Astronomy Ph.D. Candidate
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Galaxy Evolution, Cosmological Simulation, Theory

Thịnh Hữu Nguyễn

Hi! I am a fifth-year graduate student, Ph.D. candidate in Astronomy at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. I work with Professor Kirk Barrow to study galaxy evolution by using hydrodynamic zoom-in cosmological simulations. I am interested in galaxy mergers, particularly their dynamics and their effect on star formation and morphology of galaxies. My work also focuses on examining different numerical models in cosmological simulations and their effect on the evolution of simulated galaxies. I love astronomy and nature not just because of their complexity but also because of their beauty, so I am a bit of a "romantic" scientist.

My goal is to become a professor who can inspire students to appreciate the beauty of science and to become lifelong learners and thinkers. I really enjoy teaching. Seeing the "ah-ha moments" of students is one of the best experiences for me.

Research Publications Contact

Image Credit: Kent E. Biggs

My Research

Radiative Transfer

The effect of H₂ self-shielding modeling

How the modeling of H₂ self-shielding affects the properties of early galaxies (H₂ mass, star formation, CGM, reionization, etc.) in radiative hydrodynamic cosmological simulations.

Galaxy Dynamics

Galaxy merger as a testbed for stellar feedback subgrid models

Comparative studies using nine robustly-calibrated simulation codes from the AGORA collaboration to evaluate how the effects of a major galaxy merger (star formation response and the remnant's morphology) differ across hydrodynamic solvers and stellar feedback models.

Galaxy merger sequence across simulation codes

Selected Publications

Aug 2026

The AGORA High-resolution Galaxy Simulations Comparison Project. IX - Part 2: Effects of a Major Galaxy Merger on the Stellar Morphology of a Milky Way-mass Galaxy Progenitor

The stellar feedback type of a cosmological simulation influences the stellar morphology (compactness and disc formation) of a merger remnant.

Nguyễn et al. 2026, submitted to MNRAS, arXiv:2607.21710

Aug 2026

The AGORA High-resolution Galaxy Simulations Comparison Project. IX - Part 1: Effects of a Major Galaxy Merger on Star Formation of a Milky Way-mass Galaxy Progenitor

The stellar feedback type of a cosmological simulation affects the merger-driven star formation response in a major galaxy merger.

Nguyễn et al. 2026, submitted to MNRAS, arXiv:2607.21709

Jan 2026

Effect of molecular hydrogen self-shielding modelling on early Reionization Era galaxies in radiative hydrodynamic cosmological simulations

There are noticeable differences in the simulated galaxies' properties between using the Sobolev-like density-gradient approximation and the adaptive ray-tracing method to model H₂ self-shielding

Nguyễn et al. 2026, MNRAS, 545, 3

Full publication list ORCID NASA ADS

Teaching

I am passionate about teaching and am striving to become a better educator. I love engaging in discussions with my students and watching them master new knowledge.

Graduate Teacher Certificate. UIUC Center for Innovation in Teaching & Learning.
- Participated in a pre-semester teaching development program.
- Taught two semesters, had an observation of and reflected on teaching.
- Used informal early feedback and end-of-semester feedback from students for two semesters.
- Participated in a minimum of six hours of teaching development workshops.
TA Courses
- ASTR 570 Cosmology. Spring 2026.
- ASTR 210 Introduction to Astrophysics. Fall 2025.
- ASTR 121 Solar System and Worlds Beyond. Spring 2023. Facilitating discussion sections.
- ASTR 121 Solar System and Worlds Beyond. Fall 2022. Facilitating discussion sections.
Course Design Series Workshop Participant. UIUC Center for Innovation in Teaching & Learning. Summer 2026.
- Topics covered: (1) Overview of Backward Design, (2) Promoting Proactive Accessibility in the Classroom, (3) Co-constructing Humans with Learning Objectives, (4) Choosing Assessments that align with your objectives, (5) Learning Inside of Class, (6) Learning Outside of Class, (7) Writing a Syllabus that your students want to read, (8) What a syllabus is for?
Physics Tutor of the Learners's Studio Peer Tutoring Service at Villanova University. Spring 2019 - Spring 2022.

Other Professional Activities

Fellowships & Awards

Graduate Student First Author Publication Award. UIUC Astronomy Department. Spring 2026.
Center for AstroPhysical Surveys (CAPS) Graduate Fellowship. University of Illinois National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA). 2024 - 2025.
Graduate College Conference Award. UIUC Astronomy Department. Spring 2024.

Engagement & Outreach

Volunteer, Astronomy activities at STEM Night at Yankee Ridge Elementary, Urbana, IL. 2025-2026
Guest Speaker, "Ask an Astronomer" Event at the UIUC Observatory Open House. 2025
Volunteer, Southside Elementary School’s Walkathon, 2024
UIUC Astronomy Volunteer Team, Solar Eclipse Day at Marion, Illinois, 2024

Refereeing & Service

Peer-review Journal Referee: ApJ
Organizer, UIUC's Galaxy Journal Club
Local Organizing Committee, The End of Star Formation Conference. March 2026.
Organizer, UIUC's Astronomy Journal Club. 2022-2026.
Organizer, UIUC's Astronomy Department Prospective Graduate Student Day. 2024-2026.
Panelist, How to Get Into Grad Schools Panel at UIUC Astrofest. 2025

A little more

I am Vietnamese and I call the vibrant and loving city of Ho Chi Minh City home 🇻🇳. Outside of research, I enjoy traveling, hiking, photography, going to museums, and trying new restaurants/cuisines. If you are interested in my research, collaborating, or simply want to chat about anything on my website, feel free to reach me at thinhhn2@illinois.edu!