About Me
I am Zihao Wu (吴梓豪), a PhD student in the Department of Astronomy at Harvard University, advised by Professor Daniel J. Eisenstein. I am a member of the JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey (JADES).
My research focuses on JWST observations of galaxies in the early Universe. I currently lead a JWST Cycle 5 program as Principal Investigator, targeting one of the earliest known galaxy overdensities at z ≈ 10.5 with 36 hr of NIRSpec spectroscopy. The observed galaxy abundance in this system far exceeds predictions from current cosmological simulations, making it a powerful laboratory for testing models of large-scale structure formation and galaxy evolution at cosmic dawn.
I also develop advanced photometry method to study galaxies at z = 14. I build a forward-modeling photometric technique that provides accurate JWST/MIRI measurements for the most luminous known z = 14 galaxy, JADES-GS-z14-0, and the faintest known object, JADES-GS-z14-1. I lead a comprehensive NIRSpec, NIRCam, and MIRI study of JADES-GS-z14-1, using a total of 240 hours of JWST observations. Addtionally, I contributed to the JADES data reduction pipeline by developing a multi-component wisp template based on non-negative matrix factorization (NMF), which significantly improves the removal of wisp artifacts—one of the most challenging sources of contamination.
Outside of research, I enjoy long-distance cycling, hiking, playing guitar, and reading. I have biked over 2,000 km, including a 900 km journey across the Yunnan Plateau, serving as the rear support rider handling mechanical repairs. Born in Sichuan, I have always loved hotpot and spicy food.
Education
Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Ph.D. Candidate in Astronomy & Astrophysics (Advisor: Daniel J. Eisenstein)
2023 - Expected 2028
Peking University, Beijing, China
B.S. in Astrophysics (Advisor: Luis C. Ho)
2019 - 2023
Selected Publications
Zihao Wu, Daniel J. Eisenstein, Benjamin D. Johnson, Kevin Hainline, et al.
JADES: A Prominent Galaxy Overdensity Candidate within the First 500 Myr
arXiv e-prints, arXiv:2601.15960 (2026)
Zihao Wu, Benjamin D. Johnson, Daniel J. Eisenstein, Phillip Cargile, et al.
JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey (JADES) Data Release 5: Wisp Subtraction with the Non-negative Matrix Factorization Algorithm
arXiv e-prints, arXiv:2601.15958 (2026)
Zihao Wu, Daniel J. Eisenstein, Benjamin D. Johnson, Peter Jakobsen, et al.
JADES-GS-z14-1: A Compact, Faint Galaxy at z ≈ 14 with Weak Metal Lines from Extremely Deep JWST MIRI, NIRCam, and NIRSpec Observations
The Astrophysical Journal, 992, 212 (2025)
Zihao Wu, Luis C. Ho
Detecting Intermediate-mass Black Holes Using Quasar Microlensing
The Astrophysical Journal, 985, 2 (2025)
Zihao Wu, Luis C. Ho, Ming-Yang Zhuang
An Elusive Population of Massive Disk Galaxies Hosting Double-lobed Radio-loud AGNs
The Astrophysical Journal, 941, 95 (2022)
J. Helton, G. Rieke, S. Alberts, Z. Wu, D. Eisenstein, et al.
JWST/MIRI Photometric Detection at 7.7 μm of the Stellar Continuum and Nebular Emission in a Galaxy at z > 14
Nature Astronomy, 1–12 (2025)