Kasper Elm Heintz

Assistant Professor

I am an Assistant Professor of Astrophysics based at the Cosmic Dawn Center (DAWN) at the Niels Bohr Institute. I received my PhD degree from the University of Iceland in 2019, advised by Prof. Páll Jakobsson. My thesis project was primarily focused on using gamma-ray bursts and quasars as cosmic probes to study the interstellar medium in high-redshift galaxies.

Now, I mainly work on the optical counterparts and host galaxies of astronomical transients such as fast radio bursts and gravitational wave events, to better understand these extreme sources. Additionally, I develop new techniques to identity quasars based on the astrometric measurements of the Gaia satellite, to provide a more unbiased census of the quasar population and foreground absorption-line systems. More recently I also started working on characterizing the molecular and neutral atomic gas of high-redshift galaxies observed in absorption and emission, using a combination of VLT and ALMA imaging and spectroscopic data. The overarching goal of these projects is to study and track the evolution and chemical enrichment of galaxies through cosmic time.

I am further involved in the development of a new instrument for the Nordic Optical Telescope: the NOT Transient Explorer (NTE) as Instrument Scientist. I teach a range of courses in astronomy and have supervised a large number of students at all levels from first-year to MSc.