I am a first-year Master Astronomy student at Leiden University. I am currently working on JWST/NIRSpec spectra of high-redshift galaxies under the supervision of prof. dr. Mariska Kriek.
From 2024–2025, I was a post-baccalaureate Research Assistant at the Johns Hopkins University. I worked on stellar populations in nearby galaxies with the PHANGS collaboration, specifically the Multiscale Stellar Associations with PHANGS-HST-JWST.
I graduated from Wesleyan University in 2024 with a B.A. with Honors in Astronomy, where I operated the automated 24-inch PlaneWave telescope at Van Vleck Observatory and started working with the SPACE Program on exoplanet hosts' photometric monitoring for stellar activity.
🏛️
- View the latest slide deck for my exoplanet/stellar activity work
- I presented at the STScI Spring Symposium on May 12, 2025. Watch the official recording on YouTube.
- I presented at AAS 245 in January 2025. Click here for my slides.
- I presented at AAS 243 in January 2024 and won a Chambliss Award Honorable Mention. See my iPoster.
💡
- Jump to my galaxy work in PHANGS
- Jump to my exoplanet / stellar activity work
- View my CV
📃
- Check out my works in ADS
- Check out my ORCID record
Highlights
PHANGS-HST and JWST
Department of Physics and Astronomy, the Johns Hopkins University.
Mentors: Kirsten Larson (STScI), David Thilker, Janice Lee (STScI)
Mentors: Kirsten Larson (STScI), David Thilker, Janice Lee (STScI)
SPACE Program Exoplanet Host Photometric Monitoring
Astronomy Department and Van Vleck Observatory, Wesleyan University
Advisor: Seth Redfield
Advisor: Seth Redfield
About My Name(s)
- I was born in Beijing, China
- My Chinese name is 田秋实 (in traditional Chinese characters: 田秋實)
- Tian 田 is my family name, and it means a crop field
- Qiushi 秋实 is my given name, roughly pronounced as "tsyou-shri," and it means autumn fruits
- You can listen to the pronunciation on Google Translate.
- I go by Chris (when talking/in emails and messages)
- I publish under Qiushi Chris Tian (except for my first two) and use that for official occasions
- My legal name is Qiushi Tian, and it's used for school/employment records, etc.
What's here?
- I took the banner photo of the Orion Nebula (Messier 42) myself with a 4-inch reflector and my dad's Canon 5D Mark II . I can't remember exactly when but it was either when I was in elementary school or middle school.
- Here's a very useful tool that can allow you to search ADS by just entering a name and (the last two digits of) a year, e.g. "rubin, v c70" can take you Vera Rubin's 1970 paper on the rotation curve of the Andromeda Galaxy. Please check it out! ads.qiushitian.com
- Along with two friends, I'm developing an open-source scientific plotting package for astrophysics. I'm the (unofficial?) Project Manager. It's called VisualAstro.
- I love movies; they are an important part of me. I also make short films.
- I (used to) do a little bit of acting for fun.