About Me
Background
My name is Connor Auge and I grew up and spent the majority of my childhood in southern California. While I was an active child, involved in many different sports throughout my childhood, I have always had a fascination with math and science, finding a particularly strong interest in astronomy. Many of the teachers I had when I was young helped to bolster this interest in science, encouraging me to pursue a career in STEM. This lead me to enroll in the physics and astronomy department at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff for my undergraduate degree.
While furthering my education at NAU I also began my first research project studying interacting galaxy systems with Dr. Lisa Chien. Dr. Chien had a massive influence on my educational path in giving me this research opportunity and providing me with the support I needed to be successful both as a student and as a new researcher. With her support I was able to continue my education and enroll at the University of Hawai’i Manoa to pursue my doctorate degree in Astronomy.
At UH I was able to branch out research experience beyond the extragalactic work I conducted at NAU and work with Dr. Dan Huber on a project that proved the feasibility of conducting asteroseismology studies on Red Giantstars using ground based transient surveys, such as ATLAS and ASAS-SN. While, it was a very enjoyable and educational experience working with Dr. Huber on this project, I decided to return to extragalactic research for my dissertation work. I began working with Dr. Dave Sanders and the Accretion History of AGN (AHA) collaboration to study the multiwavelength properties of X-ray luminous active galactic nuclei (AGN). Since then I have continued to work on projects focusing on the role that AGN play in galaxy evolution.
I successfully defended my dissertation work in March of 2024 to earn my Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of Hawaii. Shortly after my defense I began a postdoctoral research position with Dr. Mike Koss at Eureka Scientific Inc. and the BAT AGN Spectroscopic Survey (BASS) collaboration. With this postdoc position allows me to continue to pursue my research interest by analyzing nearby AGN in high detail. I hope to be able continue to join new collaborations and studey the univerise in new and unique ways throughout the rest of my career.
Other Interests
Outside of astronomy, I like to remain active. I frequently go on hikes, exploring the wonderful beauty that can be found across the island of Oahu. I also enjoy long distance running and completed my first marathon in 2021. If I am not working, running, or hiking, you can probably find me playing board games with friends or trying any new restaurants or coffee shops that I can find around town.