iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Vivian U @justtheletteru.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

A long overdue update to my website features a new News tab to share some recent group milestones, including Raymond's PhD defense, Max's graduation, and Hajar's paper now published in ApJ. Also added updated overviews for our MAUNA and FIRESIDE projects: vivian-u.github.io

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Vivian U @justtheletteru.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

From undergrad honors thesis to a published paper! 🎉 Massive congrats to my former UCI undergrad Hajar Aziz (current 1st year PhD student at UCR with Gaby) on her first first-author publication, recently accepted and out on arXiv now! arxiv.org/abs/2606.21007

side by side comparison of galaxy images

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Vivian U @justtheletteru.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

Roman Cycle 1 Proposal Submission stats!

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Vivian U @justtheletteru.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

I think I'd like to download my brain.

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Dr. Jessie Christiansen @aussiastronomer.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

Hey #WomenInSTEM, please check out the qualifications and skills and DON'T WRITE YOURSELF OFF if you think you would be a good match. Throw your hat in the ring!

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Vivian U @justtheletteru.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

As the Roman Proposal Lead, I think I'm not allowed to ask folks to bet on the final number of submissions for #RomanCycle1 right? 🤔

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Vivian U @justtheletteru.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

Back in my element - (remote) observing on Palomar tonight. First-time Palomar PI of a 3-night NGPS run; hoping for clear skies 🤞🔭

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Benne W. Holwerda @benneholwerda.bsky.social · 13/03/2026

Huh a proposal was disqualified for using a different font. That’s a new one. #jwstc5

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Vivian U @justtheletteru.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

Our @science.org paper is officially out, and we're featured on the COVER! 🌟🔭🧪 My postdoc Justin Kader led this deep dive into VV 340a, revealing how a precessing jet from a supermassive black hole drives massive gas outflows. It’s been a journey; go Team! 🥹🥂 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

science.org

A precessing jet from an active galactic nucleus drives gas outflow from a disk galaxy

To reproduce observed galaxy properties, cosmological simulations require that massive galaxies experience feedback from active galactic nuclei, which regulates star formation within those galaxies. H...

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Science Magazine @science.org · 14/01/2026

Active galactic nuclei can launch a jet that drives a gas outflow, shaping star formation in their host galaxy. Researchers in a new Science study have observed this phenomenon in the nearby active galaxy VV 340a. scim.ag/3NBetnq

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W. M. Keck Observatory @keckobservatory.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

An amazing result out of #AAS247 - Astronomers discover the first galaxy-wide wobbling black hole jet in a disk galaxy keckobservatory.org/vv340a/ Congratulations to @justtheletteru.bsky.social, @justinkuder.bsky.social and the whole team for this incredible discovery

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Dr. Jennifer Wade @volcanojw.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

Do you care about the future of the US NSF and science in general? The agency is seeking feedback on the draft Strategic Plan. www.nsf.gov/od/updates/n...

nsf.gov

NSF seeks public input on its Fiscal Year (FY) 2026–2030 NSF Strategic Plan

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Keith Smith @drkeithsmith.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

Kader, @justtheletteru.bsky.social et al. use multi-wavelength observations to show a precessing jet in an active galaxy is driving a gas outflow. This galactic feedback is removing enough material to affect the star formation rate. ☄️ #extragalactic #AAS247 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

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Vivian U @justtheletteru.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

📣 Today is our @science.org paper's press conference and online publication date! Print version will be out next month. The embargo on the paper will be lifted for our AAS press conference, scheduled at 10:15am MT. 🔭🧪 Here's the AAS live stream link if you're interested: aas.org/meetings/aas...

