Hi! I'm Jiamu Huang, a 4th-year graduate student in the Physics Department at UC Santa Barbara. I am part of the ENIGMA Research Group (PI: Professor Joseph Hennawi).

Research Interests

My research uses observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to study the environments and large-scale structure surrounding high-redshift quasars. Using data from the ASPIRE and COSMOS3D programs, I measure the clustering between quasars and [OIII]-emitting star-forming galaxies at z ~ 5–9.

These clustering measurements allow us to constrain the masses of dark matter halos hosting luminous quasars and to infer their halo occupation fraction, or duty cycle. Understanding how quasars populate dark matter halos provides crucial insight into the growth of supermassive black holes in the early universe.

I am also investigating the nature of "Little Red Dots" (LRDs), a population of compact, red sources revealed by JWST. My work focuses on spectral analysis of LRDs, particularly on understanding the transition between non-LTE and LTE regimes that shape the observed emission line properties in these systems.

Prior to UCSB, I studied AGN and star formation in accretion disks as an undergraduate at UC Santa Cruz, examining chemical evolution in the AGN Broad Line Region (BLR) under the supervision of Prof. Douglas Lin and Gregory Shields. I also collaborate with Keith Horne (University of St Andrews) on AGN continuum and emission-line reverberation mapping.

Outside of research, I enjoy astrophotography and photography more broadly. Feel free to explore my photography gallery.