Ava Polzin

The University of Chicago

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I’m a PhD candidate in Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Chicago, where I am co-advised by Andrey Kravtsov and Hsiao-Wen Chen. My research focuses broadly on galaxy evolution and more specifically on star formation and the baryon cycle in low mass, low metallicity galaxies.

A lifelong resident of the Chicago area, I graduated from Northwestern University in 2018 with a degree in Physics and a minor in Earth & Planetary Sciences after a couple-of-year detour to Los Angeles to learn from, and work under, the best of the best in the music industry. After college, I started my PhD at Yale University before transferring to UChicago (with candidacy) to move closer to family amid the (ongoing) pandemic. When I’m not engaged in the usual graduate student activities (research, teaching, etc.), I’m wholly committed to outreach to underrepresented groups in STEM.