Resume
Education
- PhD in Physics – Washington University in St. Louis, August 2016
- AM in Physics – Washington University in St. Louis, May 2014
- BS in Astrophysics and Mathematics – Baylor University, May 2012
Skills
Programming Experience
Proficient with Python (numpy, scipy, pandas), C++, ROOT Data Analysis Framework, Mathematica, Windows, Unix, Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel)
Familiar with FORTRAN, scikit-learn, Unix shell scripting, git, SQL, and high performance computing systems
Statistical Experience
Proficient at utilizing statistical methods such as time series analysis, Monte Carlo analysis, regression models, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, bootstrap resampling
Familiar with Gaussian processes, clustering, and classification methods, decision trees/random forest
Teamwork Experience
- Member of the Dark Energy Survey (DES)
- 400 astronomers across 7 countries
- Member of the Australian Dark Energy Survey (OzDES)
- 40 astronomers across Australia, USA, Europe, and Asia
- Member of the X-Calibur Balloon-Borne X-ray Polarimetry Experiment
- 15 astronomers and engineers from USA universities and government
Managment Experience
Primary supervisor for 6 student research projects: undergrad through PhD
- Lead OzDES Reverberation Mapping working group
- 10 people across the USA and Australia
Organizing committee for conferences and workshops
- Taught introductory physics labs
Communication Experience
- Technical
- Spoke at 13 conferences/invited seminars
- Author on 20 peer-reviewed journal articles
- Co-investigator for 5 successful telescope/supercomputing proposals
- General Public
- 10 invited public talks
- Contributor to online magazine
- Expert consultant for news outlet
- Appearance on science TV show
Employment
Postdoctoral Research Fellow – University of Queensland, August 2016 – August 2019
Objectives
- Measure the mass of distant black holes as part of the Australian Dark Energy Survey (OzDES) Reverberation Mapping Program
Key Contributions
- Developed the data calibration procedures critical to the project success
- Python code publicly available as requested by the community
- Wrote custom data reduction software in Python
- Performed a time series analysis to measure black hole masses
Professional Outcomes
- Co-Investigator on 6 successful proposals for telescope/computing time
- Author on 16 journal articles
- Presented at 9 conferences/universities
Teamwork/Managment
- Lead the OzDES Reverberation Mapping working group
- Supervised 4 students (masters and PhD)
- OzDES Policy and Membership committee
- Guest lecturer for astronomy course
- Member of conference organizing committees
Graduate Research Fellow – Washington University in St. Louis, June 2012 – July 2016
Objectives
- Simulate how future X-ray polarization missions can be used to study black holes
Key Contributions
- Wrote numerical simulations to perform predictive analysis of X-ray emission from around black holes
- Coded in C++, Mathematica, and ROOT
- Used high performance computing systems
- Utilized simulation results to determine potential success of key science goals for a proposed NASA satellite mission
- Performed critical analysis of the X-Calibur telescope design
- Identified significant flaw in design and provided solution to ensure operation in flight
Professional Outcomes
- Author on 4 journal articles
- Presented at 4 conferences/universities
Teamwork/Managment
- Part of the X-Calibur Polarimetry Experiment
- Supervised 2 summer research students
- Taught introductory physics labs
- Co-Organizer for 2 workshops