Dark Matter

The dynamics of galaxies and large-scale structure reveal that most of the universe’s mass is invisible – dominated by `dark matter’ rather than baryons. However, we still do not know what dark matter is!

I am interested in understanding the connection between galaxies and dark matter as a way to place constraints on the nature of dark matter. The first galaxies are expected to form in the lowest mass dark matter halos and thus their formation times and abundances should enable us to constrain potential deviations from the standard cold dark matter (CDM) paradigm.

Recent projects in my group include:

• Modelling the evolution of the galaxy population from the evolution of the dark matter halo mass function (Mason+15,+23,Gelli+25)
• Investigating possible constraints on non-CDM dark matter from upcoming 21cm observations (Verwohlt+24)