Two of the key science goals of JWST are to identify "First Light in the Universe" and to understand how the first galaxies assembled into the mature systems we see today. After five years of observations, JWST has revealed that galaxies grow surprisingly luminous, massive, and chemically enriched remarkably early, mirrored by the apparently early formation and rapid growth of supermassive black holes. However, several key questions remain unanswered, leaving these major goals of the JWST mission unfulfilled. The existence of luminous galaxies at z > 13 strongly implies that fainter progenitors must already be in place at earlier epochs.
- When and how do the earliest galaxies first emerge from the cosmic dark ages, and what governs their star formation?
- Can we identify primordial Population III stars during their lives or their explosive deaths?
- When and how do the first massive black holes form, and what is their connection to the mysterious population of Little Red Dots?
- When do the scaling relations that encode the physics that regulates galaxy evolution first come into place, and how do they evolve across the first few billion years?
Only JWST can answer these questions, but it requires an ambitious survey combining ultradeep imaging to discover the earliest and lowest-mass galaxies, and medium-resolution spectroscopy to measure galaxy physical properties, characterize black holes, and confirm redshifts. Critically, such a survey must contain statistically robust and uniformly selected samples to enable rigorous comparisons with theoretical models. These goals can only be achieved through a coordinated, ambitious very-large program — one requiring up to 10% of JWST's annual allocation over multiple cycles, well beyond what the standard time allocation process can accommodate. Such a dataset will serve as a lasting archival legacy for the extragalactic community long after the lifetime of JWST, with a generational impact approaching or surpassing that of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey.
Historically, space telescopes have accommodated such large efforts via either Director's Discretionary Time or Multi-Cycle Treasury programs. Inspired by the unified effort of the exoplanet community that yielded the Rocky Worlds DDT program, we aim for the galaxy formation community to come together in a similar fashion. Our goal is to develop a unified, broadly endorsed foundational community white paper making the scientific case for such a program, supported by a series of companion white papers covering the full breadth of relevant science. These documents will demonstrate that our field can come together to achieve these ambitious goals. To that end, we are launching the Genesis Initiative.
Why "Genesis"? The questions we seek to answer — when the first galaxies emerged from the cosmic dark ages, how the first massive black holes formed, how the heavy elements necessary for life were forged in the first stars — together mark the genesis of our own Milky Way, and of the conditions that made life possible.
How to Get Involved
The Genesis Initiative aims to engage the entire community to develop a series of cohesive white papers, with the ultimate goal of convincing STScI to develop an extensive galaxy-evolution-focused DDT program. While community inclusivity is a key tenet of this process, a smaller group is necessary to kickstart rapid progress. Therefore, the conveners of this initiative (serving as an organizational steering committee) have assembled a small group of Community Representatives — a strategic cross-section of the international galaxy formation and evolution community — each tasked with gathering input from and reporting back to their broader collaborations and institutions, to draft an initial foundational white paper on behalf of the community.
All community members are invited to sign up to comment on and sign this white paper, which will serve as a broad community document making the scientific case for such a program, and demonstrating that it cannot be achieved through the standard TAC process. Any co-signer may then write companion white papers focusing on specific science cases or technical details, each linked to our broader initiative to strengthen the collective case. We will provide organizational support for these white papers, including maintaining a public list of planned papers, and scheduling regular community telecons where companion white paper teams can present their ideas, receive feedback, and identify opportunities to consolidate overlapping efforts. We will also provide title branding and document templates such that our community presents a unified front to STScI. All interested members of the community are encouraged to sign up to participate.
Participating is low-risk: co-signing takes minutes. Writing a companion white paper is optional, and requires no commitment beyond the science you are already motivated to pursue. The potential reward — a community-driven very large JWST program addressing our field's highest priorities — is enormous.