Dr. María Montero-Castaño

At the Dunlap Institute, María Montero-Castaño studied the evolution of galaxies in the complex environment of galaxy clusters. According to our current understanding, young galaxies contain an abundance of gas which coalesces over time into stars, creating mature, star-rich galaxies. But when a galaxy resides within a clusters of galaxies, there are many other factors influencing this process.

Montero-Castaño collaborated with other astronomers in the Blind Ultra-Deep HI Environmental Survey. The team’s research requires identifying the cluster galaxies that have experienced star formation and those that haven’t, as well as their location within the cluster, all in order to understand where in the cluster the most recent star formation occurred.

Montero-Castaño received her PhD from Universidad Complutense de Madrid, and joined the Dunlap Institute in 2012. She left the Dunlap in December 2014.

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