Ian Holst

emoji_peopleMe

PhD student at the University of Chicago* Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics. I study theory at the intersection between astrophysics, cosmology, and fundamental physics.

* I am at SLAC National Laboratory for the 2025-2026 academic year as a DOE SCGSR recipient

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schoolCurriculum Vitae

orbitResearch

The Standard Model of particle physics and the standard model of cosmology (ΛCDM) have been quite successful at describing the universe from the smallest scales to the largest. Still, there are many unknowns. I've worked on many topics exploring the remaining questions, particularly within the dark universe:

Dark Matter

Dark matter seems to be everywhere, in large quantities. But how was it created? What are its properties? How does it fit into particle physics as we know it? What impact does it have on cosmology?

Primordial Black Holes

Hypothesized to have been created in the early universe, primordial black holes have not yet been observed. Could they be dark matter? How would they behave and evolve? How would they interact with stars, planets, and other bodies?

Gamma Rays from the Galactic Center

The Fermi gamma-ray telescope measured an anomalous excess of gamma rays coming from the center of our galaxy. Could this be produced by colliding dark matter? Or is it from other celestial sources, such as neutron stars? How can we find out?

graph_3Other Projects

Astro Lab Tools

A web app I created for UChicago astronomy lab courses for students to view FITS and other images and perform simple measurements on them. An accessible drop-in replacement for DS9 that requires no setup or installation.