Max Kurzner

Max Kurzner

PhD Candidate in Astrophysics interested in the intersection of galaxy morphology and modern methods of data analysis

Talks and presentations

The Anatomy of Galaxies: Insights into Galaxy Morphology from the Virgo Cluster

February 11, 2025

Contributed Talk, Colgate University Physics and Astronomy Seminar, Colgate University, Hamilton, New York, USA

I had the privilege of gettign invited back to my alma mater, Colgate University to present at their weekly Physics and Astronomy Seminar. Here I give a brief overview of my time from Colgate to graduate school as well as a look at my PhD research on Galaxy Morphology and Evolution. Check out the talk here!

The Structure and Environment of Virgo Cluster Galaxies with Deep Optical Morphologies

May 31, 2024

Contributed Talk, The physical processes shaping the stellar and gaseous histories of galaxies (GASPISA2024), Auditorium dell'Opera della Primaziale Pisana G. Toniolo, Pisa, Italy

I gave a contributed talk on the morphogical catalogue and analysis for all galaxies in the Virgo cluster at GASPISA 2024. A link to a recording of my presentation can be viewed here!

High Resolution Optical Galaxy Morphology with the Next Generation Virgo Cluster Survey

January 12, 2023

Contributed Talk, The 241st Meeting of the American Astronomical Society, Seattle Convention Center, Seattle, Washington, USA

I presented a contributed talk at AAS 241 on preliminary results from my morphological catalogue and analysis of all galaxies in the Virgo Cluster. During this 5-minute presentation, I highlighted notable forthcoming results from the NGVS and discussed how our comprehensive morphological census will provide unprecedented insights into the diverse galaxy populations in Virgo.

The Impact of the Initial Mass Function on the Evolution of M/L

June 13, 2022

Contributed Talk, The 240th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society, Pasadena Convention Center, Pasadena, California, USA

At AAS 240, I presented a contributed talk on the findings from my Master’s research, which investigated the effects of varying the stellar initial mass function (IMF) on the derived properties of galaxy stellar populations, particularly their mass-to-light ratios. This work offers critical insights into the uncertainties in stellar population synthesis and its application to understanding galaxy properties across cosmic time, including the plausibility of evolving IMFs, such as bottom-heavy IMFs, in early-type galaxies.