Staring directly at the Sun,
just like childhood authority figures told you not to!
Solar Astronomer, currently employed by
New Mexico State University
I am an early career solar astronomer. I recieved my PhD in December 2022 from New Mexico State University for my dissertation entitled "Solar Flare Energy Deposition and Response thoughout the Chromosphere and Transition Region". My dissertation involved studying the interplay between flare-driven HXR production and observational diagnostics throughout the solar atmosphere, using a wide variety of spectroscopic and photometric instruments and techniques.
Prior to graduate school, I grew up in Pennsylvania, and carried out my undergraduate studies at Vassar College, graduating in 2016 an honors B.A. for the dual majors of Astronomy and Physics. My undergraduate research dealt with CO spectroscopy of protoplanetary disks.
For my doctoral degree, I worked with Dr. R.T. James McAteer characterizing the energy release and deposition processes of solar flares. I am well versed in a wide suite of space- and ground-based instrumentation, including (but not limited to) the RHESSI, IRIS, Hinode/EIS, SDO/AIA, and SDO/HMI instruments, as well as the suite of instrumentation associated with the Dunn Solar Telescope in Southern New Mexico. I am capable of reducing and analyzing data using an array of spectroscopic, spectropolarimetric, photometric, and Fourier techniques. Project highlights are:
A Time-resolved Study of Chromospheric Evaporation in a Large Solar Flare. Published September 2022 in The Astrophysical Journal. This project was additionally presented at SHINE 2022 in poster format. Some additional information, including a movie of flare itself can be found on this page.
...And their connection to HXR energy injection processes. Unpublished (presented at TESS). Preliminary results and figures can be found on this page.
Throughout the Chromosphere and Transition Region. Interested parties can find the text of my PhD thesis here.
Potential Employer? Stranger googling my name? Have a link to my CV, just in case!