University of Washington

ASTRONOMY DEPARTMENT

AlSayyad, Yusra	Interests
Graduate Assistant Joined Dept in 2009 Office: B325 Phone: 206-616-1505 Email: yusra	Coming Soon
Anderson, Lauren	Interests
Graduate Assistant Joined Dept in 2009 Office: B345 Phone: 206-543-9373 Email: lmanders	Coming Soon
Beerman, Lori	Interests
Graduate Assistant Joined Dept in 2009 Office: B339 Phone: 206-543-9095 Email:	Coming Soon
Bellovary, Jillian	Interests
Graduate Assistant BS, University of Wisconsin-Madison 2001 Joined Dept in 2004 Office: B323 Phone: 206-543-6554 Email: jillian Web Page	I work with Fabio Governato in the N-body shop, implementing supermassive black hole feedback into cosmological simulations. I hope to simulate the observed "red and dead" galaxies we see at z~2.
Bhardwaj, Vaishali	Interests
Graduate Assistant Joined Dept in 2008 Office: B335 Phone: 206-543-8989 Email: vaishali	Coming Soon
Binder, Breanna	Interests
Graduate Assistant BS Physics, University of California, San Diego Joined Dept in 2008 Office: B345 Phone: 206-543-9373 Email: bbinder Web Page	I work with Julianne Dalcanton to analyze structural parameters and photometry of nearby galaxies in SDSS. I'm currently working on two data sets, a distance-limited set (within ~10 Mpc) and a magnitude-limited subset of the RC3 galaxies. I'm primarily interested in the structure of dwarf and irregular galaxies, and how galaxy structure is effected by the environment. Before coming to UW, my research was primarily in the x-ray: I worked with Dr. Rick Rothschild at UCSD analyzing XMM-Newton data for NGC3226, a low luminosity AGN with rapid variability, and at the Carnegie Observatories with Dr. John Mulchaey studying the hot gas halos of galaxies in groups using Chandra.
Carroll, Patricia	Interests
Graduate Assistant Joined Dept in 2009 Office: B339 Phone: 206-543-9095 Email: pcarroll	Coming Soon
Choi, Yumi	Interests
Graduate Assistant BS, MS, Yonsei University Joined Dept in 2009 Office: B335 Phone: 206-543-8989 Email: ymchoi	Coming Soon
Christensen, Charlotte	Interests
Graduate Assistant BA Carleton College 2005 Joined Dept in 2005 Office: B329 Phone: 206-543-9039 Email: christensen Web Page	I am interested in using computational modeling in most any aspect of astronomy, although galaxy formation and evolution is my current love. I am particularly interested in dwarf galaxies and their star formation. My thesis project involves adding the molecular phase of hydrogen into our galaxy simulations and studying how the added cooling affects the collapse of gas into shallow dark matter halos and the star formation within the galaxies.
Davenport, James	Interests
Graduate Assistant Joined Dept in 2009 Office: B341 Phone: 206-543-5185 Email: jrad	Coming Soon
Fry, Alex	Interests
Graduate Assistant Joined Dept in 2008 Office: B325 Phone: 206-616-1505 Email: bastidas	Coming Soon
Haggard, Daryl	Interests
Graduate Assistant BA Philosophy and Mathematics, St. John's College 1995; MS Physics, San Francisco State University 2004 Joined Dept in 2003 Office: B337 Phone: 206-543-2922 Email: dhaggard Web Page	My interests include high-energy astrophysics, observational cosmology, accretion phenomena, gravitational radiation, and multiwavelength survey science. In particular, I study quasars, active galactic nuclei (AGN), and compact binaries. My dissertation work aims to constrain the fraction of AGN in the local universe (out to z=1) using SDSS and the Chandra Multiwavelength Project (ChaMP). My master's thesis used Chandra and HST to identify cataclysmic variables and other low-X-ray-luminosity sources (quiescent low-mass X-ray binaries, millisecond pulsars, and coronally active main sequence binaries) in the globular cluster Omega Centauri. I have also participated in numerous educational and outreach activities, including the new Pre-Major in Astronomy Program.
