DN DEVESH NANDAL STELLAR PHYSICS · EARLY UNIVERSE
STARS AT THE COSMIC DAWN

Understanding
the first stars.

Devesh Nandal is a Swiss National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, studying stellar evolution, the first stars, black hole formation, and their observable signatures in the early Universe.

Explore research View publications
01 Stellar evolution
02 First stars
03 JWST signatures
Portrait of Devesh Nandal
STELLAR PHYSICS
10,000 ly (light years)
42°22′ N 71°07′ W
CAMBRIDGE · MASSACHUSETTS
COSMIC DAWN ↗

SMSS J0313−6708

Mass~0.8 M☉

Distance6,000 ly

TypeK giant

R136a1

Mass~215 M☉

Distance163,000 ly

TypeWN5h

Eta Carinae

Mass~100 M☉

Distance7,500 ly

TypeLBV

HD 140283

Mass0.75 M☉

Distance200 ly

TypeG0 IV–V

Betelgeuse

Mass~15 M☉

Distance~640 ly

TypeM1–2 Ia–ab

Sirius A

Mass2.06 M☉

Distance8.6 ly

TypeA1 V

Proxima Centauri

Mass~0.12 M☉

Distance4.25 ly

TypeM5.5 Ve

Rigel

Mass~20 M☉

Distance~860 ly

TypeB8 Ia

WR 102

Mass~16 M☉

Distance~9,500 ly

TypeWO2

01
A SCIENTIFIC VIEW

From stellar interiors
to the cosmic dawn.

Explore the research

His research develops next generation stellar evolution models across extreme stellar masses, with a focus on rotation, angular momentum transport, accretion, mass loss and advanced evolution. These models connect the physics of the first stars to chemical enrichment, black hole formation, and signatures observable with JWST.

  • 01 Stellar evolution
  • 02 First stars
  • 03 JWST signatures
02 · RESEARCH

Physics that reaches
back to the first stars.

Four connected research themes spanning stellar evolution, the first stars, dark matter and the observable signatures of the early Universe.

JWST's Little Red Dots
01

JWST's Little Red Dots

Testing whether primordial supermassive stars can reproduce the spectra, luminosities and compact gas structures of JWST's enigmatic Little Red Dots.

Read the CfA feature
Massive & Supermassive Stars
02

Massive & Supermassive Stars

How supermassive stars form, grow and evolve through accretion, rotation, collisions and mass loss before producing massive black hole seeds.

Explore the models
Population III Stellar Evolution
03

Population III Stellar Evolution

Rotating metal-free stars across 5 to 200 solar masses, followed through advanced burning to connect internal transport, final fates and nucleosynthetic yields.

View the Pop III grid
Chemical Fingerprints of the First Stars
04

Chemical Fingerprints of the First Stars

Using nitrogen, carbon, oxygen and neon abundances in high-redshift galaxies to identify the stellar populations that enriched the early Universe.

See the GS 3073 result
THE BIG PICTURE
Connecting the physics of the first stars to the chemical, radiative and black hole signatures now emerging from the early Universe.
03 · PUBLICATIONS

Research in the
scientific record.

All publications ↗
01
STELLAR EVOLUTION

Research on massive and supermassive stellar models

 01
EARLY UNIVERSE

Population III stars and observable chemical fossils

 01
OBSERVATIONAL ASTROPHYSICS

Non-LTE stellar atmospheres and spectroscopic signatures
STELLAR MODELS · COSMIC QUESTIONS

SUMER

Stellar evolution,
in focus.

Explore stellar evolution through graphs, model comparisons and visual research notes, from the lives of massive stars to the early universe.

A closer look at the models

STELLAR EVOLUTION

A star's changing luminosity

A visual sketch of how a model star's luminosity can evolve over time.

Illustrative luminosity graph rising from 1 at Start to 3.2 at Stage 6.
Illustrative example data, normalized for display; not a measured stellar track.
MODEL COMPARISON

Comparing stellar model lifetimes

Compare relative lifetimes across a set of example stellar models.

Illustrative lifetime bar graph: Model A 10, B 7.4, C 5.5, D 3.6 and E 2.4.
Illustrative example data; model names and values do not represent published research results.
THE MEDIA OBSERVATORY

Beyond the Research.

Conversations, lectures, interviews and explorations of the cosmos.

Lecture

Webb: Revealing the First Galaxies

The James Webb Space Telescope mission team explains how Webb looks back at the earliest galaxies.

Watch on YouTube ↗
Lecture

Research Talks

Public astronomy explainers from NASA and the Webb mission team.

Webb: Revealing the First Galaxies

The James Webb Space Telescope mission team explains how Webb looks back at the earliest galaxies.

Watch on YouTube ↗

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope — Official Mission Trailer

NASA introduces the observatory exploring stars, distant galaxies and the early universe.

Watch on YouTube ↗
Video

Webb & Cosmic Dawn

Explore the telescope revealing the earliest chapters of cosmic history.

Documents

Papers & Notes

Open research reviews on the first stars and black-hole seeds.

PDF

Formation of the First Stars

Volker Bromm's research review of primordial star formation and Population III stellar systems.

Read document ↗
PDF

Formation of the first stars and black holes

A research review by Lionel Haemmerle and collaborators on cosmic dawn, the first stellar populations and early black-hole seeds.

Read document ↗
Journey image THE COSMIC SCALE
04 · JOURNEY

A career shaped
by curiosity.

NOW

Harvard & Smithsonian

Swiss National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow · Center for Astrophysics.

RESEARCH

Stellar evolution → early universe

Building physical models and connecting predictions to distant observations.

FOCUS

First stars & black-hole seeds

Exploring how the earliest massive stars may have shaped cosmic history.

05 · CONTACT

Let's explore
the unknown.

For research conversations, collaborations, seminars and scientific opportunities.

  • Research Collaboration
  • Seminar Invitations
  • Academic Opportunities
GET IN TOUCH

Feel free to reach out for collaborations, discussions or any research related queries.

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