Olá!

I am Alice Deconto-Machado. I was born in Santa Maria, Brazil, and I am fascinated by galaxies and the physical processes that shape them across cosmic time. I am currently a Juan de la Cierva postdoctoral researcher at the Institut de Ciències de l’Espai (ICE-CSIC), in Barcelona, Spain, where I study how galaxies and the black holes at their centres evolve together. Currently, my research focuses mainly on quasars and their powerful winds, which offer us a unique view of how supermassive black holes grow and how their activity can influence their host galaxies.

Welcome and feel free to get in touch!

List of publications on NASA ADS

ORCID

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Education

**My PhD thesis, titled “The Quasar Main Sequence at Early Cosmic Epochs,” was awarded the III Prize for Outstanding PhD Thesis by CSIC in 2025.

2020-2024

Ph.D. in Physics and Mathematics (cum laude)

Universidad de Granada & Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (IAA-CSIC)

Granada, Spain

2018-2019

M.Sc. in Physics

Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM)

Santa Maria, Brazil

2014-2017

Bachelor in Physics

Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM)

Santa Maria, Brazil

Experience

Throughout my career, I have published 24+ refereed papers, including 4 as first author, with additional work currently in preparation. I have been awarded approximately 40 hours of competitive observing time as Principal Investigator at leading facilities, and I am involved in collaborative projects using data from many different telescopes. I also contribute to the broader astronomical community through peer review for several international journals, ESO and LBT observing-proposal reviews, PhD thesis committee service, undergraduate supervision, and the organisation of scientific meetings.

2026-present

Juan de la Cierva Postdoctoral Researcher

Institut de Ciències de l'Espai

Barcelona, Spain

2024-2026

INAF Guest Observer Postdoctoral Fellow

Instituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica cosmica Milano (IASF-INAF)

Milan, Italy

2020-2023

INPhINIT - "La Caixa" Doctoral Fellow

IAA-CSIC

Granada, Spain

Research Interests

My research focuses on the physics of active galactic nuclei (AGN), with particular emphasis on quasar accretion processes, the structure of the BLR, and the role of powerful outflows in galaxy evolution. I investigate the origin, physical conditions, and variability of high-velocity winds in luminous quasars, using multi-wavelength spectroscopic observations from ground-based facilities and large surveys. My work combines detailed spectral analysis, emission and absorption line modelling, and photoionization simulations to probe the connection between SMBH growth, accretion physics, and AGN feedback across cosmic time. I am particularly interested in understanding how quasar winds are launched, how they evolve, and how they influence the co-evolution of galaxies and their central BH.

First-author publications

Exploring the links between quasar winds and radio emission along the Main Sequence at high redshift

A. Deconto-Machado, A. del Olmo, and P. Marziani (2024)

A&A, 691, A15

High-redshift quasars along the Main Sequence

A. Deconto-Machado, A. del Olmo, P. Marziani, et al. (2023)

A&A, 669, A83

Ionised gas kinematics in MaNGA AGN. Extents of the narrow line and kinematically disturbed regions

A. Deconto-Machado, R. A. Riffel, S. B. Rembold, et al. (2022)

A&A, 659, A131

Optical and UV properties of a radio-loud and a radio-quiet Population A quasar at high redshift

A. Deconto-Machado, A. del Olmo, P. Marziani, et al. (2022)

Astronomische Nachrichten, 343, 1-2, e210084

Check my publications on ADS!

Attended conferences

Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to share my work at more than 20 international conferences around the world, including five invited talks and seminars, twelve oral presentations, and ten poster presentations. Each conference has been a great opportunity to meet fellow researchers, exchange ideas, and learn from the amazing astronomy community.

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