Department seminar

Date and time: 30 March 2016 (Wednesday), 4:00 pm
Venue: Seminar Hall

Title: Star formation and nuclear activity of galaxies in different environments

Speaker: Dr. Smriti Mahajan, DST Fast-Track Fellow, IISER Mohali

Abstract: The process of star formation is not only vital for the growth of galaxies and structures in the Universe, but for the production of elements which form everything, including us. But all galaxies do not form stars at the same rate. The rate of star formation in galaxies and their nuclear activity is influenced by their mass, age and environment – both local and global. In this presentation I will discuss our current understanding of the observable properties of different types of galaxies and the impact of environment on their evolution using multi-wavelength data. I will also discuss the symbiotic relationship between the active galactic nuclei (AGN), their host galaxies and the impact of AGN activity on surrounding galaxies.

About the speaker: Dr. Smriti Mahajan did her M.Sc. from Delhi University and PhD from University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK. She has research experience at Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, USA, and The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. Presently she is a Fast-Track Fellow at IISER Mohali and has been selected for an INSPIRE faculty award.