Dani R. Lipman

Solving the Mysteries of Galaxy Centers

I am an astrophysics post doctoral research fellow at the University of Connecticut working in the Milky Way Laboratory. I started my research career at the University of Iowa in 2015, having explored research topics related to planetary space physics, ultracool dwarf stars, and thermal gyrosynchrotron emission. In 2019, I was awarded a China Fulbright Research/Study award to study motivations for engaging in science popularization and outreach by professors at Chinese universities in Nanjing, China. In August 2020, I began my PhD in Physics at UConn with a focus in the Milky Way's Central Molecular Zone (CMZ), and recieved a NASA FINESST award in 2024 to develop MHD simulations of Milky Way-like CMZs. I successfully defended my PhD in Physics in April 2026 with a thesis titled "Central Station: Mass Transport Into and Around the Galactic Center", which featured my work developing statistical tools and fitting procedures to comprehensively model the 3-D orbital geometry and evolution of the CMZ.

My current research interests include using multi-wavelength observations, such as spectacular high-resolution ALMA data, and my novel MHD zoom-in simulations to produce 3D models of galaxy centers. I am particularly interested in understanding how material may fall off outer stable orbits in our Galaxy's center and inflow closer to circum-nuclear discs near central supermassive black holes.

My main question is: How do dynamics and physical parameters work together to regulate star formation and galaxy evolution?

Contact me at dani.lipman@uconn.edu