About
I’m a senior postdoc at the University of Kentucky (UKY) chasing quasar outflows and tinkering with the Cloudy photoionization code. I’m obsessed with everything space—from dusty tori to screaming ionized winds—and I like to keep it fun: turning spectra (JWST, DESI, etc.) into stories about multi-phase gas while leveling up Cloudy’s atomic databases.
Interests: AGN Outflows Cloudy JWST Atomic data ML
Research
Observational
My research focuses on understanding the physics of active galactic nuclei (AGN) and their powerful outflows, which play a central role in galaxy evolution. I combine advanced modeling with multi-wavelength data from HST, JWST, DESI, and ground-based observatories to study disk winds, quasar outflows, and warm absorbers. As a member of the STORM2 project—the largest AGN monitoring campaign ever proposed—I have helped lead efforts to model Mrk 817, resulting in more than a dozen publications. At Virginia Tech, I expanded this work to include the first systematic studies of quasar absorption systems using DESI spectra, demonstrating the transformative potential of DESI for outflow science.
Theoretical
Alongside my observational research, I am a core developer of the Cloudy plasma simulation code, one of the most widely used tools in astrophysics. My contributions include expanding atomic datasets, refining microphysical treatments, and preparing Cloudy for the JWST era through a funded project focused on infrared diagnostics. I also serve as PI on proposals with facilities such as Gemini and have co-authored numerous collaborative papers. By bridging theoretical modeling and observational data, my work aims to uncover how AGN outflows shape their host galaxies and the larger cosmological environment.
Publications
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See also Google Scholar • NASA ADS • ORCID
Recent Teaching & Mentoring
- REU mentor (publication outcome), 2024
- Cloudy Workshop organizer & instructor, 2025
Software
- Cloudy developer — atomic DB updates; emission line uncertainty flags.
- Python tools for ADS citation auditing and spectral analysis.
Invited Talks
- Space Telescope Science Institute, Nov 2025
- Western Kentucky University, Oct 2025
- AtomDB WorkshopCenter for Astrophysics— Harvard & Smithsonian,Aug 2025
- University of Michigan, Dec 2024
- Catholic University of America - Washington, DC, Dec 2023
- Department of Astronomy, Tsinghua University, China, Dec 2022
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of North Georgia, Oct 2022
- Dean’s Development Council Meeting, The University of Kentucky, Dec 2021
- Postdoc Research & Career Symposium, University of Kentucky, Oct 2021
- University of Durham, United Kingdom, Sep 2021
- Los Alamos National Lab, New Mexico, July 2021
- The Kentucky Academy of Science’s Bench Talk Live series, March 2021
- STORM annual meeting, Space Telescope Science Institute, July 2019
- Astrophysical Seminar, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, April 2019
- Astrophysical Seminar, The University of Kentucky, Jan 2019
Contact
Email: m.dehghanian@uky.edu
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