Rachel Slaybaugh
Graduate Research Assistant

Hi I’m Rachel! I work with Dr. Jeremey Darling in CASA. My research focuses on measuring cosmic acceleration in real time through secular redshift drift. I study the spectra of distant quasars to find small changes in the redshifts of intergalactic gas due to dark energy. Reaching new benchmark precision in these measurements will bring us closer to a direct probe of the universe’s changing expansion.

I joined the APS department in 2023. As an undergraduate at the Ohio State University, I used gravitational microlensing to search for primordial and stellar mass black holes. In addition to my research, I’m passionate about equity, diversity, and inclusion in astrophysics.