Physicist Adi Foord sheds light on a new research project, UMBC’s supportive environment, and her favorite black hole

Dr. Adi Foord was recently selected as a Research Corporation for Science Advancement (RCSA) Scialog: Early Science with LSST Fellow and awarded a grant to study year-1 data from the Vera Rubin Observatory's Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST).

The Scialog: Early Science with LSST Fellowship is a selective program supported by the RCSA that brings together early-career scientists to advance the foundational science needed to maximize the potential of upcoming LSST observations. Over the three-year initiative, fellows participate in annual multi-day workshops designed to foster collaboration and inspire innovative research proposals using LSST data.

Following the first Scialog Fellows workshop in Fall 2024, Dr. Foord’s proposal was one of only eight selected for funding. Her research focuses on building and utilizing a “Dual Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) Finder” to analyze year-1 LSST data, aiming to enhance our understanding of galaxy mergers and supermassive black hole evolution.

See the RCSA press release here: https://rescorp.org/news/2025/02/8-teams-win-awards-in-1st-year-of-scialog-early-science-with-the-lsst

And the UMBC press release here: https://umbc.edu/stories/adi-foord-qa-favorite-black-hole/