I will discuss new results on investigating the process by which galaxies are assembling in the early universe. This includes investigations of the stellar mass and star formation evolution of galaxies and the first determination of the stellar mass function at z = 9. I will also discuss new observations of the merger history of galaxies up to z=6, and how with these results we are now able to determine what role mergers have had in galaxy formation at the earliest times. I will furthermore discuss the implications of these results for other areas of astrophysics, including: cosmological predictions, future gravitational wave detections with LISA, as well as if there is a 'star formation catastrophe' at the earliest times in the universe.
