Assistant Professor D. J. Pisano joins the Department

Dr. D.J. Pisano comes to WVU from the National Radio Astronomy Observatory
(NRAO) in Green Bank, WV where he was a postdoctoral associate supporting the
Green Bank Telescope (GBT). He received his PhD from the University of Wisconsin – Madison in 2001 where he searched for the gas clouds around isolated galaxies as a test of current models of galaxy formation. He extended this work to groups of galaxies, first as a postdoctoral fellow at the Australia Telescope National Facility and then at the Naval Research Laboratory and NRAO. He is continuing to study neutral hydrogen around galaxies to constrain the nature of gas clouds around the Milky Way.

In addition, Pisano is currently using radio telescopes in West Virginia and around the world to observe nearby analogs to distant star-forming galaxies in order to constrain the masses and fate of these galaxies. These galaxies were common in the past, but exceedingly rare today. They may the progenitors of galaxies like the Milky Way or its lower-mass companions. By combining radio data with data from other telescopes, Pisano is working to determine which evolutionary path these galaxies follow.

Pisano is looking forward to helping to teach the new astrophysics courses
that have recently been added to the curriculum and is looking forward to
working with WVU undergraduates and graduate students to conduct research
with the GBT and radio telescopes around the world.