MUSE reveals the cool (104 K) hydrogen gas on scales of up to 100 kpc away from the quasars. I found alignment between the extended emission and the quasar pairs, indicating that Lyα nebulae trace filamentary accretion from the cosmic web. This work is published in Astronomy & Astrophysics and summarized in the MPA Research Highlight from January 2025.
Using JCMT/SCUBA-2 data at submillimeter wavelengths, I identified dusty star forming galaxies in a radius of roughly four Megaparsec around quasar pairs. Because all fields have increased number counts of these massive galaxies and star formation rate densities consistent with predictions, physically associated quasar pairs seem to be good tracers of protocluster environments and the densest peaks of the dark matter distribution at z=3.
In VLT/MUSE data, I identified a physically associated quadruple AGN candidate. One of the quasars in the targeted pair is closely (<20 kpc) accompanied by two massive galaxies that, based on their emission line widths and ratios, are likely AGNs. The system is not only extremely dense, but might also show ram-pressure stripping revealed in the extended Lyα emission. This work is published in Astronomy & Astrophysics Letters .
Feel free to contact me! The easiest way to reach me is via email.