Profile | Directory | Utah Valley University

Faculty Member

Dr. Joe Jensen

Email: [email protected]
Office: 207
Phone: 801-863-8666
Mail Stop: 179
https://appointments.uvu.edu/josephjensen

Biography

Dr. Jensen received his B.S. from Caltech and his Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of Hawaii. Before joining UVU, he worked for 12 years at the international Gemini Observatory. Dr. Jensen is an infrared observational astronomer who studies the stellar populations of galaxies and the extragalactic distance scale.

Education

PhD, University of Hawaii, 1997

Major: Astronomy

MS, University of Hawaii, 1995

Major: Astronomy

BS, California Institute of Technology, 1992

Major: Astronomy

Teaching

PHYS 489R

Undergraduate Research in Physics, Summer 2024

PHYS 3120

Modern Physics II, Spring 2024

PHYS 490R

Seminar, Spring 2024

PHYS 489R

Undergraduate Research in Physics, Spring 2024

Presentations

Jensen, Joseph (Presenter Only), Bruno@65 and the Hubble constant @?, "An Update on the Hubble Constant from Surface Brightness Fluctuations", European Southern Observatory, Garching, Munich, Germany. (April 8, 2025)

Jensen, Joseph (Presenter Only), An Extraordinary Journey Into The Transient Sky, "Calibrating Type Ia Supernovae using Surface Brightness Fluctuations", INAF, University of Padova, Padova, Italy. (April 3, 2025)

Jensen, Joseph (Panelist), ISSI workshop on the Hubble Constant, "The TRGB-SBF Project_ Addressing the Hubble tension with a distance ladder independent of Cepheids", ISSI, Bern, Switzerland. (March 25, 2025)

Jensen, Joseph (Presenter Only), AAS January 2025, "The TRGB-SBF Project_ Addressing the Hubble tension with a distance ladder independent of Cepheids", American Astronomical Society, National Harbor, Maryland. (January 15, 2025)

Jensen, Joseph (Presenter Only), APS Four Corners Section meeting, "Crisis in Cosmology_ Addressing the ‘Hubble tension’ with JWST", American Physical Society, Flagstaff, Arizona. (October 12, 2024)

Jensen, Joseph (Presenter Only), Steward Observatory + NOIRLab joint colloquium, "Crisis in Cosmology_ Addressing the ‘Hubble tension’ with JWST", University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona. (October 10, 2024)

Scholarly/Creative Works

Di Valentino, Elanora , Jensen, Joseph , ~500 coauthors, Array , "The CosmoVerse White Paper_ Addressing observational tensions in cosmology with systematics and fundamental physics" . https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.01669

Anand, Gagandeep , Jensen, Joseph , 10 other coauthors, Array , (2025) "The TRGB–SBF Project. II. Resolving the Virgo Cluster with JWST" (Issue: 1, vol. 982). USA: Astrophysical Journal. https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/adb399

Jensen, Joseph , Cowles, Mikaela , 6 other coauthors, Array , "The TRGB-SBF Project. III. Refining the HST Surface Brightness Fluctuation Distance Scale Calibration with JWST" . USA: American Astronomical Society. https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.15935

Anand, Gagandeep , Jensen, Joseph , 8 other coauthors, Array , (2024) "The TRGB-SBF Project. I. A Tip of the Red Giant Branch Distance to the Fornax Cluster with JWST" (Issue: 2, vol. 973). USA: Astrophysical Journal. DOI 10.3847/1538-4357/ad64c7

Cowles, Mikaela , Jensen, Joseph B, Tully, R Brent, Blakeslee, John P, Kourkchi, Ehsan , (2024) "Building a Better Surface Brightness Fluctuation Distance Ladder with HST and JWST" (Issue: 243.40712, vol. Vol. 56, No. 2 e-id 2024n2i407p12). USA: American Astronomical Society.

