About Me
I’m an astrophysicist and cosmologist combining cosmological simulations and real-world data to better understand how galaxies and the Universe evolve through time.
I began my career in engineering and industry before transitioning into academia to follow my passion for astrophysics. I earned my PhD in Astronomy from the University of Florida, and I’m currently a CAPS Postdoctoral Fellow at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) — University of Illinois, where I work on tools to interpret line-intensity mapping experiments and galaxy surveys.
Beyond research, I’m passionate about science communication, education, and making astronomy accessible — through social media, public talks, and creative projects. I also find joy in music (guitar + vocals), playing sports, and exploring new ways to connect science with everyday life.
Research Projects
Modeling intensity mapping experiments in cosmological hydrodynamical simulations
I led the development of a tool (slick) that combines cosmological hydrodynamic simulations with thermal/radiative/chemical equilibrium PDR models to calculate CO/[CI]/[CII] line luminosities from every gas particle in different redshifts of the simulation. With this tool, we are able to build light cones from z=0 to z=10. Read more
New, fully symmetric, method for the 3PCF line of sight
The 3-point correlation function (3PCF) is a powerful tool for cosmology as it goes beyond the 2PCF, and probes late-time non-Gaussianities. To access its information, we must track the 3PCF’s dependence not only on each triangle’s shape, but also on its orientation with respect to the line of sight. We developed a method that measures the 3PCF while keeping the line of sight fully symmetric between the triangles' triplet members. Read more
Finding galaxy clusters in the Boötes field with Spitzer
We identified >800 galaxy cluster and group candidates in the 9.3 deg² Boötes region, among which >300 lie beyond z = 1.5. The catalog was built based on a wavelet-style algorithm and photometric redshift probability distributions using data from Spitzer Deep Wide-Field Survey, NOAO Deep Wide-Field Survey, Infrared Boötes Imaging Survey, and Large Binocular Cameras imaging.
Constraining σ₈ with supernova peculiar velocities
We investigated the optima survey strategies to measure peculiar velocity fields with Type Ia supernovae. By varying the observational parameters, such as the area of the sky we are looking at, the depth being reached and the cadence, we found out which combination gives the best estimate on σ8 using supernova peculiar velocities. Read more
Detection of Type Ia supernovae
We developed a pipeline for supernovae detection focused on surveys that make use of narrow-band filters, such as J-PAS, J-PLUS and S-PLUS.
CV
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Email: ktgarcia@illinois.edu
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