About Jeffrey Kenney
I have been a Professor at Yale University since 1991, and served as Chair of the Astronomy Department from 2005-2011. I earned a PhD in Astrophysics from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 1987. As an observational astronomer who investigates the structure and evolution of galaxies, I am most interested in factors that promote and stop star formation. A major focus of my work concerns the environmental impacts on galaxy clusters, particularly molecular gas dynamics and ram pressure stripping. Much of my research has been conducted on the nearby Virgo cluster, which can be studied with good resolution and sensitivity due to its close proximity to our own Milky Way.
Teaching at Yale University
Astronomy 120: Galaxies and the Universe
An introduction to stars and stellar evolution, the structure and evolution of the Milky Way Galaxy and other galaxies; quasars, active galactic nuclei, and supermassive black holes; cosmology and the expanding universe. Intended for non-science majors.
Astronomy 310: Galactic and Extragalactic Astronomy
The structure of the Milky Way galaxy and other galaxies; stellar populations and star clusters in galaxies; gas and star formation in galaxies; the evolution of galaxies; galaxies and their large-scale environment; galaxy mergers and interactions; supermassive black holes and active galactic nuclei. Intended for undergraduate majors in Astronomy and Physics.
Astronomy 430/530: Galaxies
A survey of the contents, morphology, structure, and kinematics of galaxies; star formation and the interstellar medium in galaxies; stellar populations and chemical evolution; galaxy interactions and the environments of galaxies, central black holes. Intended for graduate and advanced undergraduate astronomy majors.