Dr. Kulkarni and her group work primarily on extragalactic astrophysics, especially the diffuse
gaseous matter in and around galaxies. They also work on dust grains in nearby as well as
distant galaxies to explore the evolution of dust on cosmic time scales and the influence of that
on observed properties of the distant universe. In addition, Dr. Kulkarni and her collaborators
work on improving the atomic physics data needed for astrophysical spectroscopy. The overall
goal of her group’s research is to better understand the chemical and structural evolution of
galaxies, the evolution of the chemical elements, and the implications for cosmology. Their
observational work is carried out primarily with optical, infrared, and ultraviolet instruments on
ground-based and space-based telescopes, such as the Gemini and Keck telescopes in Hawaii,
the Very Large Telescope and Magellan telescopes in Chile, the Hubble Space Telescope, and
the Spitzer Space Telescope.