DUSTYGAL · The formation of massive galaxies: the roles of dust-obscured starbursts and AGN activity

I propose an integrated programme to determine the role of dust-obscured starburst activity and AGN growth in the formation and evolution of galaxies. This programme will exploit three, new cutting-edge observational facilities: the SCUBA-2 submillimetre camera, which will provide the first panoramic surveys of luminous, but highly obscured, sources out to the highest redshifts; the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA), which will provide sub-kpc imaging of the distribution of dust and gas within these sources to understand the physics of their activity; the e-MERLIN radio telescope, which will map the distribution of star formation and AGN activity at sub-kpc scales in these systems. I lead major international surveys on all three facilities and I propose to develop and combine these projects to provide a single focused programme to understand the processes which trigger obscured activity at high redshifts and their role in determining the properties of galaxies at the present day.