Welcome

My area of expertise focuses on the merger history of dark matter haloes. Understanding halo mergers is fundamental to understand the assembly and evolution of galaxies themselves. Major mergers are very interesting events. They change the morphology of galaxies, trigger sudden bursts of star formation and are the most efficient way to funnel gas to the centers of galaxies. In particular, this mechanism allows supermassive black holes to grow by accreting this material. A galaxy whose central black hole is undergoing intense accretion is said to be active, or in a quasar phase.

My tools include analytical models and semi-analytic (Monte Carlo) prescriptions -- with the aid of catalogues from N-body simulations. Recently, I have began playing with Gadget-2, an N-body simulation code. The picture on the right (taken by me) shows M51, a large spiral galaxy devouring a smaller one. It is my hope that someday I can be involved in observational astronomy as well. I am also interested in branching processes, coagulation, reionization, voids, the cosmic microwave background, and the impact of non-Gaussianity and / or dark energy on the large scale structure of the universe. My other passion is teaching physics and astronomy, and I am always looking for new methods and techniques to enhance learning.

I did my graduate work at the University of Pennsylvania under the supervision of Ravi K. Sheth. Before that, I was a student at Cinvestav-IPN, and at Venice High School. When I am not teaching or doing research, my wife and I enjoy spending time with our children Camila and Mateo -- feeding the ducks, reading or watching a good movie. Please don't hesitate to send me a message if you have any questions, ideas, or comments. You are always welcome in my office -- even if you are not in any of my classes!