Niayesh Afshordi

I am an Astronomer, and a Physicist; in short I am an astrophysicist. I am an Assistant Professor in the Astrophysics and Gravitation group at the Department of Physics and Astronomy University of Waterloo . I am also an Associate Faculty in the Cosmology group at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physic (PI) . I dabble in Astrophysics, Cosmology, and Physics of gravity. I am obsessed with observational hints that could help address problems in fundamental physics. In particular, I have found anomalous signatures of dark energy and dark baryons in the cosmic microwave background radiation. With other collaborators, I have also developed a curious theory for an incompressible dark energy, named cuscuton (after the Latin name for the parasitic plant of dodder ). I am currently trying my hand in solving the cosmological constant problem through a new theory of gravity that can surprisingly relate the formation of astrophysical black holes to today's acceleration of cosmic expansion . In a related inquiry, I am also exploring the relation of cuscuton and quantum gravity .

If you are interested in pursuing a MSc degree, please apply to the Perimeter Scholars International (PSI) masters program. If you are interested in working with me as a PhD student, please submit an application directly to my department at the University of Waterloo and indicate that you would like to be supervised by me. Perimeter Institute is committed to diversity within its community and I welcome applications from underrepresented groups.

Astrophysics, Cosmology, Physics of Gravity, Dark Energy, Dark Matter, Clusters of Galaxies, Structure Formation, Accretion Disks, Cosmic Microwave Background, Missing Baryons, Quantum Field Theory, Quantum Gravity, Lorentz Violation, Black Holes, Neutron Stars, Early Universe, Primordial Magnetic Field, Foundations of Quantum Mechanics, Gravitational Wave Astronomy, Pulsar Timing, COVID-19 Epidemiology, Medical Physics and Radiotherapy