J. Xavier Prochaska, Ph.D.

J. Xavier Prochaska is a distinguished professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of California, Santa Cruz. As an observational astrophysicist, he studies the gas within, around and between distant galaxies. His research programs reveal the physical conditions of this gas: its enrichment by heavy elements, the ionization state, the surface density and its dynamics.

With the Simons Pivot Fellowship, Proschka will transition to the physical oceanography field, working under Daniel Rudnick’s mentorship at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) at the University of California, San Diego. Prochaska’s primary goals during the fellowship are to apply his expertise in spectroscopy, machine learning and instrumentation to research complex processes in submesoscale dynamics; generate data-driven predictions for the onset of harmful algal blooms; and develop new technologies for in-situ hyperspectral imaging of coastal regions. From the large and diverse pool of scientists and staff at SIO, he will build a network to inspire new collaborations and threads of research that will bridge the oceanographic and astronomical communities.