Hilton, Eric	Interests
Graduate Assistant BS Physics, Carnegie Mellon University 2003 Joined Dept in 2005 Office: B325 Phone: 206-616-2955 Email: hilton Web Page	I work with Suzanne Hawley on determining the flare rate on low-mass stars. I'm using the ARC 3.5m at Apache Point as well as several smaller telescopes to monitor stars in several different filters. So far, several hundred hours of observations have been compiled in order to get good statistics. My thesis also includes modeling flares on low-mass stars in the Galaxy, such that we can 'observe' the model Galaxy with any cadence and depth. I'm interested in all kinds of stellar activity, flare physics, and exploiting the time-domain to discover interesting things. I'm a member of the LSST Transients and Variables Working Group. For kicks, I like the great outdoors, traveling, and being on the board of Technically Learning, a STEM education non-profit.
Johnson, Cliff	Interests
Graduate Assistant BA Colby College Joined Dept in 2008 Office: B333 Phone: 206-543-5185 Email: lcjohnso Web Page	I'm interested in studying nearby galaxies using multi-wavelength data sets (HST, Spitzer, Galex) in order to study many different aspects of galaxy evolution. Towards this goal, I'm working with Julianne Dalcanton analyzing the ANGST-LVL data set. From measuring star formation histories using resolved stellar populations to calibrate color-based NIR stellar mass-to-light ratios, I aim to improve our understanding of stellar mass distributions and examine properties of galaxies within the Local Volume as a function of stellar mass.
Kaib, Nathan	Interests
Graduate Assistant BS Physics, Case Western Reserve University 2002 Joined Dept in 2003 Office: B351 Phone: 206-616-4549 Email: kaib Web Page	My main interests center around solar system dyanamics. Past projects I've worked on have looked at collision statistics during late stage terrestrial planet formation and how these relate to terrestrial moon formation. Currently I'm working on modelling the formation of the Oort Cloud in a typical stellar birthplace environment. This work will also examine how different external gravitational perturbations alter the flux of long-period comets into the inner solar system and what astrobiological implications this may have for life on habitable worlds. I am a member of the Astrobiology Program and work with Tom Quinn in the N-Body Shop.
Kimball, Amy	Interests
Graduate Assistant BS Math and Physics, University of Michigan 2003 Joined Dept in 2003 Office: B323 Phone: 206-543-6554 Email: akimball	My interests tend toward sky surveys, statistical analysis of large data sets, data mining, and software development for data processing pipelines. For my thesis, I have compiled a multi-wavelength unified catalog of radio sources, and am comparing the data with mock catalogs developed from quasar evolutionary models to investigate the unification theory of active galactic nuclei. .
Kowalski, Adam	Interests
Graduate Assistant BA University of Chicago 2006 Joined Dept in 2006 Office: B341 Phone: 206-543-5185 Email: kowalski Web Page	My research in astronomy began at the University of Toledo during a Summer REU program. Working with Dr. Karen Bjorkman, Dr. Jon Bjorkman, and Dr. John Wisniewski, I studied the infrared spectra of Be stars, which are stars that show emission features suggestive of circumstellar disks. For my Senior Thesis at the University of Chicago, I worked with Dr. Dietrich Müller and the TRACER III team studying the time development of signals in proportional tubes. The proportional tubes were flown in a balloon-borne cosmic ray detector (TRACER III) this past summer. Currently, I am interested in extrasolar planets, M Dwarf flares, and high energy astrophysics.
