Sergio Martin-Alvarez
Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
KIPAC - Stanford University
About Me
I am a KIPAC Fellow at Stanford University. For my main research I develop and analyse my own pioneering cosmological simulations. To resolve fundamental questions in galaxy formation, I focus on incorporating critical, yet often overlooked physical processes into my numerical models, providing a comprehensive understanding of resolved galaxy formation at cosmological scales.
Prior to my current role, I was at the Institute of Astronomy and Kavli Institute for Cosmology, University of Cambridge. I was awarded my PhD by the University of Oxford.
If you find some of my work interesting, do not hesitate to get in touch. I would be equally delighted to visit your institution (whether for scientific or outreach purposes) and I always enjoy discussing science.
RESEARCH PROJECTS HIGHLIGHTS
The Pandora Project - II. Bursty dwarfs and well-behaved winds
S. Martin-Alvarez, D. Sijacki, M. Haehnelt, et al. 2026
Figure: gas distribution (top row), temperature (central row) and outflow morphology (bottom row) across various Pandora physics variants.
Hyperlinks to publication:
In this second paper of the Pandora series, we investigate how stellar radiation, magnetism, and cosmic rays reshape star formation, outflows, and metal retention in a dwarf galaxy. A hydrodynamical model (even with boosted SN feedback) drives violent outflows and suppresses metal content. Radiation reduces star-formation clustering and weakens feedback. Adding cosmic rays produces mass-loaded multi-phase winds (ionized + neutral) that entrain denser, more temperate gas, preserving more metals in the galaxy, and yield a burstier star-formation history.
