Caitlin Casey

Casey's interest in astronomy began as a child when she was given the opportunity to visit the planetarium in Rock Bridge High School in her hometown of Columbia, Missouri.{{Cite news |last=Martin |first=Catherine |date=2012-10-03 |title=Astronomer credits career to planetarium |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/columbia-daily-tribune-astronomer-credit/145570355/ |access-date=2024-04-18 |work=Columbia Daily Tribune |pages=14}}

Casey completed her bachelor's degrees in physics, astronomy and applied mathematics from the University of Arizona in 2007. She attributes her decision to attend Arizona from first attending their Astronomy Camp during high school. She then obtained her Ph.D. in Astronomy from the University of Cambridge in 2010 under a Gates Cambridge Scholarship. While in Cambridge she served as president of the Gates Scholars' Society from 2009 to 2010. Casey was subsequently a NASA Hubble Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, and then she spent two years as a postdoc at the University of California, Irvine as a McCue Postdoctoral Fellow of Cosmology.{{Cite web |title=Caitlin Casey |url=https://1400degrees.org/scientist/caitlin-casey/ |access-date=2024-01-26 |website=1400 Degrees |language=en-US}} Casey became assistant professor in the Department of Astronomy at the University of Texas at Austin in 2015. From 2021 to 2024, Casey was an associate professor at UT Austin, and in 2025 she moved to the University of California Santa Barbara as a full professor in the physics department.{{Cite web |title=Prof. Caitlin M. Casey, University of Texas at Austin |url=https://www.as.utexas.edu/~cmcasey/welcome.html |access-date=2024-04-18 |website=www.as.utexas.edu}}

Casey is known for her research on galaxy formation and evolution, specifically on the most massive and luminous galaxies in the Universe. While in Hawaii, she examined the formation of starburst galaxies,{{Cite news |last=Tsai |first=Michael |date=2012-12-10 |title=Studies uncover hidden star-shine |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/honolulu-star-advertiser-studies-uncover/145570477/ |access-date=2024-04-18 |work=Honolulu Star-Advertiser |pages=B2}} research that was conducted with the largest spectroscopic survey using the W.M. Keck Observatory of submillimeter-luminous galaxies detected by the Herschel Space Observatory.{{Cite journal |title=A Redshift Survey of Herschel Far-infrared Selected Starbursts and Implications for Obscured Star Formation |bibcode=2012ApJ...761..140C |url=https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2012ApJ...761..140C/abstract |last1=Casey |first1=C. M. |last2=Berta |first2=S. |last3=Béthermin |first3=M. |last4=Bock |first4=J. |last5=Bridge |first5=C. |last6=Budynkiewicz |first6=J. |last7=Burgarella |first7=D. |last8=Chapin |first8=E. |last9=Chapman |first9=S. C. |last10=Clements |first10=D. L. |last11=Conley |first11=A. |last12=Conselice |first12=C. J. |last13=Cooray |first13=A. |last14=Farrah |first14=D. |last15=Hatziminaoglou |first15=E. |last16=Ivison |first16=R. J. |last17=Le Floc'h |first17=E. |last18=Lutz |first18=D. |last19=Magdis |first19=G. |last20=Magnelli |first20=B. |last21=Oliver |first21=S. J. |last22=Page |first22=M. J. |last23=Pozzi |first23=F. |last24=Rigopoulou |first24=D. |last25=Riguccini |first25=L. |last26=Roseboom |first26=I. G. |last27=Sanders |first27=D. B. |last28=Scott |first28=Douglas |last29=Seymour |first29=N. |last30=Valtchanov |first30=I. |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |date=2012 |volume=761 |issue=2 |page=140 |doi=10.1088/0004-637X/761/2/140 |arxiv=1210.4928 |s2cid=12193484 |display-authors=1 }}{{Cite journal |title=A Population of z > 2 Far-infrared Herschel-SPIRE-selected Starbursts |bibcode= 2012ApJ...761..139C|url= https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2012ApJ...761..139C/abstract|last1= Casey|first1= C. M.|last2= Berta|first2= S.|last3= Béthermin|first3= M.|last4= Bock|first4= J.|last5= Bridge|first5= C.|last6= Burgarella|first6= D.|last7= Chapin|first7= E.|last8= Chapman|first8= S. C.|last9= Clements|first9= D. L.|last10= Conley|first10= A.|last11= Conselice|first11= C. J.|last12= Cooray|first12= A.|last13= Farrah|first13= D.|last14= Hatziminaoglou|first14= E.|last15= Ivison|first15= R. J.|last16= Le Floc'h|first16= E.|last17= Lutz|first17= D.|last18= Magdis|first18= G.|last19= Magnelli|first19= B.|last20= Oliver|first20= S. J.|last21= Page|first21= M. J.|last22= Pozzi|first22= F.|last23= Rigopoulou|first23= D.|last24= Riguccini|first24= L.|last25= Roseboom|first25= I. G.|last26= Sanders|first26= D. B.|last27= Scott|first27= Douglas|last28= Seymour|first28= N.|last29= Valtchanov|first29= I.|last30= Vieira|first30= J. D.|journal= The Astrophysical Journal|date= 2012|volume= 761|issue= 2|page= 139|doi= 10.1088/0004-637X/761/2/139|arxiv= 1210.4932|s2cid= 2337038|display-authors= 1}}

