Daisy S. Bissonette

PhD Candidate in Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Chicago

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Eckhardt Research Center

5640 S Ellis Ave,

Chicago, IL 60637

Originally from Upstate New York, I am a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Chicago, advised by Prof. Alexander Ji. I completed my A.B. in Astrophysical Sciences with honors at Princeton University in 2023.

My research focuses on measuring stellar metallicities in the faintest known dwarf galaxies using low-to-medium resolution spectroscopy, with the goal of understanding the earliest phases of galaxy formation and chemical enrichment.

Outside of research, I love kayaking, running, and watercolor painting.

news

Oct 21, 2025 Website in progress.

selected publications

  1. The Metallicity Distribution of the Ultra-Faint Dwarf Galaxy Segue 1
    Daisy Bissonette, Alexander P. Ji, Joshua D. Simon, and 6 more authors
    arXiv e-prints, May 2026
    DOI
  2. No Observational Evidence for Dark Matter Nor a Large Metallicity Spread in the Extreme Milky Way Satellite Ursa Major III/UNIONS 1
    William Cerny, Daisy Bissonette, Alexander P. Ji, and 9 more authors
    The Astrophysical Journal Letters, Mar 2026
    DOI
  3. A Chemodynamical Census of the Milky Way’s Ultra-Faint Compact Satellites. I. A First Population-Level Look at the Internal Kinematics and Metallicities of 19 Extremely-Low-Mass Halo Stellar Systems
    William Cerny, Ting S. Li, Andrew B. Pace, and 13 more authors
    arXiv e-prints, Feb 2026
    DOI