Yue Shen

About

Professor Yue Shen is an extragalactic observer specializing in observational cosmology with a focus on quasars and supermassive black holes (SMBHs). His research aims to understand the physics and evolution of these exotic objects within the cosmological context. Specifically, Professor Shen investigates the large-scale structure traced by quasars, the demography of SMBHs as a function of cosmic time, the phenomenology and physics of black hole accretion, and the co-evolution of black holes and their host galaxies. He utilizes multi-wavelength survey data and dedicated observing programs to conduct his studies. Professor Shen holds a PhD in Astronomy from Princeton University, awarded in 2009. He is a faculty member in the Astronomy department and is also affiliated with the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) at the University of Illinois. His teaching includes courses such as ASTR 122 - Stars and Galaxies and ASTR 596 - Seminar in Special Topics. Over his career, Professor Shen has been recognized with several prestigious fellowships, including the Clay Fellowship, Hubble Fellowship, Sloan Research Fellowship, and Scialog Fellowship.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Astrophysics
• Physics
• Astronomy
• Operating system
• Chemistry
• Database

Selected publications

• The Seventeenth Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Surveys: Complete Release of MaNGA, MaStar, and APOGEE-2 Data

  The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series · 2022 · 1188 citations

  This paper documents the seventeenth data release (DR17) from the Sloan Digital Sky Surveys; the fifth and final release from the fourth phase (SDSS-IV). DR17 contains the complete release of the Mapping Nearby Galaxies at Apache Point Observatory (MaNGA) survey, which reached its goal of surveying over 10,000 nearby galaxies. The complete release of the MaNGA Stellar Library accompanies this data, providing observations of almost 30,000 stars through the MaNGA instrument during bright time. DR1…

  DOI

• The Eighteenth Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Surveys: Targeting and First Spectra from SDSS-V

  The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series · 2023 · 249 citations

  Abstract The eighteenth data release (DR18) of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) is the first one for SDSS-V, the fifth generation of the survey. SDSS-V comprises three primary scientific programs or “Mappers”: the Milky Way Mapper (MWM), the Black Hole Mapper (BHM), and the Local Volume Mapper. This data release contains extensive targeting information for the two multiobject spectroscopy programs (MWM and BHM), including input catalogs and selection functions for their numerous scientific ob…

  DOI

• Active Galactic Nuclei and Host Galaxies in COSMOS-Web. II. First Look At the Kiloparsec-scale Dual and Offset AGN Population

  The Astrophysical Journal · 2025-06-10 · 7 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Kiloparsec-scale dual and offset active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are signposts of accreting supermassive black holes (SMBHs) triggered during late-stage galaxy mergers, offering crucial insights into the coevolution of SMBHs and galaxies. However, robustly confirmed systems at high redshift (e.g., z > 1) are scarce and biased toward the most luminous and unobscured systems. In this study, we systematically search for kiloparsec-scale (projected separation <15 kpc) dual and offset AG…

  PublisherDOI

• Varstrometry for Off-nucleus and Dual Sub-Kpc AGN (VODKA): A Mix of Singles, Lenses, and True Duals at Cosmic Noon

  The Astrophysical Journal · 2025-08-07 · 7 citations

  articleOpen accessCorresponding

  Abstract Dual active galactic nuclei (AGNs), a phase in some galaxy mergers during which both central supermassive black holes (SMBHs) are active, are expected to be a key observable stage leading up to SMBH mergers. Constraining the population of dual AGNs in both the nearby and high- z Universe has proven to be elusive until very recently. We present a multiwavelength follow-up campaign to confirm the nature of a sample of 20 candidate dual AGNs at cosmic noon ( z ∼ 2) from the VODKA sample. T…

  PublisherDOI

• The SDSS-V Black Hole Mapper Reverberation Mapping Project: Multiline Dynamical Modeling of a Highly Variable Active Galactic Nucleus with Decade-long Light Curves

  The Astrophysical Journal · 2025-09-30 · 4 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract We present dynamical modeling of the broad-line region (BLR) of the highly variable active galactic nucleus (AGN) SDSS J141041.25+531849.0 ( z = 0.359) using photometric and spectroscopic monitoring data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Reverberation Mapping project and the current fifth-generation SDSS Black Hole Mapper program, spanning from early 2013 to early 2023. We model the geometry and kinematics of the BLR in the H β , H α , and Mg ii emission lines for three different…

  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• The Growth of Supermassive Black Holes and Their Co-evolution with Galaxies since Cosmic Dawn

  NSF · $445k · 2017–2021

• Varstrometry for Off-nucleus and Dual (sub)Kpc Active Galactic Nuclei

  NSF · $402k · 2021–2025

• Collaborative Research: Reverberation Mapping with Multi-Object Spectroscopy - from Sloan Digital Sky Survey Reverberation Mapping to the Black Hole Mapper

  NSF · $264k · 2020–2026

Frequent coauthors

• Xin Liu

  209 shared

• Donald P. Schneider

  208 shared

• Luis C. Ho

  Peking University

  173 shared

• Patrick B. Hall

  162 shared

• Linhua Jiang

  148 shared

• W. N. Brandt

  Pennsylvania State University

  147 shared

• Michael A. Strauss

  Princeton University

  142 shared

• Patrick Petitjean

  Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris

  118 shared

Labs

• Compact ObjectsPI

Similar researchers at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

• Felipe Menanteauh-101
• Joaquin Vieirah-86
• Paul Rickerh-82