About
I am a Miller Fellow ('26-'29) in astrophysics at the Miller Institute for Basic Science at Berkeley. Previously, I was a Black Hole Explorer Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard University's Black Hole Initiative. I completed my Ph.D. as an NSF Graduate Research Fellow at Las Cumbres Observatory at UC Santa Barbara, under Prof. D. Andrew Howell, and hold a B.S. in Physics at University of Massachusetts Boston.
I study compact objects: the neutron stars and black holes left behind when massive stars die, where matter is compressed beyond anything that can be reproduced in a laboratory and spacetime is curved strongly enough to trap light. My work centers on measuring compact object spin, which fixes the geometry of the surrounding spacetime, supplies the energy that drives the most powerful phenomena in the universe, and preserves a record of how each object was assembled.
My primary interest is in direct measurements of compact object spin along two complementary lines. For supermassive black holes, I work with the photon ring, a lensed image feature predicted by general relativity whose shape is determined by the spacetime rather than by the accreting plasma; towards this, I contributed to the Event Horizon Telescopeโs first images of M87* and Sgr A*, and I now lead spin-inference development for the Black Hole Explorer mission. In neutron stars, I hunt the โchirpingโ modulation imprinted on supernova light curves as a newborn magnetarโs fallback disk is dragged by the rotating spacetime around it, leading both the search for new examples in time-domain surveys and the theoretical work required to interpret them.
Research interests
Compact objects
Very-long-baseline interferometry
Education and experience
Miller Fellowship
Miller Institute for Basic Science, Berkeley
2026-2029
(Hosts: Prof. Dan Kasen & Prof. Rafaella Margutti)
Miller Fellowship
Berkeley
2026-2029
(Hosts: Prof. Dan Kasen & Prof. Rafaella Margutti)
Black Hole Explorer Postdoctoral Fellow
Black Hole Initiative, Harvard University
2026
(Hosts: Prof. Michael Johnson, Prof. Peter Galison)
Black Hole Explorer Postdoctoral Fellow
Harvard
2026
(Hosts: Prof. Michael Johnson, Prof. Peter Galison)
Ph.D. in Physics
University of California, Santa Barbara
2021-2026
(Committee: Prof. D. Andrew Howell, Prof. Lars Bildsten, Prof. Maxwell Millar-Blanchaer, Prof. Tim Brandt)
Ph.D. in Physics
UCSB
2021-2026
(Committee: Prof. D. Andrew Howell, Prof. Lars Bildsten, Prof. Maxwell Millar-Blanchaer, Prof. Tim Brandt)
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow
Las Cumbres Observatory
2021-2026
I study the explosive death of stars and the horizon-scale structure of supermassive black holes to probe fundamental physics. (Supervisor: Prof. D. Andrew Howell)
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow
LCO
2021-2026
I study the explosive death of stars and the horizon-scale structure of supermassive black holes to probe fundamental physics. (Supervisor: Prof. D. Andrew Howell)
M.A. in Physics
University of California, Santa Barbara
2021-2023
M.A. in Physics
UCSB
2021-2023
Collaborator
Black Hole Explorer Collaboration
2019-Present
Help develop the science case and mission concept for the upcoming Black Hole Explorer spacecraft (Supervisor: Prof. Michael Johnson, Prof. Alex Lupsasca)
Collaborator
BHEX
2019-Present
Help develop the science case and mission concept for the upcoming Black Hole Explorer spacecraft (Supervisor: Prof. Michael Johnson, Prof. Alex Lupsasca)
Smithsonian Fellow
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
2018-2021
Helped take the first and second images of a black hole as a member of the EHT collaboration (Supervisor: Dr. Michael Johnson)
Smithsonian Fellow
Harvard-Smithsonian CfA
2018-2021
Helped take the first and second images of a black hole as a member of the EHT collaboration (Supervisor: Dr. Michael Johnson)
B.S. in Physics
University of Massachusetts Boston
2017-2021
B.S. in Physics
UMass Boston
2017-2021
Oracle Fellow
Fuchs Group
2017-2019
Theoretical development and research on quantum bayesianism (Supervisor: Prof. Chris Fuchs)
Oracle Fellow
UMass Boston
2017-2019
Theoretical development and research on quantum bayesianism (Supervisor: Prof. Chris Fuchs)
Research Intern
Harvard Laboratory for Particle Physics and Cosmology
2017-2018
Assisted in developing the New Small Wheel for the ATLAS experiment and conducted studies of particle decay. (Supervisor: Prof. Melissa Franklin)
Research Intern
Harvard LPPC
2017-2018
Assisted in developing the New Small Wheel for the ATLAS experiment and conducted studies of particle decay. (Supervisor: Prof. Melissa Franklin)
Awards (selected, see CV for full list)
Miller Fellowship
Miller Institute, Berkeley
2026-2029
Miller Fellowship
Miller Institute, Berkeley
2026-2029
LeRoy Apker Award
American Physical Society
2021
LeRoy Apker Award
American Physical Society
2021
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
National Science Foundation
2021-2026
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
National Science Foundation
2021-2026
Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics
Breakthrough Prize Foundation
2020
Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics
Breakthrough Prize Foundation
2020
Mananya Tantiwiwat Award
2025
University of California, Santa Barbara
Broida-Hirschfelder Fellowship
2025
University of California, Santa Barbara
1st Place Award, Grad Slam (Physics and Chemistry Round)
2025
University of California, Santa Barbara
Event Horizon Telescope Early Career Award
2022
Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration
Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship
Goldwater Foundation
2019
Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship
Goldwater Foundation
2019
Summary of first author papers
Description coming soon.
