About
Justin Pierel, PhD
NASA Einstein Fellow working on supernova cosmology, strong lensing, high-redshift transients, and the future of time-domain astronomy with JWST, Roman, and Rubin.
Scientific perspective
I am interested in understanding the expansion history of the Universe, including the Hubble constant and dark energy evolution, through adding and enhancing cosmological probes. My methods include strongly lensed supernovae as a route to time-delay cosmography, Type Ia supernovae as precision distance indicators, high-redshift supernovae as tests of Type Ia progenitor and luminosity evolution, and alternative approaches that help probe the Hubble tension from new angles.
More broadly, I work at the intersection of survey discovery, telescope follow-up, and open software infrastructure leveraging a combination of the James Webb Space Telescope, Roman Space Telescope, and Rubin Observatory.
The goal is not just to find rare events, but to turn them into robust physical and cosmological measurements.
Beyond the CV
I live in Washington, DC with my wife Eleanor, our dog Percy, and our cats Neil and Amelia. I grew up in rural Maine, and outside astronomy I enjoy disc golf, board games, and science fiction/fantasy books.