Biography

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I am a theoretical and computational astrophysicist, currently a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Astronomy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, working with Nick Stone. In Fall 2026, I will join the Department of Physics at The University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics (HKIAA) as an Assistant Professor. Previously, I was a Fellow at the Nevada Center for Astrophysics at UNLV, collaborating with Bing Zhang and Zhaohuan Zhu. I completed my PhD at Stony Brook University under Rosalba Perna.

I work on the fundamental dynamics of few-body gravitational systems in dense astrophysical environments. A particular focus is how stellar and compact-object populations evolve in AGN accretion disks, producing nuclear transients and gravitational-wave sources observable across the electromagnetic and gravitational-wave spectrum. I develop the open-source codes SpaceHub and VegasAfterglow for high-precision few-body integration and gamma-ray burst afterglow modeling.

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Download my CV .

Interests
  • nuclei-cluster-dynamics/
      ├── Tidal disruption events
      ├── Changing-look AGN
      ├── Quasi-periodic eruptions
      └── Extreme mass ratio inspirals
  • multi-messenger-astrophysics/
  • free-floating-planets/
Education

  • PhD in Physics, 2022

    Stony Brook University

  • MA in Physics, 2017

    Stony Brook University

  • BS in Physics (Theoretical Physics), 2015

    University of Science and Technology of China

Research Highlights

Galactic Center Black Hole Merger

Our Milky Way’s central black hole, Sagittarius A*, shows a peculiar spin orientation misaligned with the Galactic plane. We proposed that this misalignment is evidence of a past merger with another massive black hole roughly 9 billion years ago. This work provides a new window into the assembly history of supermassive black holes.

Published in Nature Astronomy (2024). Featured in Phys.org and ScienceDaily.

Stellar Dynamics in AGN Disks

Star-disk coupling in Active Galactic Nuclei fundamentally reshapes nuclear cluster evolution. Objects on retrograde, high-inclination orbits experience eccentricity excitation as their vertical motion is damped. Once flattened, eccentricity is suppressed, leading to prograde, near-circular disk orbits. This process breaks steady-state assumptions and has wide-reaching consequences for tidal disruption events, changing-look AGN, and gravitational wave sources.

Published in MNRAS (2024).

Jupiter Mass Binary Objects (JuMBOs)

JWST discovered Jupiter-Mass Binary Objects in the Orion Nebula—pairs of planetary-mass objects orbiting each other while floating freely in space. Using N-body simulations, we showed that close stellar flybys can eject two planets that remain gravitationally bound.

JuMBO formation: face-on (left) and edge-on (right) scattering.

Published in Nature Astronomy (2024). Featured in Quanta Magazine and Physics World.

Gamma-Ray Burst Afterglows with VegasAfterglow

To keep pace with the multi-wavelength data flooding in from gamma-ray bursts, I developed VegasAfterglow — a high-performance framework that pairs C++ speed with Python accessibility. It computes afterglow light curves in milliseconds, fast enough to make full MCMC parameter inference tractable, while capturing rich physics: forward and reverse shocks across relativistic and non-relativistic regimes, synchrotron self-Compton with Klein–Nishina corrections, and structured jets at arbitrary viewing angles.

VegasAfterglow

Published in JHEAp (2026). Open source on GitHub.

Browse all my research by theme →

Personal

Drawing

I grew up in Chongqing, a city known for its dramatic mountainous terrain and traditional Chinese architecture in southwest China. I enjoy sketching the city’s iconic sites like Hongya Dong, which reflects both its cultural heritage and its striking urban landscape.

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I recently revisited this sketch and used Google Gemini to add color and detail:

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Skiing

I picked up skiing during my PhD and quickly got hooked despite an early encounter with ski patrol. What started as a new challenge became a regular pursuit where steady improvement kept me coming back.

I’ve been training toward CSIA Level III certification, drawn to their systematic approach to skill development. Below is a clip from a pre-pandemic ski season with friends. I’m the one in the yellow pants.

Contact