Marianne Vestergaard is Professor and head of section at DARK at the Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen
Congratulations on receiving a grant from Independent Research Fund Denmark (DFF – Danmarks Frie Forskningsfond)!
Please tell us about your research and why it is important.
I am monitoring an accreting supermassive black hole, also known as an active galactic nucleus, that is exhibiting a rare and strange behavior where it flares strongly over several months, followed by a quiet, low flux period. I use this unusual behavior to investigate not only what might be the underlying physics of the flares but also to look under the hood of the black hole engine that drives the emission of the active nucleus. The object we are studying is changing its emission faster than expected from standard models. Several aspects of the standard picture is not well understood and this object may help us understand the general population of accreting black holes. Their nature is important to understand since the energy released in the accretion process is affecting the evolution of the galaxy that hosts the massive black hole in its center by regulating the rate and amount of stars forming in the galaxy. Therefore, to understand galaxy evolution better, we need to understand this feedback from the massive black hole.
What are your plans and what are the possibilities that this grant opens for you?
This grant allows me to hire a postdoc that can help process and analyze the many data sets that I obtain during monitoring campaigns and help coordinate, organize and apply for future observing time. The postdoc will also contribute to an inspiring research environment.
Where have you studied and which positions have you held before your current one?
I got my Ph.D. from the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen. After graduating, I held the Columbus Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Ohio State University for 3 years. I extended my stay for a year with a Hubble Space Telescope PI grant. I then went to the University of Arizona in Tucson Arizona before I obtained a tenure-track faculty position at Tufts University in Boston. A couple of years later I obtained a Faculty of Science FREJA Fellowship at the University of Copenhagen which I took to the Dark Cosmology Centre (now called DARK). In 2011 I was tenured and in January 2021 I was promoted to full Professor.
What was your motivation to pursue a career in physics and how did you choose the field you are now specializing in?
My dad’s fascination for the cosmos rubbed off on me. He took me out on summer evenings to watch the night sky, telling me about some of the enigmatic objects out there, including black holes and radio galaxies with jets. That inspired me to pursue a career in astrophysics. For one of my Master’s courses we worked with quasar spectra with the purpose of characterizing the intervening absorption lines. I got very intrigued about the emission lines and what they could possibly tell us about quasars and active galactic nuclei. This is what got me started. I admit I still have an interest in deciphering those characteristic but complex broad emission lines of quasars and to find out how to extract the information they carry about the physics of the central engine of quasars.
Have you had role models or mentors? If so, what inspiration did you get from them?
I have been very inspired by some of my senior colleagues that I have collaborated with, who set excellent examples of how to be generous with their time and data and be inclusive in collaborations and letting also young people lead great projects.
What advice would you give to young people (in particular women and minorities) who would like to pursue a career in science?
Believe in yourself. If you want to do this, go for it! Do it your way – just do it! There is plenty of room for everyone (the universe is big!). Everyone has something to contribute.
Everyone’s situation is different, so don’t measure yourself against others. Only measure against yourself and your dreams.
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