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Vivian U @justtheletteru.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

We had an observing run on @keckobservatory.bsky.social yesterday. Despite the pessimistic forecast, @marinabianchin.bsky.social pulled through and ended up getting abundant photons from nearby galaxies using #OSIRIS #laserguidestar. This is a gorgeous shot of our laser in action from the camera 🔭

night scene of telescopes atop a snowy mountaintop with orange laser shooting out from one of the telescope into the sky

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Vivian U @justtheletteru.bsky.social · 07/01/2026

I spot a cute Roman cardigan! 😝

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Vivian U @justtheletteru.bsky.social · 05/01/2026

Putting my travel trouble behind me, I’m looking forward to the rest of the week here in Phoenix at #AAS247! One talk done, 4 more to go: [X] Sun pm: HWO SIG [ ] Mon pm: Roman Town Hall [ ] Tue am: Roman proposal splinter [ ] Wed am: oral session [ ] Thurs am: press conference

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Vivian U @justtheletteru.bsky.social · 10/12/2025

📢 PSA: Roman Cycle 1 Call for Proposal is now open!! 🚨 I'm so excited for the Roman launch currently planned for September 2026!! 🔭🧪

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Vivian U @justtheletteru.bsky.social · 07/12/2025

Still getting used to the (very) round corners of Tahoe windows...

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Vivian U @justtheletteru.bsky.social · 30/11/2025

I listened to the uber driver and switched seat to the right side window of the plane when I was leaving Mexico City. Then I got this incredible shot of not just the sunrise but the tip of what I think might be the Great Pyramid of Cholula - happy to be corrected though. Love this photo regardless.

Photo taken in air of the sun rise, city light, and a mountain top in the distance

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Vivian U @justtheletteru.bsky.social · 06/11/2025

There's been so much going on but I'd like to take a quick pause and share the happy news that postdoc Justin Kader's paper on an exemplary precessing jet-driven galactic-scale outflow has just been accepted in Science!! Can't wait to share the results soon 🥹 1/3

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Roman for Scientists @nancyromansci.bsky.social · 21/10/2025

BIG NEWS: The Ready, Set, Roman! Training Series is here! Get hands-on with tools, data, & workflows to prepare for the Roman mission. 📅 Kicks off Nov 04, 1 PM EDT 💡 Title: “Tools for Exploring Roman’s Core Community Surveys” 🔗 bit.ly/3KNDElA #ReadySetRoman

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Dr. Jessie Christiansen @aussiastronomer.bsky.social · 13/10/2025

Less than a year later, once again feeling anxious for my remaining fabulous JPL colleagues. 😬

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Vivian U @justtheletteru.bsky.social · 13/10/2025

I know there are currently much bigger problems in the world out there, but also: deadlines + sick kids = 😵‍💫🤯😭

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Vivian U @justtheletteru.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

Momentarily confused by an email with the subject line "Do you have your CGM ready?" and was thinking that it's a message advertising an astro conference only to find that it came from a previous medical center...

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Vivian U @justtheletteru.bsky.social · 22/09/2025

🎉 A huge congrats to Tufts grad Edgar Vidal on the first (of hopefully several) paper from our FIRESIDE (Far-InfraRed Extragalactic Survey and Instrument Design Exploration) project! It has been submitted to ApJ and is out on arXiv today! 🔭🧪 #JWST #MIRI #obscuredAGN #FIR 1/ arxiv.org/abs/2509.15331

arxiv.org

Modeling the JWST MIRI Counts, Insights Into the Source Properties and Role of Dust-Obscured AGN

Understanding the co-evolution of galaxies and active galactic nuclei (AGN) requires accurate modeling of dust-obscured systems. Recent surveys using the Mid Infrared Instrument (MIRI) onboard the Jam...

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American Astronomical Society (AAS) @aas.org · 10/09/2025

AAS Social Media Task Force The AAS is seeking members for a social media task force to strategically increase the Society's social media presence, including communicating the value of astronomy & science funding to the broader public and promoting advocacy actions. docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F... 🔭

docs.google.com

Apply to Join the AAS Social Media Task Force

The AAS is seeking members for a social media task force, to strategically increase the social media presence of the Society, including communicating the value of astronomy and science funding to the ...

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Vivian U @justtheletteru.bsky.social · 10/09/2025

TIL: dear fellow astronomers, if you're ever looking for AAS info online, be very specific. A generic search might just lead you to a different American society—one with a cover photo and icon that can send chills down your spine... unless you happen to like crawlers 🥶🕷️

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Vivian U @justtheletteru.bsky.social · 05/09/2025

This was a great experience giving back to the community whose taxpayer dollars help funded my research - and learning that they deemed it worthy 🥹 @caltechipac.bsky.social

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Vivian U @justtheletteru.bsky.social · 21/08/2025

Paper day 🎉🔭 Congrats to my student Raymond Remigio on acceptance of his 1st first-author paper! We mapped [O III] gas in nearby Sy 1s with @keckobservatory.bsky.social: gas kinematics align w/ stars at large scales, but many show twists/outflows near nuclei + large NLRs arxiv.org/abs/2508.14304

panel of galaxies and their kinematics maps

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Vivian U @justtheletteru.bsky.social · 16/08/2025

Safe travels @marinabianchin.bsky.social, all the best with everything. Thanks for the past 3 years, you’ll be missed!

