Research
I collect and analyze data on hundreds of exploding stars (supernovae), studying them at a population level. I mainly use the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) in Chile as part of the Young Supernova Experiment. In particular, I focus on getting data and detecting them as early as possible to enable followup with other instruments like other non-survey telescopes and spectrometers
These supernovae can tell us many things about our universe, from how fast it's expanding to how many of the elements critical for life (like iron, oxygen, sulfer, and phosphorus) are produced in the abundances that we see in the universe today. There are many open questions about how the universe got to be the way it is today and probing some of the most energetic processes in the universe has the potential to answer some of them.
Research Areas
Supernovae
I study the brightest explosions in the universe, the ones that create many of the elements we need for life as well as tell us about the very history of the universe we live in.
Data Science
I'm an LSST-DA Data Science Fellow specializing in the study of large populations of supernovae. By studying these at a population level, we can answer questions like "How vast is the universe expanding?" and "How did the elements past Carbon get to the abundances we see them at today?"
High Performance Computing
I work with extreme amounts of raw image data, well over 100TB. To process this, I use the Illinois Campus Cluster and am a member of the Center for Astrophysical Surveys at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications
Current Projects
Interesting Transients
When you have data on hundreds of transients, some of these are rare or peculiar and push the limits of our knowledge about the universe around us. Learning about these oddballs allows us to better understad why our universe is the way it is today.
Preparing for Rubin
When the Vera Rubin Observatory turns on, it will usher a new wave of transient discovery. Survey telescopes like DECam will be tasked with helping with preparing and calibrating Rubin. By observing the planned Deep-Drilling Fields with DECam that Rubin is observing for its commissioning, we can ensure that when it fully turns on at the end of 2025 it is ready to hit the ground running.
Cosmology
Since the 1990s, Type-Ia supernovae have been used to probe the expansion of the universe. In the following years, several disagreements about the rate of expansion have risen. Recent findings suggest that the dark energy that drives the expansion may not be the cosmological constant we thought it was, but rather one that evolves with time. The next supernova surveys will finally be able to go deep enough on their own to confirm or deny these findings.
Research Impact
My research probes many different aspects of how our universe got to be the way it is. This work provides a unique opportunity to do deep studies of large populations of the largest producers of heavy elements in the universe.