While at the University of California, Irvine, Casey authored a review paper on star-forming galaxies.{{Cite journal |title=Dusty star-forming galaxies at high redshift |bibcode= 2014PhR...541...45C|url= https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2014PhR...541...45C/abstract|last1= Casey|first1= Caitlin M.|last2= Narayanan|first2= Desika|last3= Cooray|first3= Asantha|journal= Physics Reports|date= 2014|volume= 541|issue= 2|page= 45|doi= 10.1016/j.physrep.2014.02.009|arxiv= 1402.1456|s2cid= 118403401}}

Casey is principal investigator of the COSMOS-Web Survey{{Cite web |last=Vine |first=Katy |date=2021-11-16 |title=The Most Powerful Telescope Ever Made Will Launch Next Month. A Texas Astronomer Is Leading Its Biggest Project. |url=https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/texas-astronomer-webb-telescope/ |access-date=2024-01-26 |website=Texas Monthly |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2021-12-17 |title=A UT researcher is behind the James Webb telescope's biggest project of 2022 |url=https://www.texasstandard.org/stories/a-ut-researcher-is-behind-the-james-webb-telescopes-biggest-project-of-2022/ |access-date=2024-01-26 |website=Texas Standard |language=en-US}} and the Cosmic Evolution Survey. This work is a collaborative effort with Jeyhan Kartaltepe.{{Cite web |last=Underwood |first=Jack |date=2021-11-23 |title='Like winning the lottery': Columbia native delights in big plans for space telescope |url=https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/local/like-winning-the-lottery-columbia-native-delights-in-big-plans-for-space-telescope/article_377819b2-489e-11ec-b928-bff92a081d01.html |access-date=2024-04-18 |website=Columbia Missourian |language=en}} The COSMOS-Web Survey is a $0.54\backslash ,\{\backslash rm\; deg\}^2$ James Webb Space Telescope NIRCam imaging program that aims to reveal the sources of cosmic reionization and was the telescope's largest allocated project in its first year of observations.{{Cite journal |title=COSMOS-Web: An Overview of the JWST Cosmic Origins Survey |url=https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2022arXiv221107865C/abstract |last1=Casey |first1=Caitlin M. |last2=Kartaltepe |first2=Jeyhan S. |last3=Drakos |first3=Nicole E. |last4=Franco |first4=Maximilien |last5=Harish |first5=Santosh |last6=Paquereau |first6=Louise |last7=Ilbert |first7=Olivier |last8=Rose |first8=Caitlin |last9=Cox |first9=Isabella G. |last10=Nightingale |first10=James W. |last11=Robertson |first11=Brant E. |last12=Silverman |first12=John D. |last13=Koekemoer |first13=Anton M. |last14=Massey |first14=Richard |last15=McCracken |first15=Henry Joy |last16=Rhodes |first16=Jason |last17=Akins |first17=Hollis B. |last18=Allen |first18=Natalie |last19=Amvrosiadis |first19=Aristeidis |last20=Arango-Toro |first20=Rafael C. |last21=Bagley |first21=Micaela B. |last22=Bongiorno |first22=Angela |last23=Capak |first23=Peter L. |last24=Champagne |first24=Jaclyn B. |last25=Chartab |first25=Nima |last26=Chávez Ortiz |first26=Óscar A. |last27=Chworowsky |first27=Katherine |last28=Cooke |first28=Kevin C. |last29=Cooper |first29=Olivia R. |last30=Darvish |first30=Behnam |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |date=2023 |volume=954 |issue=1 |page=31 |doi=10.3847/1538-4357/acc2bc |arxiv=2211.07865 |bibcode=2023ApJ...954...31C |display-authors=1 |doi-access=free }} She presented the initial results of her research with the COSMOS-Web survey in 2023.{{cite web |last=Mirza |first=Umair |date=2023-12-16 |title=Science News Quarterly Magazine, 2023 : Umair Mirza : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive |url=https://archive.org/details/science-news-vol.-203.09-may-6-20-2023_202312/Science%20News%2C%20vol.%20204.02%20%28August%2012%2C%202023%29/page/22/mode/2up?q=%22caitlin+casey%22 |access-date=2024-04-18 |website=Internet Archive}}