Tully, R. Brent, Kourkchi, Ehsan , Courtois, H\'el\`ene M., Array , Anand, Gagandeep S., Blakeslee, John P., Brout, Dillon , Jaeger, Thomas de, Dupuy, Alexandra , Guinet, Daniel , Howlett, Cullan , Jensen, Joe , Pomar\`ede, Daniel, Array , Rizzi, Luca , Rubin, David , Said, Khaled , Scolnic, Daniel , Stahl, Benjamin E., (2023) "Cosmicflows-4" (Issue: 1, vol. 944). Astrophysical Journal.

Awards

Dean's Award for Teaching

Utah Valley University - April, 2018

Faculty Excellence Award

Utah Valley University - April, 2013

ARCS Foundation Scholar

Achievement Rewards for College Scientists (ARCS)

Award for excellence in graduate studies and research.

Graduated with Honors

ASTR 1040

Elementary Astronomy PP, Spring 2012

Jensen, Joseph B (Presenter & Author), Building an Independent Distance Ladder for Early-Type Galaxies with HST, JWST, and ELT, "Building an Independent Distance Ladder for Early-Type Galaxies with HST, JWST, and ELT", , Thirty Meter Telescope, UCLA, Los Angeles, California. (December, 2023)

Jensen, Joseph B (Presenter & Author), The Extragalactic Distance Scale and Cosmic Expansion in the Era of Large Surveys and the James Webb Telescope, "Building an Independent Pop-II Distance Ladder Using Surface Brightness Fluctuations", , Max Planck Institute for Astro-, Particle, and Biophysics, Garching, Germany. (July, 2023)

Wood, Charlotte , Garnavich, Peter , Milne, Peter , Jensen, Joe , Blakeslee, John , Brown, Peter , Scolnic, Daniel , Rose, Benjamin , Brout, Dillon , (2023) "Surface Brightness Fluctuation Distances to Type Ia Supernovae_ Testing Supernova Systematics as a Solution to the Hubble Constant Tension" (vol. 55).

Cowles, Mikaela , Jensen, Joe , Kourkchi, Ehsan , Tully, R. , Blakeslee, John , (2023) "The First SNAP Surface Brightness Fluctuation Distances" (vol. 55).

Jensen, Joe , (2022) "ASP 2021_ Sharing Best Practices - AstronomyTeaching and Public Engagement" (vol. 533).

Cowles, Mikaela , Jensen, Joe , Kourkchi, Ehsan , Tully, R. , Blakeslee, John , (2022) "Surface Brightness Fluctuation Distances_ It's a SNAP!" (vol. 54).

Garnavich, Peter , Wood, Charlotte M., Milne, Peter , Jensen, Joe , Blakeslee, John P., Brown, Peter J., Scolnic, Daniel , Rose, Benjamin , Brout, Dillon , (2022) "Connecting Infrared Surface Brightness Fluctuation Distances to Type Ia Supernova Hosts_ Testing the Top Rung of the Distance Ladder" . arXiv e-prints.

Jensen, Joseph B, (2021) "Infrared Surface Brightness Fluctuation Distances for MASSIVE and Type Ia Supernova Host Galaxies" (vol. 255). Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series.

Blakeslee, John P, Jensen, Joseph B, (2021) "The Hubble Constant from Infrared Surface Brightness Fluctuation Distances" (vol. 911). Astrophysical Journal.

Nguyen, Dieu D., Jensen, Joseph B, (2020) "The MBHBM⋆ Project. I. Measurement of the Central Black Hole Mass in Spiral Galaxy NGC 3504 Using Molecular Gas Kinematics" (vol. 892). Astrophysical Journal.

Goullaud, Charles F., Jensen, Joseph B, (2018) "The MASSIVE Survey. IX. Photometric Analysis of 35 High-mass Early-type Galaxies with HST WFC3/IR" (vol. 856). Astrophysical Journal.

Cantiello, Michele , Jensen, Joseph B., Blakeslee, John P., (2018) "A Precise Distance to the Host Galaxy of the Binary Neutron Star Merger GW170817 Using Surface Brightness Fluctuations" (vol. 854). Astrophysical Journal.

