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Maria Galloway-Sprietsma

Pronouns: she/her

Contact Information

Office: Bryant 315 Space Science Center

Overview

I grew up in Benson, Arizona amongst many farm animals and dark night skies. I attended University of Arizona for my undergraduate degree where I focused on star formation, instrumentation, and learned to love radio astronomy with the 12-m ARO Telescope. In my free time I enjoy hiking, kayaking, fossil hunting, and of course hanging out with my cat, Tsar. I'm passionate about mentorship and creating spaces for underrepresented groups in academia, conservation, and, community building.

Education
  • B.Sc., Physics, Astronomy, University of Arizona, 2021
  • M. Sc., Astronomy, University of Florida, 2023

Research

I'm interested in understanding the physical processes that shape circumstellar disks and the planets that form within them. I use radio telescopes such as ALMA, SMA, and NOEMA to observe the molecular gas within these disks to disentangle and understand their kinematic signatures, 3-D structure, and chemical composition. I hope that my work will allow us to gain a deeper understanding of the planet formation process and more clearly explain the current exoplanet demographics that we see today.

Areas of Study
  • Planet Formation
  • Radio Astronomy
  • Molecular Line Observations
Selected Publications
  • Galloway-Sprietsma, M., et al, Molecules with ALMA at Planet-forming Scales (MAPS): Complex Kinematics in the AS 209 Disk Induced by a Forming Planet and Disk Winds, ApJ 950 147G, 2023, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2023ApJ...950..147G/abstract
  • Galloway-Sprietsma, M., et al, A survey of deuterated ammonia in the Cepheus star-forming region L1251, MNRAS 2022, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2022MNRAS.515.5219G/abstract

Advisor: Jaehan Bae