Hello, I am Yanbo

I am an astronomy PhD student at the University of Virginia. I study dark matter and galaxy evolution through stellar populations in nearby galaxies. I also develop statistical tools that help astronomers extract more information from limited telescope observations.

Research Interests

• Observational Near-Field Cosmology
• Ultra-faint Dwarf Galaxies
• Stellar Dynamics
• Statistical and Computational Applications on Astrophysics

Research highlights

• Mapping Sagittarius: Using stellar motions and chemistry to investigate the mass structure of a satellite dwarf galaxy undergoing tidal disruption.
• Developing HARLEE: Building software to help astronomers choose informative follow-up observations of binary stars.
• Recent publication: My first-author JWST study of WASP-52b explores how stellar activity affects the interpretation of an exoplanet’s atmosphere.

I also mentor student researchers, teach coding workshops, and share astronomy through public outreach.

If you’re an undergraduate curious about astronomy, statistics, or getting involved in research, I would be happy to chat, coffee is on me! Get in touch.

When the weather is pleasant, you’ll often find me running through the Charlottesville area. I also love tennis, table tennis, and hiking.