Stay tuned.
Description coming soon.
Stay tuned.
Astrophysical Journal, published
2026
The black hole photon ring will be observed for the first time by the BHEX mission, but how to measure spacetime properties from it remains an open question.
In this work, we present a simple Fourier observable that maps to the inclination of the black hole, presenting a possible method of constraining the black hole's orientation relative to the observer.
Astrophysical Journal, published
2026
The black hole photon ring will be observed for the first time by the BHEX mission, but how to measure spacetime properties from it remains an open question.
In this work, we present a simple Fourier observable that maps to the inclination of the black hole, presenting a possible method of constraining the black hole's orientation relative to the observer.
Astrophysical Journal, submitted
2026
SN 1993J is the best-studied radio supernovae, with observations over 30 years revealing images of an rapidly expanding shell of material.
We present a re-analysis of the first four years of the SN 1993J dataset, using calibration-insensitive "closure" quantities and a new modeling approach.
Our results support the results of previous investigations. We are able to fit the width of the supernova shell ~700 days earlier than previous observations, and characterize via modeling the amount of brightness asymmetry in the ejecta structure for the first time.
Astrophysical Journal, submitted
2026
SN 1993J is the best-studied radio supernovae, with observations over 30 years revealing images of an rapidly expanding shell of material.
We present a re-analysis of the first four years of the SN 1993J dataset, using calibration-insensitive "closure" quantities and a new modeling approach.
Our results support the results of previous investigations. We are able to fit the width of the supernova shell ~700 days earlier than previous observations, and characterize via modeling the amount of brightness asymmetry in the ejecta structure for the first time.
Nature, published, cover of March 12 issue
2026
We report the follow-up and analysis of a superluminous supernova with a mysterious "chirped" signal in its light curve, never before seen in a supernova.
We showed that the light curve could only be powered by a magnetar at the center of the expanding ejecta. That magnetar is surrounded by an tilted accretion disk, Lense-Thirring precessing and quasiperiodically blocking light from the magnetar.
This discovery has several exciting implications: (i) the first chirp seen in an SN light curve; (ii) the first direct confirmation of an infant magnetar powering a superluminous supernova; (iii) the first observation of general relativity acting on a supernova; and (iv) the first detection of the Lense-Thirring effect in a magnetar.
Nature, published, cover of March 12 issue
2026
We report the follow-up and analysis of a superluminous supernova with a mysterious "chirped" signal in its light curve, never before seen in a supernova.
We showed that the light curve could only be powered by a magnetar at the center of the expanding ejecta. That magnetar is surrounded by an tilted accretion disk, Lense-Thirring precessing and quasiperiodically blocking light from the magnetar.
This discovery has several exciting implications: (i) the first chirp seen in an SN light curve; (ii) the first direct confirmation of an infant magnetar powering a superluminous supernova; (iii) the first observation of general relativity acting on a supernova; and (iv) the first detection of the Lense-Thirring effect in a magnetar.
ApJ, published
2026
An open question in stellar evolution is whether partially-stripped hydrogen-rich SNe can be organized into categories, or as a continuum. Currently, we classify as Type IIP/L (lots of hydrogen) and Type IIb (no hydrogen). Recently, a third category was added in between these (short plateau).
In this analysis, we present two supernovae which appear to lie exactly on the boundary of the IIb and short-plateau class, with features from both. We demonstrate that their light curves can be analyzed via both analytic methods and numerical simulations, and the different methods give self-consistent results.
This analysis helps strengthen the continuum hypothesis, as it presents objects that defy standard classification.
ApJ, published
2026
An open question in stellar evolution is whether partially-stripped hydrogen-rich SNe can be organized into categories, or as a continuum. Currently, we classify as Type IIP/L (lots of hydrogen) and Type IIb (no hydrogen). Recently, a third category was added in between these (short plateau).
In this analysis, we present two supernovae which appear to lie exactly on the boundary of the IIb and short-plateau class, with features from both. We demonstrate that their light curves can be analyzed via both analytic methods and numerical simulations, and the different methods give self-consistent results.
This analysis helps strengthen the continuum hypothesis, as it presents objects that defy standard classification.
ApJ, published
2025
The upcoming Black Hole Explorer (BHEX) spacecraft will interface with the EHT to take the first ever images of a black hole's "photon ring", a bizarre ring of light corresponding to photons orbiting the black hole multiple times. The properties of this photon ring are directly tied to the black hole spacetime and therefore serve as a probe of the black hole's physical parameters.
In this work, we use various machine learning and deep learning tools to demonstrate that the first photon subring (n=1, meaning photons executing one half-orbit) can be directly used to infer spin and inclination, even at BHEX-levels of beam convolution.
