Date: Tuesday 13 Ocotober 2026 – 15:00 (Europe/London)
Speaker: Oliver Newton, Marie Skłodowska–Curie Fellow in the Astrophysics Group at the University of Surrey
Abstract
The 'Λ cold dark matter' (ΛCDM) model is the leading famrework for describing the Universe. It successfully predicts the emergence of the cosmic web: a vast, filamentary network of matter that shapes how galaxies form and evolve. However, recent JWST observations of low-mass dwarf galaxies in the early Universe challenge key predictions of galaxy formation models within the ΛCDM framework. These discrepancies may point to new physics, or simply reflect our incomplete understanding of dwarf galaxies. A key omission is the influence of the cosmic web: dwarf galaxies are often studied in isolation even though their surroundings can strongly affect their evolution. Ignoring this may bias tests of ΛCDM. In this talk I will describe the numerical techniques used to simulate dwarf galaxies across the immense dynamic range of spatial and temporal timescales involved in cosmic evolution. I will discuss the challenges of controlling and interpreting these complex simulations, and managing the rapidly growing data sets produced by modern simulation campaigns.
Biography
Dr Oliver Newton is a Marie Skłodowska–Curie Fellow in the Astrophysics Group at the University of Surrey. He uses cosmological simulations and statistical modelling to investigate how galaxies form and how observations can test cosmological models. His current research focuses on connecting the evolution of low-mass dwarf galaxies with the large-scale cosmic web in which they form. Understanding these faint, dark matter dominated systems may help reveal the nature of dark matter, one of the central unanswered questions in fundamental physics.