Robert Reischke

Postdoctoral Fellow · Argelander Institute for Astronomy, University of Bonn

My research centres on extracting cosmological information from large-scale structure observables, with a particular focus on weak gravitational lensing and Fast Radio Bursts. I develop and apply statistical frameworks to map the distribution of matter and baryons in the Universe, test extensions of the standard cosmological model, and calibrate astrophysical processes — in particular baryonic feedback — that otherwise bias cosmological inference.

weak gravitational lensing fast radio bursts baryonic feedback statistical inference large-scale structure Bayesian methods covariance modelling modified gravity

Research Interests

Weak Gravitational Lensing

Mass along the line of sight deflects light from distant galaxies, coherently distorting their observed shapes. The resulting signal — cosmic shear — provides a direct probe of the projected matter distribution, sensitive to the growth of structure and the geometry of space-time. My work spans covariance modelling, higher-order statistics, photometric redshift systematics, and tests of modified gravity. I lead the covariance team within Rubin-LSST DESC and contribute to the Euclid covariance matrix.

Fast Radio Bursts as Cosmological Probes

Fast Radio Bursts are millisecond-duration radio transients observable at cosmological distances. Their pulses are dispersed by intervening ionised gas, imprinting a dispersion measure proportional to the integrated electron column density along each line of sight — making FRBs a direct tracer of the cosmic baryon distribution. I develop statistical frameworks to constrain the Hubble constant, test the equivalence principle, probe primordial non-Gaussianity, and measure baryonic feedback from FRB samples.

Baryonic Feedback

Energetic astrophysical processes — AGN feedback, supernovae, stellar winds — expel baryons from haloes, suppressing the matter power spectrum on small scales and introducing a significant systematic for weak lensing cosmology. Disentangling baryonic effects from the cosmological signal requires direct tracers of the baryon distribution. Using FRBs and weak lensing jointly, I demonstrated the first direct measurement of baryonic feedback with FRBs, rejecting no-feedback scenarios at greater than 3σ.

Statistical & Inference Methods

I have a broad interest in statistical inference, machine learning, and information theory. This spans simulation-based inference, functional derivative techniques, and information geometry — the differential-geometric study of parametric families of probability distributions — and their applications to cosmological parameter estimation and experimental design. I develop these tools both to answer specific cosmological questions and as methods research in their own right.

Surveys & Collaborations

KiDS — Kilo-Degree Survey

The Kilo-Degree Survey is a wide-field optical imaging survey designed to map cosmic shear across 1350 square degrees. For the KiDS-Legacy final analysis, I developed the end-to-end covariance model, publicly released as OneCovariance, and led analyses constraining dark energy, neutrino mass, spatial curvature, and modifications of gravity.

Euclid & Rubin-LSST

Euclid and the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) will each observe several billion galaxies, representing a step-change in statistical precision over current surveys. I lead the covariance team within the LSST Dark Energy Science Collaboration and contribute to the Euclid covariance matrix, extending the methods developed for KiDS to these next-generation datasets.

SKA — Square Kilometre Array

The Square Kilometre Array Observatory will detect FRBs at a rate orders of magnitude beyond current facilities. I co-lead the FRB science working group within the SKA cosmology community, developing forecasts and statistical frameworks for extracting constraints on the baryon distribution, the Hubble constant, and fundamental physics from the anticipated SKA FRB samples.

Selected Publications

Leading-author papers. Full list on arXiv and ORCID.

Recent Preprints

Student Publications

Papers led by students I supervised or co-supervised. See also the Students page.

Software

All public repositories are available on GitHub.

Selected codes

Contributions to external codes