Karolina Garcia

About Me

Karolina Garcia

I'm an astrophysicist and CAPS Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. I earned my PhD in Astronomy from the University of Florida, after transitioning from a career in engineering and industry.

My research focuses on galaxy formation and evolution, connecting the physics of the interstellar medium to cosmological observations. I combine simulations, radiative transfer, and machine learning to model atomic and molecular line emission across cosmic time. I'm also the lead developer of SLICK.

Beyond research, I'm passionate about science communication and education. Outside astronomy, I enjoy singing, playing guitar, and sports.

Research

Research vision

Connecting the physics of galaxies to the observable Universe

My research focuses on understanding how the physical processes governing galaxy formation shape the atomic and molecular emission we observe across cosmic time. I develop computational approaches that connect the small-scale physics of the interstellar medium to observable signatures in galaxies and across cosmological volumes.

At the center of this effort is SLICK, a framework I developed to predict line emission from cosmological simulations. My long-term goal is to use this approach to investigate galaxy evolution, black hole activity, and the astrophysical uncertainties that shape future cosmological measurements.

Core research program

Lead developer

SLICK

From gas physics to emission-line observables

SLICK predicts molecular and atomic emission from the physical conditions of gas in cosmological simulations, rather than relying solely on empirical galaxy-wide luminosity relations. Combining gas modeling with radiative-transfer calculations, it allows us to investigate not only how galaxies emit light, but why.

Related publications

Explore the SLICK framework →

Research directions built on SLICK

Line-Intensity Mapping

Predicting cosmic emission fields and interpreting multi-line surveys across cosmic time.

Related publications
  • Bracks et al., including Garcia, K. (2026), ApJ.
  • Agrawal et al., including Garcia, K. (2026), arXiv preprint.
  • Karoumpis et al., including Garcia, K. (2024), A&A.
Explore LIM →

AGN & Gas Physics

Investigating how black hole radiation changes gas conditions and emission-line diagnostics.

Current work
  • Garcia, K. et al., in preparation — SLICK-AGN.
Explore AGN →

CAMELS & Galaxy Formation

Testing how uncertain galaxy formation and feedback prescriptions affect observable line emission.

Current work
  • CAMELS + SLICK — ongoing research.
Explore CAMELS →

Additional research contributions

Galaxy Clusters & Large-Scale Structure

Identifying and characterizing distant galaxy clusters using multiwavelength survey data.

Supernova Cosmology

Investigating cosmological information from Type Ia supernova peculiar velocities.

  • Garcia, K., Quartin & Siffert (2020), On the Amount of Peculiar Velocity Field Information in Supernovae from LSST and Beyond, Physics of the Dark Universe.

Science Communication & Outreach

I'm passionate about making astronomy accessible to broader audiences. I co-founded AstroTubers, a collaborative science communication initiative in Brazil, and have been involved in astronomy outreach and education for several years.

I also create independent science content in Portuguese, reaching an audience of more than 50,000 followers on social media.

Curriculum Vitae

Download my CV (PDF)

Contact

Karolina Garcia
CAPS Postdoctoral Fellow
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
National Center for Supercomputing Applications

Email: ktgarcia@illinois.edu
GitHub: github.com/karolinagarcia
LinkedIn: LinkedIn Profile