Chad Popik

Overview

I'm a third year PhD student researching cosmology and galaxies with Professor Nick Battaglia. I started at Cornell in 2021 after completing my B.S. in Physics and Astronomy from the University of Rochester, where I worked on extracting the Baryonic Acoustic Oscillation (BAO) signal from the galaxy distribution with Professor Regina Demina. Nowadays, I'm interested in learning about the properties and development of galaxies through the lens of large scale cosmology. My current project involves combining data from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) and the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) to analyze the thermal profiles of galaxies, which can be used to study the efficiency of galactic feedback processes. Back on earth, I enjoy baking, visiting big cities, all things music, and enjoying the beautiful autumns of upstate New York.