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Alex Garcia

Picture of Alex Garcia
Pronouns: he/him

Contact Information

Email: alexgarcia
Office: 319A Bryant Space Science Center

Overview

Originally from a south suburb of Chicago, I attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for undergrad, where I double-majored in Physics and Astronomy. Upon moving to Gainesville in 2021, I also began work at the Kika Silva Pla Planetarium at Santa Fe College. In my free time, I enjoy running, reading books, and creating new projects for myself on my website (check it out!).

Education
  • B.Sc., Engineering Physics, University of Illinois, 2021
  • B.Sc., Astronomy, University of Illinois, 2021

Research

I study galaxy formation and evolution via large-box cosmological simulations, namely the Illustris/IllustrisTNG simulation suites. More specifically, I am interested in the metal contents and distributions of massive star-forming galaxies. Metals, measured within gaseous and stellar components of galaxies, tell us about the bulk flows of material and chemical enrichment history of galaxies, respectively. These theoretical predictions, tested against observations, help improve our understanding of how galaxies evolve with time.

Areas of Study
  • Computational Cosmology
  • High Performance Computing
  • Galaxy Formation and Evolution

Advisor: Paul Torrey