Adrianne Slyz joined New College in 2006. She lectures calculus and gives tutorials in mathematical methods, thermodynamics and astrophysics. In her research she performs computer simulations of chunks of the expanding Universe to study the metamorphosis of gas to stars in galaxies from the cosmic dawn to the present. This involves resolving the processes crucial to galaxy formation and evolution: star formation, supernova explosions, supermassive black hole growth and jet production. The challenge is to tackle these issues while depicting in detail the cosmic web which nurtures galaxies on larger scales. Her current focus is to make sense of the high redshift Universe, the epoch when galaxies seem to be forming the bulk of their stars.