Ilyse Clark

Ilyse is a Ph.D. candidate in Astronomy & Astrophysics at UCSD, where her research focuses on low-metallicity extragalactic environments to understand galaxy evolution under conditions similar to the early universe, where many chemical processes remain poorly understood. Her work includes the first resolved study of an extragalactic low-metallicity photodissociation region using infrared data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and radio data from the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA). She received a Bachelor of Science in Astronomy and Physics from the University of Texas at Austin and is committed to fostering inclusive academic communities. Ilyse has served as Co-President of the Astronomy Graduate Council, building community among graduate scholars, and has led the Undergraduate & Graduate Peer-to-Peer Mentoring Program, and currently leads the Graduate & Postdoctoral Mentoring Program, organizing mentorship and community events across departments. Her contributions have been recognized with a Certificate of Appreciation for Advancing Equity from UCSD’s Division of Graduate Education & Postdoctoral Affairs. Nationally, she is a member of the Heising-Simons Mentoring Network and the League of Underrepresented Minoritized Astronomers (LUMA), and is a founding member of the Astronomy’s Poverty Problem working group, which develops solutions to remove poverty-related obstacles in Astronomy. Through her work and service, Ilyse works to ensure that scholars of all backgrounds can thrive in Astronomy and Astrophysics.

Contact Info: iyclark@ucsd.edu