Imad Pasha

Curriculum Vitae
imad-pasha@github.io NASA/ADS Publications

Observational astrophysicist studying the circumgalactic medium and the low surface brightness universe through deep imaging and integral field spectroscopy. Currently Head of Software Development for MOTHRA, a state-of-the-art robotic telescope array under construction in Chile.

Positions Held

2025–present
Head of Software Development & Senior Research Scientist
Dragonfly Focused Research Organization
Leads development of the software infrastructure powering the Modular Optical Telephoto Hyperspectral Robotic Array (MOTHRA), a state-of-the-art facility under construction in Chile.
2026–present
Visiting Scholar
CIERA / Northwestern University
2025–2026
Laboratory Assistant (Visiting Scholar)
Yale University

Education

2018–2024
PhD, Astrophysics — Yale University
Advisor: Prof. Pieter G. van Dokkum
Key collaborators: Joel Leja, Nir Mandelker, Frank van den Bosch, Tim B. Miller.
2020
MPhil & MSc, Astronomy and Astrophysics — Yale University
2014–2018
BA, Astrophysics & Physics; Minor, Creative Writing — UC Berkeley
Advisor: Prof. Mariska Kriek.
Major Fellowships
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
LSSTc Data Science Fellowship
Yale Poorvu Associates in Teaching Fellowship

Selected Publications

31 Total papers · 596 citations · h-index 13 · g-index 24  ·  i100-index 1
ApJL 980, L32025
The Bullseye: HST, Keck/KCWI, and Dragonfly Characterization of a Giant Nine-ringed Galaxy
Pasha, I.; van Dokkum, P. G.; Liu, Q.; et al.
ApJL 923, L212021
A Nascent Tidal Dwarf Galaxy Forming within the Northern HI Streamer of M82
Pasha, I.; Lokhorst, D.; van Dokkum, P.; et al.
MNRAS 520, 22022
Quenching in Cosmic Sheets: Tracing the Impact of Large Scale Structure Collapse on the Evolution of Dwarf Galaxies
Pasha, I.; Mandelker, N.; van den Bosch, F. C.; et al.
ApJ 898, 22020
Brackett-γ as a Gold Standard Test of Star Formation Rates Derived from SED Fitting
Pasha, I.; Leja, J.; van Dokkum, P.; Conroy, C.; Johnson, B.
JOSS 8, 89, 57032023
pysersic: A Python package for determining galaxy structural properties via Bayesian inference, accelerated with jax
Pasha, I.; Miller, T. B.
ApJL 950, 22023
A Candidate Runaway Supermassive Black Hole Identified by Shocks and Star Formation in its Wake
van Dokkum, P.; Pasha, I.; et al.

Selected Proposals & Observations

Principle Investigator
HST GO 18416 (12 Orbits)Cycle 34
HST GO 17508 (2 Orbits)Cycle 31
VLA 26B-335 (28.8 hours)Cycle 2026B
Keck LRIS (1 Night)2025A
Palomar DoubleSpec (10 nights)2024B
Palomar TripleSpec (6 nights)2023A
Co-Investigator
Roman 10189 (Analysis)Cycle 1
Roman 10236 (Analysis)Cycle 1
HST GO 17301 (12 Orbits)Cycle 30
JWST GO 3149 (11.0 hr)Cycle 2
Lead Observing Experience — 77 nights total
Palomar / TripleSpec5 m · 22 nights
Keck / LRIS10 m · 13 nights
Keck / NIRES10 m · 11 nights
Keck / MOSFIRE10 m · 11 nights
Keck / KCWI10 m · 9 nights
Palomar / DoubleSpec5 m · 7 nights
Keck / NIRSPEC10 m · 2 nights
Lick / Kast3 m · 2 nights

Honors, Fellowships & Awards

2024
Yale Astronomy Departmental Service Award
For major contributions to mentorship and education within and beyond the department.
2022
Beatrice Tinsley Award, Yale Astronomy
Best astronomy paper by a Yale graduate student.
2021
Yale Poorvu Associates in Teaching Fellowship
Awarded to design and teach a new course as instructor of record.
2018
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
Competitive multi-year national funding; two-year data science fellowship.
2018
LSSTc Data Science Fellowship
Two-year data science fellowship.
2018
AAS Chambliss Award, Honorable Mention (AAS 231)
2017
Dorothea Klumpke-Roberts Award, UC Berkeley Astronomy
For outstanding scholarly achievement.
2017
AAS Chambliss Award, Honorable Mention (AAS 229)
2015
Third Place Poster Prize, Fifty-one Ergs Supernova Conference
2014
First Place Poster Prize, UNC Undergraduate Research Symposium

Invited & Conference Talks

2024
· IAC Winter School in Astrophysics: The Baryon Cycle across Cosmic Time, Santa Cruz, Tenerife
· AstroEDUNC Conference (Invited Panelist),UNC Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
· STScI Spring Symposium, Baltimore, MD
2023
· A Journey through Galactic Environments, Porto Ercole, Italy
· Outflows 2023 — Feedback and the Baryon Cycle, Melbourne, AUS
· Oases in the Cosmic Desert, Tempe, Arizona, USA
2022
· Flatiron Institute CCA Thursday Series, New York City, USA
· UCSB CGM Group Lunch, Santa Barbara, USA
· Cosmolunch, Racah Institute, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
2020
· Indiana University Astronomy Department Lunch Talk, Bloomington, USA

Teaching

2024
Textbook: Astronomical Python — An Introduction to Modern Scientific Programming
IOP/AAS E-Books.
2021–2024
Co-Instructor of Record, Yale University
Research Preparation Workshop Series (Sp 2024); Scientific Computing in Astrophysics with Prof. Marla Geha (Fa 2021).
2018–2020
Teaching Fellow, Yale University
Stars and Their Evolution · Introduction to Astronomical Observations · Yale Summer Program in Astrophysics · Research Methods in Astrophysics · Earth in its Cosmic Context.
2015–2017
Instructor of Record, UC Berkeley
Introduction to Python for Astronomers — designed and taught the department's introductory programming course.
2016
Undergraduate GSI, UC Berkeley
Optical and Infrared Astronomy Laboratory · Introduction to General Astronomy.

Service & Outreach