Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
I'm excited for an opportunity to apply my problem solving and critical thinking skills to big data in a way that will benefit people's lives. I earned a PhD in Astrophysics where I was part of a multi-university collaboration operating the BICEP and Keck Array family of microwave telescopes at the south pole. As part of my research, I analyzed up to 10 TB data sets. More information about this research can be found at bicepkeck.org.
• Reduced and analyzed 10 TB time series datasets from South Pole-based telescope using Monte Carlo simulations to achieve the most sensitive constraints of the expansion of the very early Universe • Monitored incoming telescope data quality to identify problems that corrupt the data, sometimes preventing corruption in following weeks of data • Calculated statistical properties of telescope data to exclude poorly-behaved data from final analysis • Performed hypothesis testing using simulated data to ensure no additional data cleaning was necessary • Designed and used a calibrator for measuring telescope detector polarization orientations, resulting in a factor of two improvement over the presumed orientations • Programmed functions to model and fit, with a nonlinear regression routine, polarization calibration data, improving the presumed polarization angles by a factor of two • Supervised and directed undergraduates and high school teachers working in the lab • Tested different epoxies' ability to maintain a vacuum seal after exposure to 80 K temperature swings, finding that the existing epoxy performed as well as the alternatives. This saved the collaboration more than $10,000 in retrofitting cost • Used R in a graduate-level statistics class for hypothesis testing
• Provided excellent and quick service to every customer • Maintained a clean and organized grocery checkout area • Assisted other store personnel as needed