Jensen, Joseph B, Blakeslee, John P., (2015) "Measuring Infrared Surface Brightness Fluctuation Distances with HST WFC3_ Calibration and Advice" (vol. 808). Astrophysical Journal.

Jensen, Joe , Armus, L. , Mzzarella, J.M. , Evans, A.S. , Surace, J.A. , Sanders, D.B. , Iwasawa, K. , Frayer, D.T. , Howell, J.H. , Chan, B. , Petric, A. , Vavilkin, T. , Kim, D.C. , Haan, S. , Inami, H. , Murphy, E.J. , Appleton, P.N. , Barnes, J.E. , Bothun, G. , Bridge, C.R. , Charmandaris, V , Kewley, L.J. , Lord, S. , Madore, B.F. , Marshall, J.A , Melbourne, J.E. , Rich, J. , Satyapal, S. , Shulz, B. , Spoon, H.W.W. , Sturm, E.U. , Veilleux, S. , Xu, K , (2009) "GOALS: The Great Observatories All-Sky LIRG Survey" . Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific.

Jensen, Joe , Kaspi, V.M. , Gavriil, F.P. , Woods, P.M. , Roberts, M.S.E , Chakrabarty, D. , (2003) "A Major SGR-like Outburst and Rotation Glitch in the No-Longer-So-Anomalous X-ray Pulsar 1E 2259+586" . Astrophysical Journal Letters.

Jensen, Joe , Tonry, J.L. , Barris, B.J. , Thompson, R.I. , Lui, M.C. , Rieke, M.J. , Ajhar, E.A. , Blakeslee, J.P. , (2003) "Measuring Distances and Probing Unresolved Stellar Populations of Galaxies Using Infrared Surface Brightness Fluctuations" (Issue: 583). Astrophysical Journal.

Hodapp, Klaus-Werner , Irwin, Everett M., Yamada, Hubert , Chung, Randall , Fletcher, Kent , Jensen, Joe , Mays, Wendy , Nolan, Robert , Simons, Douglas A., Aspin, Colin , Iye, Masanori , Moorwood, Alan F., (2003) "Gemini near-infrared imager (NIRI): a discussion of its design features and performance" (vol. 4841). SPIE. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.458026

Jensen, Joe , Tonry, J.L. , Thompson, R.I , Ajhar, E.A. , Lauer, T.R. , Rieke, M.J. , Postman, M. , Liu, M.C. , (2001) "The Infrared Surface Brightness Fluctuation Hubble Constant" (Issue: 550). Astrophysical Journal.

Jensen, Joe , Tonry, J.L. , Luppino, G.A. , (1998) "Infrared Surface Brightness Fluctuations in Virgo Cluster Elliptical Galaxies" . Astrophysical Journal.

Jensen, Joe , (1997) "Infrared Surface Brightness Fluctuations and the Extragalactic Distance Scale" . University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy .

Jensen, Joe , Ewell, M. , Zirin, H. , Bastain, T. , (1993) "Submillimeter Observations of the 11 July 1991 Total Solar Eclipse" . Astrophysical Journal.

Dr. Joe Jensen

Biography

Education

Teaching

PHYS 489R

PHYS 3120

PHYS 490R

PHYS 489R

Presentations

Scholarly/Creative Works

Awards

Dean's Award for Teaching

Faculty Excellence Award

ARCS Foundation Scholar

Graduated with Honors

ASTR 104H

PHYS 490R

PHYS 3120

ASTR 4350

PHYS 490R

PHYS 3110

PHYS 490R

PHYS 3120

PHYS 490R

ASTR 1040

PHYS 3110

PHYS 490R

ASTR 1040

PHYS 3120

ASTR 1040

ASTR 3060

ASTR 1040

PHYS 3120

ASTR 3060

ASTR 1040

Student

Employees

Community

Utility

Utah Valley University