University of North Texas 
Meet Leigh Parrott, a UNT Physics graduate student working on her doctoral research in the astrophysics lab of Dr. Ohad Shemmer.
Meet Leigh Parrott, a UNT Physics graduate student working on her doctoral research in the astrophysics lab of Dr. Ohad Shemmer.
“Our group researches active galactic nuclei (AGNs), which are supermassive black holes at the centers of other galaxies that are accreting, or drawing in, nearby material like gas and dust,” said Leigh. “Specifically, I look at X-ray observations of AGNs to see how their emission is connected to their accretion rates.”
Prior to her move to Texas, Leigh earned two bachelor's degrees in Pennsylvania, one
in English Literature and East Asian Studies from Dickinson College, and one in Physics
from West Chester University. Before deciding on UNT for her doctoral research, Leigh
participated in a year-long NSF Bridge Fellowship here, which influenced her decision
to stay for her Ph.D.
“I came to UNT having done some work on X-ray emission from high mass stars, so it felt very natural to segue into X-ray observations of AGNs,” said Leigh, who has always been fascinated by black holes and high-energy astrophysical processes. “While the applications of AGN research are limited on Earth since we can’t fly out to study them in person, studying AGN accretion processes can help tell us how these black holes grew to be so massive, what they might have been like in the distant cosmic past, and even how our own black hole inside the Milky Way might have evolved.”
Earlier this summer, Leigh had the opportunity to present some preliminary results from her current project at the 246th American Astronomical Society meeting in Anchorage, Alaska.
“It was an incredible experience!” she said. “I never thought I’d go to Alaska, let alone to present my research. I’m currently finishing up my first paper, too, and hope to have it published before the end of this year.”
Leigh anticipates completing her Ph.D. in 2028 or 2029. In the meantime, she says she is grateful for the guidance and support of her professors, especially her mentor Dr. Shemmer, and hopes to one day follow in their footsteps.
"Dr. Shemmer always makes sure to devote individual attention to each of our research projects and keeps us up to date on opportunities to present our work — both at UNT and elsewhere,” she said. “I’ve always had an affinity for education, and my ultimate goal is to become a professor someday as well.”