This is an important step towards demonstrating that BHEX can execute its scientific mission of measuring black hole spin precisely using its images.
ApJ, published
2025
The upcoming Black Hole Explorer (BHEX) spacecraft will interface with the EHT to take the first ever images of a black hole's "photon ring", a bizarre ring of light corresponding to photons orbiting the black hole multiple times. The properties of this photon ring are directly tied to the black hole spacetime and therefore serve as a probe of the black hole's physical parameters.
In this work, we use various machine learning and deep learning tools to demonstrate that the first photon subring (n=1, meaning photons executing one half-orbit) can be directly used to infer spin and inclination, even at BHEX-levels of beam convolution.
This is an important step towards demonstrating that BHEX can execute its scientific mission of measuring black hole spin precisely using its images.
Stars end their lives in massive explosions called supernovae. A rare type (IIb) shed much of their outer envelope prior to exploding, giving us an exclusive view into their deeper layers as the supernova progresses.
In this paper, we demonstrated a robust framework for measuring properties of the progenitor stars of Type IIb SNe using models developed for other supernova subtypes (namely, type IIP). We used this framework to measure the progenitor radius and hydrogen-rich envelope mass just prior to explosion of the Type IIb SN 2022hnt.
The ability to measure properties of progenitor stars from their supernovae gives us a way to learn about the end-of-life of massive stars. These stars and their deaths are responsible for much of the chemical enrichment of the Universe, making them important to understand.
Stars end their lives in massive explosions called supernovae. A rare type (IIb) shed much of their outer envelope prior to exploding, giving us an exclusive view into their deeper layers as the supernova progresses.
In this paper, we demonstrated a robust framework for measuring properties of the progenitor stars of Type IIb SNe using models developed for other supernova subtypes (namely, type IIP). We used this framework to measure the progenitor radius and hydrogen-rich envelope mass just prior to explosion of the Type IIb SN 2022hnt.
The ability to measure properties of progenitor stars from their supernovae gives us a way to learn about the end-of-life of massive stars. These stars and their deaths are responsible for much of the chemical enrichment of the Universe, making them important to understand.
ApJL, published
2022
The black hole in the center of the Milky Way (Sgr A*) is exceptionally challenging to image, particularly due to its fast dynamical timescale (~minutes). The fast motion of gas around the black hole causes image reconstructions of the black hole to smear, like holding your camera shutter open too long.
In this paper, we demonstrated that VLBI observations have sweet spots where, for just a few minutes at a time, the reconstruction can keep pace with the short dynamical timescale. This allows us to get snapshots of the black hole's environment that are higher quality than anywhere else in the observation.
This technique--called "selective dynamical imaging" because we are selectively choosing the "best" time of the observation to image--was important to the second image of a black hole and the first image of Sgr A*. This paper was one of the 10 discovery papers in the "Focus on First Sgr A* Results from the Event Horizon Telescope".
ApJL, published
2022
The black hole in the center of the Milky Way (Sgr A*) is exceptionally challenging to image, particularly due to its fast dynamical timescale (~minutes). The fast motion of gas around the black hole causes image reconstructions of the black hole to smear, like holding your camera shutter open too long.
In this paper, we demonstrated that VLBI observations have sweet spots where, for just a few minutes at a time, the reconstruction can keep pace with the short dynamical timescale. This allows us to get snapshots of the black hole's environment that are higher quality than anywhere else in the observation.
This technique--called "selective dynamical imaging" because we are selectively choosing the "best" time of the observation to image--was important to the second image of a black hole and the first image of Sgr A*. This paper was one of the 10 discovery papers in the "Focus on First Sgr A* Results from the Event Horizon Telescope".
ApJ, published
2020
The black hole shadow is a key feature in their images, bounded by photons that orbit an infinite number of times before escaping. Its shape is dependent on the properties of the black hole---namely, its spin and inclination.
In this paper, we showed that the black hole shadow behaves similarly to a polar curve called a "limacon", and in fact reduces exactly to one under special circumstances.
This provided a direct method to extract the spin and inclination of the black hole from its shadow, in a way that was friendly to VLBI modeling schemes, and characterized possible degeneracies in that parameter space.
ApJ, published
2020
The black hole shadow is a key feature in their images, bounded by photons that orbit an infinite number of times before escaping. Its shape is dependent on the properties of the black hole---namely, its spin and inclination.
In this paper, we showed that the black hole shadow behaves similarly to a polar curve called a "limacon", and in fact reduces exactly to one under special circumstances.
This provided a direct method to extract the spin and inclination of the black hole from its shadow, in a way that was friendly to VLBI modeling schemes, and characterized possible degeneracies in that parameter space.
Outside of work
Public speaking (under construction)
A Mission to Solve the Greatest Mystery
UC Santa Barbara Grad Slam
April 2025
Finalist talk for the UCSB Grad Slam on the BHEX mission goals
General relativity beats the heart of a dying star
Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Invited Lecture
March 2026
Public Lecture by Joseph Farah on the magnetar discovery, published in Nature



