About Me

Welcome to my webpage! My name is Cheng-Han Hsieh, and I am a star and planet formation astronomer and a NASA Hubble Fellowship Sagan Fellow at University of Texas, Austin.

I stayed at Yale for his graduate studies and completed my doctorate in the summer of 2024 under the supervision of Professor Héctor G. Arce.

I received my M.S. and M.Phil from the Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in 2021. I was the 2021 Yale Nathan Hale Associate and was a Yale Henry A. Smith Fellow in 2020. I graduated in 2018 from the National Tsing Hua University (Taiwan) with a Bachelor’s degree in Physics.

Throughout my Ph.D., I explored the intricate world of star and planet formation, spanning an extensive range of physical scales. I conducted dynamical modeling of the first interstellar asteroid, coordinated and led the proposal to conduct radio observations for the first interstellar comet (See New York Times interview), and conducted the first statistical study of the disk substructures within young protoplanetary disks with age less than 2 million years old (Class 0/I disks). I also used ALMA to study the interaction between the asymmetric flows of material toward the protostellar disk from the envelope (streamers) and disks, the feedback from protostellar outflows and jets, and angular momentum in a rotating star-forming filament. As a radio observer, I pioneered new methods to measure quantities that are difficult to obtain. I conducted 3D magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence simulations with radiative transfer to test the new methods to measure magnetic fields in the star-forming regions. I developed a new technique to measure protostellar outflow mass, momentum, and energy ejection rates and compute two-dimensional molecular outflow instantaneous rate maps. Additionally, I devised a novel method to determine the mass distribution of the youngest protostars, known as the protostellar mass function (PMF). This theoretical construct is considered a potential precursor to the mass distribution of stars, termed the initial mass function (IMF). See my Research section for more information.

General Background

I come from Taiwan, and have studied in many countries (Taiwan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and now USA). In my free time, I enjoy playing badminton, reading fatacy novels and economic books, learning about a new language (Japanese), playing the violin, and do photography. I also love to travel and visit museums. See photos.

As a child who grew up in multiple countries and studied in Indonesia for high school, I’ve interacted with diverse cultures. I am passionate about research, teaching, and outreach, and is interested in promoting equal opportunities for all. See my Outreach and Services for more information.

Feel free to contact me at cheng-han.hsieh@utexas.edu