Hello! Welcome to my website!

I am Raphael E. Hviding, a 5th year Astronomy Ph.D. Candidate at Steward Observatory. I study the evolution of galaxies by researching active galaxies and the distant universe using telescopes on earth and in space. I frequently engage in public outreach to share astronomy with the broader community. In addition, I am actively involved in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts in order to reshape and improve the future of academic astronomy.

You can learn more about me, my research, outreach, and DEI work right here on my website!

Public Astronomy

As much as I love exploring the universe through research, I take on an active role in seeking outreach programs in my local community to increase the availability of astronomy within the general public.

Astronomy Research

I am a PhD candidate at UArizona Steward Observatory, working with Professor Marcia Rieke and Professor Kevin Hainline as a part of the JWST NIRCam Extragalactic science group studying galaxy evolution and AGN.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

In order to affect systematic change in astronomy, I am a primary organizer for Astrocharlas, a program which provides spanish-speaking undergraduates with experience and a professional network.

Latest News

SACNAS NDiSTEM 2022
In October I will be attending and speaking at SACNAS NDiSTEM, the largest STEM diversity event in the country along with a group of Astrocharlas undergraduates.
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What drives the Growth of black holes?
In September I will be attending and presenting at workshop in Reykjavik. The workshop will focus on the advancements in AGN research in the past decade, and where future progress will be made.
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First JWST Images
In July, the first images from JWST were released. As a member of the NIRCam team, I was extremely proud to have the observations shared with the world and look forward to our future data.
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A New Infrared Criterion for Selecting Active Galactic Nuclei to Lower Luminosities
In May 2022, I published a first-author paper on finding/studying AGN using my newly developed spectroscopic fitting code.
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