Casey is an advocate for equity in STEM, creating the TAURUS program, a summer research experience for marginalized students in the summer of 2016.{{Cite web |title=Stories by Caitlin Casey |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/author/caitlin-casey/ |access-date=2024-01-26 |website=Scientific American |language=en}} This program is hosted at the University of Texas at Austin at the McDonald Observatory and allows under-represented undergraduate students to get involved with astronomical research. Casey created a workshop designed to spread awareness about bullying, microaggressions and harassment for academic researchers with her colleague Kartik Sheth called The Ethical Gray Zone in 2013.{{Cite journal |last1=Casey |first1=Caitlin |last2=Sheth |first2=Kartik |date=2013 |title=The ethical grey zone |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/nj7476-427a |journal=Nature |language=en |volume=503 |issue=7476 |pages=427–428 |doi=10.1038/nj7476-427a |issn=0028-0836}}

• {{Cite journal |last=Casey |first=Caitlin M. |date=2012-10-01 |title=Far-infrared spectral energy distribution fitting for galaxies near and far: Far-infrared SED fitting |journal=Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society |language=en |volume=425 |issue=4 |pages=3094–3103 |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2966.2012.21455.x|doi-access=free |arxiv=1206.1595 }}
• {{Cite journal |last1=Casey |first1=Caitlin M. |last2=Chen |first2=Chian-Chou |last3=Cowie |first3=Lennox L. |last4=Barger |first4=Amy J. |last5=Capak |first5=Peter |last6=Ilbert |first6=Olivier |last7=Koss |first7=Michael |last8=Lee |first8=Nicholas |last9=Le Floc'h |first9=Emeric |last10=Sanders |first10=David B. |last11=Williams |first11=Jonathan P. |date=2013-12-11 |title=Characterization of Scuba-2 450 μm and 850 μm selected galaxies in the COSMOS field |url=http://academic.oup.com/mnras/article/436/3/1919/1240894/Characterization-of-Scuba2-450%CE%BCm-and-850%CE%BCm |journal=Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society |language=en |volume=436 |issue=3 |pages=1919–1954 |doi=10.1093/mnras/stt1673 |doi-access=free |issn=1365-2966|arxiv=1302.2619 }}
• {{Cite journal |last1=Casey |first1=Caitlin M. |last2=Narayanan |first2=Desika |last3=Cooray |first3=Asantha |date=2014 |title=Dusty star-forming galaxies at high redshift |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0370157314000477 |journal=Physics Reports |language=en |volume=541 |issue=2 |pages=45–161 |doi=10.1016/j.physrep.2014.02.009|arxiv=1402.1456 |bibcode=2014PhR...541...45C }}
• {{Cite journal |last1=Lee |first1=Nicholas |last2=Sanders |first2=D. B. |last3=Casey |first3=Caitlin M. |last4=Toft |first4=Sune |last5=Scoville |first5=N. Z. |last6=Hung |first6=Chao-Ling |last7=Le Floc'h |first7=Emeric |last8=Ilbert |first8=Olivier |last9=Zahid |first9=H. Jabran |last10=Aussel |first10=Hervé |last11=Capak |first11=Peter |last12=Kartaltepe |first12=Jeyhan S. |last13=Kewley |first13=Lisa J. |last14=Li |first14=Yanxia |last15=Schawinski |first15=Kevin |date=2015-03-05 |title=A Turnover in the Galaxy Main Sequence of Star Formation at M * ∼ 10 10 M ☉ for Redshifts z < 1.3 |url=https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0004-637X/801/2/80 |journal=The Astrophysical Journal |volume=801 |issue=2 |pages=80 |doi=10.1088/0004-637X/801/2/80 |issn=1538-4357|arxiv=1501.01080 }}

Casey received the 2018 Newton Lacy Pierce Prize awarded by the American Astronomical Society for impactful work in observational astronomy achieved before age 36.{{Cite web |last=de Los Reyes |first=Mia |date=January 5, 2019 |title=Meet the AAS Keynote Speakers: Dr. Caitlin Casey |url=https://astrobites.org/2019/01/05/meet-the-aas-keynote-speakers-dr-caitlin-casey/ |website=Astrobites}}{{Cite web |title=Texas' Caitlin Casey Receives 2018 Pierce Prize from American Astronomical Society |url=https://mcdonaldobservatory.org/news/releases/20180110 |access-date=2024-04-18 |website=McDonald Observatory}} In 2019 she was awarded a Cottrell Scholar Award from the Research Corporation for Science Advancement.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2019-02-13 |title=RCSA Names Two Dozen 2019 Cottrell Scholars |url=https://rescorp.org/news/2019/02/rcsa-names-two-dozen-2019-cottrell-scholars |access-date=2024-04-18 |website=Research Corporation for Science Advancement |language=en}} In 2025, Casey was honored with the Edith and Peter O'Donnell Award in the Physical Sciences issued by the Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2014-12-11 |title=TAMEST 2025 Edith and Peter O’Donnell Awards |url=https://tamest.org/odonnell-awards/2025/ |access-date=2024-12-11 |website=[Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas|language=en}}

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Category:Living people

Category:Scientists from Columbia, Missouri

Category:Rock Bridge High School alumni

Category:University of Arizona alumni

Category:Alumni of the University of Cambridge

Category:University of Texas at Austin faculty

Category:Women astronomers

Category:Year of birth missing (living people)