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I am a PhD candidate at ÑÇÃÀÆåÅÆ in the School of Physics. I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics with minors in Math and Astronomy from California Polytechnic State University and a Master of Science degree in Astronomy from San Diego State University. My focus area of research is in exoplanetary science, with a specific expertise in circumbinary planets.

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On top of research, I am also a passionate science communicator, co-leading the "Ambassadors of the Cosmos" initiative funded by the NASA SCoPE grant. This consists of running an instagram page (@cosmic_ambassadors) and planning a series of stargazing events, promoting public involvement in astronomy.

Project:ÌýSearching for Circumbinary Planets via Apsidal Precession

Supervised by:ÌýÌýÌý

Project description:Ìý

While the search for exoplanets is more commonly conducted around single stars, most sun-like stars exist in multiple star systems. Few circumbinary planets (CBPs) have been discovered, largely because most have been detected through observations of their transits, which required a specific geometric alignment. In my work, I am applying a method to search for CBPs by identifying apsidal precession — the gradual rotation of a binary’s orbit — induced by the gravitational pull of an accompanying planet. Using the Gaia catalog of over 2 million eclipsing binaries, along with long-baseline photometric surveys like the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), I will identify systems exhibiting signs of precession. The promising candidates will be followed up with radial velocity measurements to confirm and characterize the nature of the perturber.