Explorer Categories: Astronomy, Statistics, & Mathematics

I am an undergraduate student at UC Berkeley majoring in Physics and Astrophysics, and I’m currently taking a semester off to do research and explore more areas of physics. I’m working on 3D hydrodynamical simulations of close binary systems to model how supernova ejecta interact with a binary companion star and how the newly formed neutron star can capture gas from the companion. From these simulations, I study the formation of an accretion disk around the neutron star through the capture of gas from the shock-inflated companion star. More broadly, I’m interested in transients and compact stellar objects. Outside of research, I enjoy figure skating, cycling, backpacking, listening to music, making crafts, and spending time with my dogs. I’m always happy to chat if you’re interested in any of these things, and I’d also love to learn about something completely new!

My name is Henry Liu and I am a PhD candidate in cosmology at UC Berkeley, working with Uroš Seljak and Simone Ferraro. My research focuses on ways to probe the distribution of gas and other “ordinary” matter (baryons) throughout the Universe, using cosmological surveys, numerical simulations and methods from statistics and machine learning. I also enjoy teaching and course development, and have spent much of my PhD building Physics 188/288: Bayesian Data Analysis and Machine Learning in the Physical Sciences.
I grew up in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia. Outside of science, I am an avid photographer, especially landscape and astrophotography, and I ski, run and hike whenever I can. I also enjoy reading, particularly sci-fi and nonfiction.

I am a third-year graduate student from the astronomy department, originally from Taiwan. I really enjoy theoretical astrophysics, and recently I have been thinking a lot about Quasi-Periodic Eruptions (QPEs), a mysterious class of repeating X-ray transients associated with massive black holes. Astronomers (myself included) are still struggling to find a satisfactory explanation for the origin of these events. Outside of research, I enjoy playing badminton and hiking in my free time. I also like traveling, especially visiting national parks across the United States, and I have recently started getting into backpacking, which has been a really exciting new hobby for me. I’m always happy to chat if you are interested in astronomy, badminton, hiking, or backpacking.

I’m a mathematics graduate student advised by Constantin Teleman, working on problems in geometric representation theory and mirror symmetry, with a particular interest in topological field theories and manifold invariants. Geometric representation theory is broadly about understanding abstract symmetries by realizing them geometrically — as transformations of curves, surfaces, or higher-dimensional spaces — which often reveals hidden structure that’s invisible from a purely algebraic point of view. It has deep connections to theoretical physics, particularly quantum field theory and string theory, and has become a rich meeting point between pure mathematics and physics over the past few decades. Outside of research, I’m an avid runner, swimmer, and cyclist, and I just completed my first triathlon this fall. I also enjoy traveling in other countries.

I am an undergraduate student at UC Berkeley majoring in Astrophysics and Planetary Science. As a member of the university’s Radio Astronomy Lab, I am very interested in how planets look in radio frequencies, which tells us about the health and behavior of a planet’s magnetosphere and atmosphere. My current work involves developing SVD-based models to streamline analysis on planetary radio emissions, primarily from Jupiter. I aspire to use these planetary radio emissions as an additional avenue for discovering exoplanets. In addition to my work in the Radio Astronomy Lab, I am a member of the University of California Marching Band where I play trumpet. When I am not conducting research or spreading school spirit with Cal Band, I also enjoy climbing, cycling, backpacking, and Christopher Nolan movies.

I am a fifth year PhD candidate in statistics, advised by Fernando Pérez and Jon McAuliffe, and I research statistical methods for extreme weather and climate events. I’ve always been interested in atmospheric phenomena, viewing them as a manifestation of the power of nature and the dynamic system in which we live our lives. I followed this interest during my undergraduate studies, completing a major in physics at the University of Chicago. However, after taking a few statistics courses, I was amazed at the potential for statistical tools to extract insights from such chaotic and seemingly random systems. Motivated by the need to develop tools to accurately assess the changing risks and severity of extreme weather due to climate change, I also completed a major in statistics and decided to pursue a PhD. With colleagues at LBNL’s CASCADE group, NCAR, and the British Antarctic Survey, I work on problems ranging from risk estimation for extreme compound weather events to assessing characteristics and impacts of extreme precipitation events in Antarctica.

I am originally from Laurel, MD, a suburb of both Baltimore and Washington, D.C., and have been living in California since I began my PhD in 2021. In my free time, I like to tend to my houseplants and bake desserts.

Natasha Abrams is a 5th year astrophysics PhD student at UC Berkeley, searching for black holes via gravitational microlensing. She works on photometric microlensing with large surveys, astrometric microlensing, and understanding how binaries impact our statistical understanding of the events we discover. She is passionate about pedagogy and mentorship, both in research and broader academic settings. Outside of astrophysics, she enjoys choral singing, playing board games, and reading fantasy books.

Natasha Abrams Research Talk

I am a UC Berkeley graduate student working with Jessica Lu on stellar and black hole populations in the Milky Way Galactic Center. I’m an alum of CU Boulder where I worked on Parker Solar Probe data with David Malaspina, as well as an alum of Dickinson College where I hold degrees in philosophy and Japanese studies. I am also the Scientist Liaison for a non-profit called Sea to Sky Explorers Association where we connect scientists, who need hard-to-get data, with volunteers who have technical skills like mountaineering and SCUBA diving. Outside of research I am a voracious reader, video gamer, textile crafter, and cat mom.

Hi! I am a graduate student in the Berkeley Astronomy Department. Currently I am running hydrodynamic simulations of supernovae in close binary systems. With my simulations we hope to explain objects such as ultra-long-period pulsars and supernovae with periodic undulations observed in their light curves. I am more broadly interested in radio transients, binary stars, and compact stellar objects. Outside of the department, I like to hike, run, play ultimate frisbee, and drag my telescope named Marvin around!