Recent Graduates in Astronomy
| Name | Degree Received | Dissertation Title | Advisor | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fodor, Antoniu |
2025 July | Major and Minor Pathways of Evolution: Suppressing Star Formation in Nearby Galaxies | A. Medling | |
| Feathers, Colton | 2025 July | Self-consistent Theoretical Predictions of the Large-Scale Distribution of the First Stars and Galaxies | E. Visbal | |
| Beiler, Sam |
2025 July | Precise Fundamental Properties of the Coldest Brown Dwarfs | M.C. Cushing | |
| Agostino, James | 2025 April | Molecular Gas in Galactic Nuclei and its Role in Supermassive Black Hole Accretion Physics | A. Medling | |
| Federman, Sam | 2024 May | Investigating Protostellar Evolution from the Submillimeter to the Infrared with ALMA and JWST | S.T. Megeath | |
| Atnagulov, Prabhani | 2024 January | A Hubble Study of the Evolution of Multiple Star Systems in Star-Forming Regions in Orion | S.T. Megeath | |
| Johnston, Victor | 2023 November | Breaking Diagnostic Degeneracies in the Era of Spatially Resolved Galaxies | A. Medling | |
| Ashish Mishra | 2022 July | Theory and Modeling of Expolanet Polarimetry | J. E. Bjorkman | |
| Habel, Nolan | 2022 July | A Hubble Space Telescope Study of Protostellar Outflows | S.T. Megeath | |
| Thomas Shao-Yu Lai | 2021 May | Exploring Small Dust Grains Across Different Galaxy Environments | J.D. Smith | Researcher at IPAC, Caltech |
| Zakri, Wafa | 2020 August | A Search for Large Amplitude Variability in the Orion Molecular Clouds | S.T. Megeath | Faculty at Jazan University |
| Oswald, Wayne | 2020 August | An Assessment of Brown Dwarf Atmospheric Models Using Benchmark Brown Dwarfs | M.C. Cushing | Director of Instructional Labs at Ohio University in Athens, OH |
| Greco, Jennifer | 2020 August | Two Near-Infrared Spectroscopic Studies of Ultracool Dwarfs: A Proper Motion Survey Follow-Up and A High-Resolution Investigation | M.C. Cushing | Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Uppsala University, Swedish Collegium of Advanced Studies |
| Gullingsrud, Allison | 2020 July | The Structure of Classical Be Star Decretion Disks | J. E. Bjorkman | |
| Karnath, Nicole | 2019 | The Transition Points in Young Star and Young Star Cluster Evolution | S.T. Megeath | Instrument Scientist for SOFIA |
| Trucks, Jesica | August 2019 | The Search for Variability in Y Dwarfs: A Spitzer Space Telescope Program | M.C. Cushing | |
| Mazur, Brian | 2018 | A Photometric and Spectroscopic Study of Orion: From OB1b to Binaries | S.T. Megeath | Faculty at Fort Lewis College in Colorado |
| Rice, Johnathan | December 2018 | The Transition from Diffuse to Dense Molecular Clouds | S. R. Federman | |
| Johns Mulia, Paula | December 2018 | A Study of X–ray Binary Populations in Star-Forming Galaxies | R. Chandar | |
| Hardegree-Ullman, Kevin | 2018 June | Kepler Planet Occurrence Rates for Mid-Type M Dwarfs as a Function of Spectral Type | M.C. Cushing | Postdoctoral Research Associate, IPAC, Caltech |
| Booker, Joseph | 2017 August | Characterizing the Role of Feedback and Protostellar Properties in the Orion Molecular Clouds | S.T. Megeath | Software engineer at Eversight |
| Gerhartz, Cody | 2017 August | Temporal Variations in the Circumstellar Disks of Be Stars from Analysis of Optical and IR Line Profiles | K. S. Bjorkman | Endpoint Support, Social Science Computing Cooperative at University of Wisconsin-Madison |
| Heidarian, Negar | 2017 June | A Homologolous Study of Lifetimes and Oscillator Strengths of Ultraviolet Transitions in Singly Ionized Lead, Tin, and Germanium | S. R. Federman | Lecturer, Department of Physics, University of Maryland |
| Deady, Michelle | 2016 December | Numerical Simulations of Microturbulence in Hot Stellar Atmospheres | L.S. Anderson- Huang | Lecturer of Physics, Department of Physical Sciences, Lander University |
| Togi, Aditya | 2016 August | Lighting the dark molecular gas and a Bok globule | J.D. Smith |
|
| Starkey, Carl | 2015 December | A Spatially Resolved Survey of Mid-Infrared Aromatic Features in Nearby Galaxies | J.D. Smith | Research Analytics Specialist, The Ohio State University, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Human Genetics |
| Mulia, Alex | 2015 December | Stellar Populations in Nearby Merging Galaxies | R. Chandar | Data Scientist |
| Simanton, Lesley | 2015 August | Star Cluster Populations in the Spiral Galaxy M101 | R. Chandar | Lecturer and Planetarium Director, University of North Georgia |
| Brown, Justin | 2015 May | Abundance of Chlorine in H2 Poor Diffuse Interstellar Clouds (Masters Thesis) | S. R. Federman | |
| Allen, Tom | 2014 August | A Multi-Wavelength Survey of the Young Cluster Cep OB3b | S. T. Megeath | Postdoctoral Research Associate, Lowell Observatory |
| Lark, Adam | 2014 August | Implementation of Scientific Community Laboratories and Their Effect on Student Conceptual Learning, Attitudes, and Understanding of Uncertainty | L.S. Anderson- Huang | Director of Introductory Laboratories, Physics, Hamilton College |
| Davidson, James | 2013 May | A New Era of Observational Capability at Ritter Observatory: Spectropolarimetry from Exoplanets to Circumstellar Disks and Beyond | K. S. Bjorkman |
