Galaxies are not closed boxes. Rather, they are intimately linked to large reservoirs of gas surrounding them within their host dark matter halos (the circumgalactic medium, CGM), or outside the halos (the intergalactic medium, IGM). These shape galaxy evolution through cycles of gas accretion, star-formation, galactic outflows and reaccretion, known as the cosmic baryon cycle. A detailed understanding of the physical properties of the C/IGM is thus crucial for understanding galaxy evolution. At high redshift, z~(1-6) near the peak of galaxy formation, the baryon cycle is far more intense than in the local Universe. The growth of large-scale structure triggers thermal instabilities and creates a multiphase IGM. Cold streams of dense gas flowing along cosmic web filaments penetrate the hot CGM, filling the halo with Lyman alpha emission and potentially leading to globular cluster formation. Intense accretion triggers violent disk instability (VDI) in galactic disks, resulting in the formation of giant clumps and intense starbursts.
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My research addresses multiple aspects of this cycle, combining analytical models, idealized simulations, and fully cosmological simulations. 
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My full publications list can be found in the link above as well as in my CV.
Below I briefly describe some of my work.
 
Resolving the CGM and the IGM in Cosmological Simulations
Stability of Cold Flows
Formation of Globular Clusters
The Origin of VDI
Lifetime and Evolution of Giant Clumps
The AGORA Collaboration
The VELA Simulation Suite
Links to my talks on YouTube
 

This is just a brief sample of my work. To see more or discuss possible collaborations, email me at nir_mandelker -at- ucsb.edu