Two smiling people holding a mug at a dinner setting

Three people sitting outside with coffee

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Vivian U @justtheletteru.bsky.social · 13/08/2025

Relics gifted to me to help me on my job (back when #Spitzer was called #SIRTF) #iykyk 🔭

Three printed reports related to the Space InfraRed Telescope Facility

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Vivian U @justtheletteru.bsky.social · 08/08/2025

Missing JustinK & Yiqing, but this may be the last time our group gathers for lunch before Hajar leaves for PhD, @marinabianchin.bsky.social leaves for next postdoc, and JustinP leaves Cal-bridge summer program. With JustinK's departure in a month, this is one of those end-of-an-era moments for me 🥺

Smiling people around a dining table with empty cups and plates

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Vivian U @justtheletteru.bsky.social · 31/07/2025

There. I've now talked about IMBHs. (Photo courtesy of Chris Packam)

Presenter on theatre stage with large screen in the background

Presenter showing "you are here" Milky Way picture

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Dr. Jessie Christiansen @aussiastronomer.bsky.social · 28/07/2025

Like Vivian, I’m excited to represent the ExoPAG community on this new Science Interest Group! And very happy to work with this great team. ❤️‍🔥

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L. C. Mayorga @mayorgalc.bsky.social · 28/07/2025

It was also announced that I am one of the co-chairs for the new HWO crossPAG SIG! #HWO25

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Dr. Jessie Christiansen @aussiastronomer.bsky.social · 29/07/2025

Folks should be following @drjovian.bsky.social for a play by play of the #HWO25 conference this week!

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Becka Phillipson @beckastrosaurus.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

I am hiring a postdoc to work with me on time domain astrophysics, primarily in prep for Rubin LSST. Job ad here: lnkd.in/esamU7gy Please share! :) Start date is flexible & can be as early as this Fall. There have been Q's about the application portal, so do not hesitate to email me for help!

lnkd.in

This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn

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Vivian U @justtheletteru.bsky.social · 30/07/2025

Not one but TWO papers from my group are published on ApJ within this past week! 🎉🎉 Tianmu Gao led the work on compiling nuclear SEDs of (U)LIRGs; Justin Kader studied cluster winds as engines of feedback in starburst galaxy 🔭 iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3... iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3...

four-panel plots showing spectral energy distributions

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Vivian U @justtheletteru.bsky.social · 28/07/2025

Happy to share that I've been selected to join the leadership team of the new Habitable Worlds Observatory Science Interest Group, representing the Cosmic Origins community in particular. I look forward to working with my awesome co-chairs on furthering this inspiring mission! #HWO25

Slide with QR code, pictures and names of people, info about joining a group

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Vivian U @justtheletteru.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

Maybe the silver lining is that I'll no longer be called an astrologer? #astronomer #Coldplay

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Aspen Center for Physics @aspenphysics.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

We’re #Hiring! Aspen Center for Physics is looking for a Development Officer & Donor Liaison to support a major capital campaign + donor engagement at a world-renowned science nonprofit. Based in Aspen, CO. 💵 $70–95K 🔗 aspenphys.org/home/staff/ #Fundraising #Science #Aspen #DonorEngagement #Jobs

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Bruce Macintosh @bmacastro.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

Senate CJS bill is passed out of committee, with strong support for NASA and NSF (basically flat budgets) and strongly supportive language for many facilities. www.appropriations.senate.gov/imo/media/do...

appropriations.senate.gov

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NPR @npr.org · 18/07/2025

Congress has decided to claw back previously approved funding for public media. This decision hurts people in communities across the country, but it has only strengthened our resolve to keep Americans informed and connected. (1/2)

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