CV

This is an abbreviated Curriculum Vitae, please find my complete CV at the bottom of this page, updated August 2022.

PROF. CARA BATTERSBY

University of Connecticut, Dept. of Physics, 196A Auditorium Road, Unit 3046, Storrs, CT 06269-3046

Phone: (860) 486-3988, E-mail: cara.battersby@uconn.edu

RESEARCH INTERESTS

1) Star formation, gas dynamics, and the 3-D structure of our Galaxy’s Central Molecular Zone (CMZ), 2) clustered star formation and its potential variation with environment, 3) the future of Far-IR astrophysics, and 4) how galaxy-scale processes affect the detailed physics of star formation.

PROFESSIONAL PREPARATION

Assistant Professor University of Connecticut (on research leave AY16/17). August 2016 – present
Research Associate Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. September 2017 – present
National Science Foundation (NSF) Postdoctoral Fellow at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. August 2016 – July 2017
Submillimeter Array (SMA) Postdoctoral Fellow at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Sept. 2013 – July 2016
Ph.D. Astrophysics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, Adviser: John Bally. Thesis Title: “The Structure, Kinematics, and Evolution of Massive Star and Cluster Forming Regions.” 2013
M.A. Astronomy, Boston University, Adviser: Jim Jackson. 2008
B.S. Physics & Astronomy, University of Massachusetts Amherst, summa cum laude. 2006

PUBLICATIONS

Cara Battersby has an h-index of 36, is an author on 79 refereed publications with a total citation count of 4,627 (computed August 2022 from the NASA Astrophysics Data Service Page). Complete publication list is available on NASA ADS here.

SELECTED HONORS, GRANTS, AND AWARDS

Cara Battersby has been awarded about $3.0M in extramural funding to UConn as PI or co-PI on ten grants from NSF, NASA, NRAO, and the Templeton Foundation.

2022: Co-PI: NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Grant, ““Collaborative Research: ACES Galactic Center Mass Flow” ($232k)
2022: PI: NSF Early CAREER Faculty Award, “CAREER: Shining STARs Amidst the Turbulence” ($697k)
2021: PI: NASA Astrophysics Data Analysis Program Grant, “3-D MC: Mapping Circumnuclear Molecular Clouds from X-ray to Radio” ($466k)
2021: PI: National Science Foundation Astronomy and Astrophysics Grant, “Uncovering the Seeds of Star Clusters across the Galaxy” ($389k)
2021: Co-PI NASA SOFIA Archival Research Program, “IGNITES: Investigating Galactic Nuclear Infrared Thermal Evolution of young Stars” ($166k)
2017-2021: UConn Internal Grants ($59k total): PI: UConn STARs program, awarded under the CLAS DEI Initiative, $4k, Co-I: BRIDGE+ Program Awarded under the President’s Commitment to Community Grant 2021, $13k, Scholarship Facilitation Fund: 2019, $1k, NFIP: 2017-2021, $4k total, Co-I: Provost’s Open Educational Resources Award 2017, $10k, Co-I: Provost’s Large Course Redesign Award 2017, $26k.
2019: Robert H. Goddard Honor Award (https://science.gsfc.nasa.gov/sci/awardswon) “For outstanding team performance resulting in the delivery of a scientifically compelling, executable, low-risk Origins Space Telescope mission concept.”
2019: PI: National Radio Astronomy Observatory Student Observing Support Grant ($34k)
2019: Co-PI: National Science Foundation Campus Cyberinfrastructure Grant, “CC* Compute: Shared Computing Infrastructure for Large-scale Science Problems” ($400k)
2019: Co-I: NASA Balloon Mission, “ASTHROS: Astrophysics Stratospheric Telescope for High-spectral Resolution Observations at Submillimeterwavelengths ($18k to UConn)
2019: NASA Group Achievement Award for the “substantial and effective scientific, technical, and management work in developing the Large Mission Concept Studies for the 2020 Astrophysics Decadal Survey.”
2017, 2018, 2019: Provost’s Letter of Recognition for Teaching Excellence
2018: Shortlisted (top 5 of candidates worldwide) for the Nature Research Awards for Inspiring Science
2018: PI: National Science Foundation Astronomy and Astrophysics Grant, “3-D CMZ: Unveiling the Structure of our Galaxy’s Central Molecular Zone” ($390k)
2017: PI: Templeton Foundation Grant, “BiteScis: K12 Research Brief Engagement Pilot” ($215k)
2016: Appointed by NASA: Science & Technology Definition Team, Origins Space Telescope

SELECTED SUCCESSFUL OBSERVING PROPOSALS

2021: Co-I, 9 hours, James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Cycle 1 2021 “Star Formation along the Galactic Dust Ridge: The Brick and Cloud C”
2021: PI, 121 hours, Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) Large Program, “ACES: ALMA CMZ Exploration Survey”
2019: PI, 119 hours, Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) Large Program, “ALMAGAL: ALMA Evolutionary study of High Mass Protocluster Formation in the Galaxy”
2013-2022: Over 130 hours as Co-I on the Jansky Very Large Array (JVLA)
2013-2021: Over 120 hours as Co-I on the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA)
2014-2017: PI, 550 hours, Submillimeter Array (SMA), “CMZoom: The SMA Legacy Survey of the Central Molecular Zone”
2015: PI, 60 hours, IRAM 30-m, “Mapping the Bones of the Milky Way”

INVITED SCIENTIFIC PRESENTATIONS

Summary: Cara Battersby has given 7 invited review/keynote talks, 54 invited conference presentations and colloquiua, and 14 invited public talks since 2013. The full list can be found on my complete CV below.

RESEARCH MENTORSHIP

Summary: Cara Battersby has advised 4 postdoctoral fellows and advised or co-advised 35 research students since 2013. The full details can be found on my complete CV below.

Professor Cara Battersby

CV