Kundurthy, Praveen	Interests
Graduate Assistant BS Physics and Astronomy Joined Dept in 2006 Office: B341 Phone: 206-543-5185 Email: pkundurthy Web Page	Interests: My work deals with photometric studies of exoplanet systems. On the theory side I work with E. Agol in trying to figure out optimal observing strategies that might be needed to achieve a variety of science goals for future space-based coronagraphic planet-imaging missions. I'm also an observer with the APOSTLE (APO Survey of Transit Lightcurves of Exoplanets) team, lead by A. Becker. We catalog the transits of well known exoplanet systems in order to pin down their transit times to high precision since variations in the expected transit times might reveal other undetected planets in the system.
Loebman, Sarah	Interests
Graduate Assistant BA Asian Studies, Cornell University 2001 Joined Dept in 2006 Office: B337 Phone: 206-543-2922 Email: sloebman Web Page	I work with both Zeljko Ivezic and the N-body group to analyze simulated galaxies from an observer's point of view. My current work focuses on comparing a Milky Way-like galaxy to SDSS observations with the ultimate goal of better characterizing the dark matter halo our own galaxy lives in. Additionally, I am interested in the application of database management tools (primarily MSSQL and Hadoop) in a scientific context. When not pursuing these topics, I enjoy working with the Pre-MAP group, which aims increase diversity in science, technology, math and engineering fields through research and mentoring.
MacLeod, Chelsea	Interests
Graduate Assistant University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Joined Dept in 2006 Office: B333 Phone: 206-543-6276 Email: cmacleod Web Page	I'm interested mainly in extragalactic studies. I work for Z. Ivezic on studying the time variability of quasars, using large databases such as SDSS. Also, I'm working with E. Agol on using strong gravitational lenses to detect dark substructure in galaxies.
Misra, Amit	Interests
Graduate Assistant BS Physics, Case Western Reserve University Joined Dept in 2009 Office: B351 Phone: 206-616-4549 Email: amit0	I'm currently working on an astrobiology project to find the outer extent of the habitable zone for different types of stars. While I don't know exactly what I will end up doing, I'm generally interested in astrobiology and cosmology.
Robinson, Tyler D.	Interests
Graduate Assistant BS University of Arizona Joined Dept in 2006 Office: B333 Phone: 206-543-6276 Email: robinson	I am interested in planetary atmospheres, radiative transfer modeling and climate modeling. To date, most of my work has been on verifying and improving the Virtual Planetary Laboratory's 3D spectral Earth model. This model can be used to produce a disk-averaged spectrum of Earth, allowing us to study Earth as we would an extrasolar terrestrial planet. My future work will be in climate modeling. I hope to finish the construction of a new 1D coupled climate-photochemistry model that will be used to study the climates of the early Earth and super-Earths. This research is important for understanding the habitability of these types of worlds and the biosignatures we might expect from them.
Rosenfield, Phil	Interests
Graduate Assistant MS in Astronomy from San Diego State University 2007 BA in Physics and Astronomy from Boston University 2004 Joined Dept in 2007 Office: B329 Phone: 206-543-9039 Email: philrose Web Page	I study star formation history and stellar evolution in nearby galaxies by using ACS Nearby Galaxy Survey Treasury (ANGST) data with Julianne Dalcanton. I previously worked on the structure of neutron stars and occasionally continue to work on detecting isolated neutron stars with Scott Anderson. I'm a coordinator of the UW planetarium, a director of the Forum on Science Ethics and Policy, and am on the Pre-Major in Astronomy Program staff. I spent last summer working at Microsoft Research to project WorldWide Telescope in planetariums, including the UW planetarium.
Roskar, Rok	Interests
Graduate Assistant BA Physics and Islamic Studies, Washington University in St. Louis, 2003 Joined Dept in 2004 Office: B351 Phone: 206-616-4549 Email: roskar Web Page	Loose definition of current work is running and analyzing nbody simulations of galaxy formation and evolution, in particular to address the issue of disk breaks in galaxies. At the moment I work with Tom Quinn and Victor Debattista in the N-Body Shop. But, I have not resigned to staring at simmi simmis... I am interested in many aspects of extragalactic astronomy, particularly high-redshift sources and the clues they can give us about early star formation, evolution of structure in the universe, and especially reionization. My true passion in life is gourmet French cooking, but in my spare time I am trying to develop a way to use old sneakers as a renewable energy source.
