Objective Understanding how and why galaxies form and evolve is one of the most challenging problems in modern astrophysics. Our own galaxy, the Milky Way, shows order and structure, as do most massive galaxies in our local neighbourhood. Yet when we look to very distant galaxies they are disordered and chaotic. The leading theory for the origin of this transformation invokes gas-rich mergers, which trigger massive starbursts leading to bulge and supermassive black hole growth. The aim of this project is to provide conclusive observational evidence to confirm or refute this fundamental theory of galaxy evolution.Considerable quantities of high quality data are now available for both local and distant galaxies; new methodology is urgently required to enable the translation of this data into an improved understanding of galaxy formation. In this project I will lead a team to develop a suite of new techniques to: (1) statistically link galaxy populations traditionally studied in isolation (starbursts, post-starbursts, mergers, remnants); (2) combine information from both the multi-wavelength spectral energy distributions and morphologies of galaxy samples; (3) visualise the information contained in multiple large datasets. My team will compare directly with merger models to interpret the data in terms of the physical processes driving galaxy evolution. The new techniques will provide stringent observational constraints on models, improve robustness of model-data comparison and highlight areas for improvement.As the only researcher with access to all four of the newest world-leading surveys for galaxy evolution, I am uniquely placed to build an integrated picture of the dominant physical processes that drive galaxy evolution over 3/4 of cosmic time. An ERC grant will allow me to build a team to fully exploit the information provided by all four surveys, through novel analysis techniques and concurrent comparison with models. Fields of science natural sciencesphysical sciencesastronomyastrophysicsblack holesnatural sciencesphysical sciencesastronomyphysical cosmologygalaxy evolution Programme(s) FP7-IDEAS-ERC - Specific programme: "Ideas" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013) Topic(s) ERC-SG-PE9 - ERC Starting Grant - Universe sciences Call for proposal ERC-2012-StG_20111012 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme ERC-SG - ERC Starting Grant Coordinator THE UNIVERSITY COURT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ST ANDREWS Address North street 66 college gate KY16 9AJ St andrews United Kingdom See on map Region Scotland Eastern Scotland Clackmannanshire and Fife Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Administrative Contact Trish Starrs (Ms.) Principal investigator Vivienne Wild (Dr.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window EU contribution No data Beneficiaries (1) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all THE UNIVERSITY COURT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ST ANDREWS United Kingdom EU contribution € 1 430 622,00 Address North street 66 college gate KY16 9AJ St andrews See on map Region Scotland Eastern Scotland Clackmannanshire and Fife Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Administrative Contact Trish Starrs (Ms.) Principal investigator Vivienne Wild (Dr.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Other funding No data
