Würzburg, Bavaria, Germany
I am a PhD candidate at the Universität Würzburg, Germany in the team of Thomas Siegert. I recently completed my MSc. in Physics with a concentration in Astrophysics and Astro-particle Physics from the Friedrich-Alexander University, Erlangen, Germany. I graduated from Purdue University with a Bachelor of Science in Physics with minors in Astronomy and Economics. My main area of interest is X-Ray Astronomy and High energy Astrophysics. I have been working in related projects since my Undergrad and I am confident in my ability to use my knowledge in Grad school. In these last few years, I have gained various skills, both technical and social in order to make myself an all round personality. I was a part of various organizations on campus during my time at Purdue and I do not hesitate to take leadership positions. I am a hard working and goal oriented person who works towards strengthening these skills and aim to make a difference in society.
• Study the 511 keV positron annihilation line from stellar flares and identify the origin of positrons in the Milky Way. • Measure the nucleosynthesis yields of Al-26 and Fe-60 from massive stars and their core-collapse supernovae on the galactic scale. • Involved with the Compton Spectrometer and Imager (COSI) collaboration, NASA’s small explorer mission, and responsible for developing the high-level data analysis tools.
• Analysed existing Chandra data of outflows in a nearby Starburst Galaxy M82. • Performed simulations using the future Athena WFI instrument. • Utilized this analysis of nearby galaxies to perform simulations and image fainter faraway galaxies.
• Optimized tools developed for SIXTE and SIMPUT by modifying pre-written scripts in C. • Resolved current issues for SIXTE and SIMPUT to run the simulations more efficiently.
• Performed tests at the Medium-Sized Telescope (MST) in Berlin and in our lab to efficiently carry-out intensity interferometry with the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) in the future. • Measured the rates of stars with a prototype telescope to get an expected photon rate at the actual telescopes. • Checked if the electronics can handle such photon rates through the tests in our lab.
• Provided customer service to patrons on a regular basis to cater to their membership needs. • Interacted with a team of 90 co-member services personnel to achieve customer satisfaction. • Enhanced my communication skills and team player abilities by collaborating with other departments in the facility.
• Performed X-ray data analysis on the data obtained for SN1970G from Chandra telescope and reduced it using the CIAO package. • Operated in a Linux environment and generated plots using VPython. • Found a luminosity value for the source that explains the anomalous behavior of the Supernova. • Re-analyzed previous data to validate the latest results. • Placed a energy upper limit on a nearby source namely, SN2011Fe. • Wrote a technical paper that is currently in progress to be adapted into a peer review journal article.
• Professional development program offering research for students in science and technology. • 137 candidates accepted out of a pool of over 500 applicants. • Performed literature searches on research papers related to the field of interest. • Conducted research on the data obtained from the Chandra X-Ray observatory of Supernova 1970G alongside a Purdue Faculty. • Presented research discoveries at the end of summer through a poster.