Nazar Budaiev
Postdoctoral Associate, University of Florida
I am a postdoctoral associate at the University of Florida. My research interests lie broadly in star formation on all scales. I use radio and infrared telescopes that excel at peering into the center of our Galaxy.
I currently work with Prof. Adam Ginsburg on the JWST large program to cover the center of our Galaxy.
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Research
Peering into Sgr B2 with JWST
Despite the high extinction towards the center of the Galaxy, JWST can probe deep inside massive star-forming clouds. Our JWST program 5365 observed Sagittarius B2 with NIRCam and MIRI. The striking cloud morphology, absence of YSOs, and leaking radiation raised more questions than they answered.
Cataloging H₂O Masers in Sgr B2
Sagittarius B2 is the most massive molecular cloud with the highest star formation rate in the Galactic center. We found 500 water masers in the cloud and for the first time determined their nature based on high-resolution multiwavelength observations.
ACES: The ALMA CMZ Exploration Survey
ACES is a large program mapping the inner 100 parsecs of the CMZ, designed to fill gaps in current maps of Galactic center star formation. I am part of the data reduction and fundamental measurements teams for the largest ALMA mosaic so far. In early 2026, the survey released its first series of five papers covering the survey overview, continuum images, and three sets of spectral line data products.
High Mass Star Formation in Sgr B2
Using 500 AU resolution ALMA 1 mm and 3 mm continuum data, we surveyed protostellar cores in Sgr B2. We detected 410 individual sources, most consistent with Stage 0/I YSOs that are warmer, larger, and denser than in the rest of the Galaxy.
A 6 GHz Continuum Map of the Inner Galactic Plane
I spent a summer at the Green Bank Observatory working on a 4–8 GHz continuum map of the inner Galactic plane using data from the GBT Diffuse Ionized Gas Survey (GDIGS), studying the relationship between diffuse ionized gas and HII regions.
Characterizing the GBT Autocorrelation Spectrometer
Using Radio Recombination Lines of four Galactic HII regions I estimated the intensity level at which RRL measurements become unreliable (~2 mK). Some code contributed to figures in observations of ³He⁺ in Planetary Nebulae (Bania & Balser, 2020).
Teaching
University of Florida
- Spring 2021: Graduate Student Instructor for AST1022: Astronomy Laboratory.
- Fall 2020: Graduate Student Instructor for AST1022: Astronomy Laboratory.
Boston University
- Spring 2020: Teaching Assistant for AS312: Stellar and Galactic Astrophysics (IDL-heavy course).
- Fall 2018 – Spring 2020: Teaching Assistant for Project Accelerate, teaching the lab section of AP Physics for underserved minorities. I created review sheets to help students prepare for the exam.
- Fall 2017 – Spring 2018: Learning Assistant for Introductory Physics courses.
- Summer 2016: Designed and led an olympiad mathematics course for 8th graders.
AstroSandbox & Ukrainian outreach. I write and conduct webinars for AstroSandbox, an organization preparing Ukrainian students for astronomy olympiads. See our YouTube channel: Python in Astronomy, Astronomical Image Processing, Multiwavelength Astronomy, Radio Astronomy, Telescope Proposals, Imposter Syndrome.
Interests
I love any combination of bread and melted cheese, so I make (and eat) a lot of pizza.
I also like to travel. Here is where I have been: