Dr. Sally Oey

Professor

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Biography

Sally Oey studies the effects of massive stars on their host galaxies. Her research programs investigate runaway stars ejected from star clusters and the dynamics of tight binary systems. Oey's group characterizes the types of massive binary populations and explores the progenitors of gravitational wave events and gamma-ray bursters. A significant aspect of her work focuses on understanding how massive stars influence their environments, particularly in the context of the youngest and densest super star clusters. Oey is especially interested in the escape of ultraviolet ionizing radiation from systems associated with starburst galaxies and believes these processes illuminate the history of the cosmos. Notable achievements of Oey's team include determining that massive stars in star clusters often become runaways due to unstable orbital motions, supernova explosions, or interactions in binary systems. They have also discovered that 5% of field stars form in relative isolation and have found direct observational evidence that extremely young super star clusters lack strong superwinds, suggesting that radiation feedback dominates environmental effects over mechanical energy.

Research Interests

Experience

Postdoctoral Fellow

— Present

Institute of Astronomy/Cambridge, UK • Cambridge, UK

Institute Fellow

— Present

Space Telescope Science Institute/Baltimore, MD • Baltimore, MD

Staff Astronomer

— Present

Lowell Observatory/Flagstaff, AZ • Flagstaff, AZ

Requirements for University of Michigan

Master Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3.5
TOEFL
Total
Required:84
GRE General
Verbal
Required:155
Verbal Percentile
Required:50
Quantitative
Required:168
Quantitative Percentile
Required:50
Analytical Writing
Required:3.6
Writing Percentile
Required:50
Prerequisites
Bachelor degree in engineering, physics, or mathematics Calculus Physics
Application Checklist
  • Rackham Graduate School Application
  • Official Transcripts
  • 3 Letters of Recommendation
  • Academic Statement of Purpose
  • Personal Statement
  • CV/Resume
Specialization Notes

Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science