Schmidt, Sarah	Interests
Graduate Assistant BA Barnard College of Columbia University 2006 Joined Dept in 2006 Office: B335 Phone: 206-543-8989 Email: sjschmidt Web Page	I'm working with Suzanne Hawley on very low mass stars and brown dwarfs. One component of my research is to investigate tracers of magnetic activity in the atmospheres of these cool objects. Another component of my research focuses on kinematics (as a tracer of ages) using both the SDSS spectroscopic database and observations from TripleSpec, an infrared spectrograph on the APO 3.5-m. I was the instructor for Pre-MAP in Fall 2008 and remain involved in diversity efforts in the Astronomy department. .
Sesar, Branimir	Interests
Graduate Assistant BS Physics, University of Zagreb, Croatia 2004 Joined Dept in 2004 Office: B345 Phone: 206-543-9373 Email: bsesar Web Page	My primary research interests are the study of Galactic structure, formation, and evolution using RR Lyrae stars and data mining of large scale surveys. For my thesis research I used RR Lyrae stars as tracers of substructure in the Galactic halo. As part of this research, I improved and assesed the quality of several astronomical data sets, such as the Palomar Observatory Sky Survey and Sloan Digital Sky Survey stripe 82. Using these data sets I discovered several hundred new RR Lyrae stars and a new, most distant, stellar stream in the halo. In addition, I also developed a novel technique that allows a robust estimate of the metallicity of stellar overdensities using main-sequence and RR Lyrae stars.
Shields, Aomawa	Interests
Graduate Assistant BS MIT, 1997 Joined Dept in 2009 Office: B323 Phone: 206-543-6554 Email: aomawa Web Page	I'm a first year grad student in the Astronomy department, and am also in the Astrobiology program. I'm interested in detecting and characterizing earth-sized extrasolar planets in the habitable zone, and looking for biosignatures on these planets. I'm currently working with Vikki Meadows and the Virtual Planet Laboratory (VPL) Team on data from the EPOXI mission, which treats Earth as if it were an extrasolar planet. I'm also interested in Jupiter's moon Europa and life in ice, as well as Earth's own moon, its history and composition.
Solontoi, Mike	Interests
Graduate Assistant BA Physics, Reed College 2000 Joined Dept in 2002 Office: B356F Phone: 206-616-2788 Email: solontoi Web Page	I work with Zeljko Ivezic on utilizing the Sloan Digital Sky Survey for studying the small bodies of the solar system. My main line of research is the detection and photometric analysis of comets imaged in the SDSS. I also take an active role in the history and philosophy of science, with a particular emphasis on undergraduate education in astronomy.
Stilp, Adrienne	Interests
Graduate Assistant University of Wisconsin, Madison Joined Dept in 2006 Office: B329 Phone: 206-543-9039 Email: adrienne Web Page	I'm working on turning the galaxies simulated by the N-body shop into HI observations with Tom & Fabio, and will eventually be working on studying the effects of star formation on surrounding gas using a combination of the simulations, ANGST HST stellar population data, and VLA HI observations.
VanderPlas, Jake	Interests
Graduate Assistant BS Physics, Calvin College 2003 Joined Dept in 2006 Office: B337 Phone: 206-543-2922 Email: vanderplas Web Page	I work with Andrew Connolly and Bhuvnesh Jain on mapping the 3-D distribution of Dark Matter using Weak Lensing. This has led me to the study the problem of photometric redshifts, and ways to characterize their full probability distributions. On the computational side, I also work on various techniques for dimensionality reduction of large datasets, especially with Locally Linear Embedding. This has led to a collaboration with Microsoft Research, helping them to build a computing workbench that can be used by scientists in a wide variety of fields.