|
| Corliss, David | 2012 December | Time Series Analysis of the A0 Supergiant HR 1040 | N. Morrison | Lead and Manager, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Data Science Center of Excellence; Founder and Director, Peace-Work |
| Kwon, Do Hyoung | 2012 December | Studies of Sputtered CdTe and CdSe Solar Cells | A. Compaan | |
| Rangelov, Blagoy | 2012 August | High Mass X-ray Binaries in Nearby Star-forming Galaxies | R. Chandar | Assistant Professor, Physics, Texas State University |
| Poteet, Charles | 2012 August | Characterizing Dust and Ice Toward Protostars in the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex | S.T. Megeath | Postdoctoral Research Associate, Space Telescope Science Institute |
| Thomas, Joshua | 2012 May | A Spectroscopic Analysis and Modeling of the Red Rectangle | J. Bjorkman | Assistant Professor of Physics and Director of Reynolds Observatory, Clarkson University (Potsdam, NY) |
| Kryukova, Erin | 2011 December | A Comparison of Protostars in Diverse Star-Forming Environments | S.T. Megeath | U.S. Patent Office |
| Rush, Bradley | 2011 December | Near-contemporaneous Optical Spectroscopic and Infrared Photometric Observations of Candidate Herbig Ae/Be Stars in the Magellanic Clouds (Master's Thesis) | K. S. Bjorkman | Spitz, Inc. |
| Nero, David J. | 2010 August | Radiative Cooling in Disks and its Effects on the Formation of Giant Planets via the Gravitational Instability | J. Bjorkman | Lecturer, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Pittsburgh |
| Rety, Stephanie | 2010 August | A 3-D Monte Carlo Radiative Transfer Model for the Disk of Gamma Cassiopeiae (Master's Thesis) | J. Bjorkman | IT and Cybersecurity Professional, Bowling Green State University |
| Thompson, Greg | 2009 August | Time-series Analysis of Line Profile Variability in Optical Spectra of ε Orionis | N. D. Morrison | Assistant Professor of Physics, Adrian College |
| Hesselbach, Erica | 2009 August | Probing the Circumstellar Disks of Classical Be Stars with Optical and Near-Infrared Spectroscopy | K. S. Bjorkman | Notre Dame/Saint Mary’s Clare Boothe Luce Postdoctoral Instructor in Physics, Notre Dame, IN |
| Ritchey, Adam | 2009 August | The Abundance of Boron in Diffuse Interstellar Clouds | S. R. Federman | Eureka Scientific |
| Davidson, Robert | 2009 August | The Behavior of PAHs in the Presence of Jets and AGN in NGC 4258 (Masters Thesis) | J.D. Smith | Teacher, Bullitt Advanced Math and Science Program |
| Horne, David | 2007 May | A Method to Obtain Thermal Spectra of Martian Dust Storms over Cold Polar Surfaces | L. S. Anderson & P. B. James | Head Observational Research Astronomer, New York Center for Astrobiology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute |
| Benson, Jennifer | 2006 December | Properties of Water Ice Clouds over Major Martian Volcanoes Observed by MOC | P. B. James | Postdoc, MCS instrument on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter |
| Wisniewski, John | 2005 December | The Effect of Age and Metallicity on Be Circumstellar Disk Formation | K. S. Bjorkman | NSF Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Astronomy, U. of Washington |
| Bonev, Boncho | 2005 December | Towards a Chemical Taxonomy of Comets: Infrared Spectroscopic Methods for Quantitative Measurements of Cometary Water | P. B. James & M. J. Mumma | Research Associate, Department of Physics, Catholic University of America (Washington, DC) |
| Vijh, Uma | 2005 August | Photoluminescence by Interstellar Dust | A. N. Witt | Research Assistant Professor, U. Toledo |
| Mihaylov, Ivaylo | 2003 December | Monte Carlo Radiation Hydrodynamics in the Winds of Massive Stars | J. Bjorkman | Assistant Professor, Dept. of Radiation Oncology, Rhode Island Hospital/Brown Medical Center (Providence, RI) |
| Pan, Kaike | 2002 December | Cloud Structure and Physical Conditions in Star-Forming Regions from Optical Observations | S. R. Federman | Senior Observing Scientist, Apache Point Obs. (Sloan Digital Sky Survey II) |
| Knauth, David | 2001 December | An Ultra-High Resolution Survey of the Interstellar 7Li-to-6Li Ratio in the Solar Neighborhood | S. R. Federman | Physics and Astronomy teacher at Franklin High School, Baltimore County Public Schools, Baltimore, MD |
| Cantor, Bruce | 2000 May | Martian Dust Storms: 1999 Mars Orbiter Camera Observations | P. B. James | Malin Space Science Systems (San Diego, CA) |
| Zsargó, János | 2000 December | Constraints for Models of CH+ Production and Non-Thermal Chemistry in Diffuse Interstellar Clouds | S. R. Federman | Instituto Politecnico Nacional, Escuela Superior de Fisica y Matematicas, C.P. 07738, Mexico, D. F., Mexico Email: jzsargo @ esfm.ipn.mx |
| Smith, Tracy | 2000 August | The Photoluminescence of Interstellar Dust and Laboratory Dust Analogs | A. N. Witt | Space Science Institute-Columbus (Columbus, OH) |
| Gordon, Karl | 1997 August | Detection of Extended Red Emission in the Diffuse Interstellar Medium | A. N. Witt | Astronomer and JWST Instrument Scientist, Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI); Guest Professor, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, Univ. of Ghent |