Using a combination of numerical simulations and observations of the Milky Way and nearby galaxies, I work on understanding the connection between the present-day properties of galaxies and their formation history. In particular, I am interested in how small-scale physics (e.g., gas dynamics, star formation, feedback) combines with external processes like mergers and gas accretion to shape the observed galaxy populations. Some of the questions I am interested in are the following:
How do galactic disks form, and what sets the radial and vertical density profiles of their stars?
What are the mechanisms for stellar radial migration, and to what extent are disks affected by migration?
How does star formation in disks depend on host galaxy properties and cosmic time?
Most of my research time these days is devoted to the GECKOS survey, for which I am the science coordinator. GECKOS is a new VLT/MUSE Large Programme, gathering deep high resolution observations for 35 nearby edge-on disc galaxies. GECKOS will deliver spatially resolved measurements of stellar abundances, ages, and kinematics, as well as ionised gas properties and inflow and outflow kinematics; all key parameters for building a complete chemodynamical picture of disk galaxies.