The Time Domain Astronomy Research Group

Danny Milisavljevic

Associate Professor
Department of Physics and Astronomy
Principal Investigator of the Time Domain Astrophysics research group
dmilisav@purdue.edu

Danielle Dickinson

Education
University of Arizona, B.S. Astronomy (Honors) and Physics (2021)

Expertise
Spectroscopic and Photometric analysis of interacting supernovae to determine the diversity of SN IIn behavior and progenitor systems. Experienced in aperture photometry and observational astronomy.

Interests
I love cooking and being outdoors. Namely, I enjoy rock climbing and stargazing, which often overlap due to the remoteness of the best climbing areas. I also volunteer for the Saturday Morning Astrophysics program at Purdue.

dickinsd@purdue.edu

Ziwei (Charles) Ding

Education
BS Physics (Major in Physics and Minor in astronomy and math)
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Expertise
My current interests lie in 3D reconstructions of Crab Nebula. Especially focusing on its "jet" feature. Also, I look forward to learning and exploring more about other perspectives of supernovae like progenitor system and explosion mechanism while working with the time-domain astrophysics group at Purdue.

Interests
I am a big gamer. Especially an e-sports game, DOTA. It's a P vs P team collaboration game and I'm currently representing Purdue for a national college league. I also enjoy playing volleyball and billiards.  Besides, all kinds of card games and board games are my favorite things to do too.

ding329@purdue.edu

Braden Garretson

Education
Major: Physics Honors
Minor: Math
Expected Graduation: May 2025

Expertise
Photometric classification of supernovae using machine learning with the goal of acquiring “template” lightcurves to improve REFITT’s ability to predict the future behavior of transients.

Interests
Outside of research and physics, I am really into music. I play trombone in the Purdue band, and I also play a little bit of guitar and piano. I also enjoy hiking, running, and being outside in general.

Briana Chen

Ashley Ortiz

Education
Major: Physics and Computer Science
Graduation: May 2025

Expertise
Spectral cubes. Observations of supernovae and their remnants. Python and C programming languages.

Interests
Outside of school, I enjoy listening to music and reading. I also enjoy traveling, kayaking, and learning languages.

Madeline Taylor

Education
Major: Physics
Expected Graduation: May 2027

Expertise
Connecting extragalactic supernovae with Galactic supernova remnants. Analysis of observations made with the James Webb Space Telescope. 

Interests
Building rockets(!): I am the project lead of the Purdue Undergraduate Rocket Propulsion Laboratory.

Kathryn Weil

Niharika Sravan

Part of the Milisavljevic group between 2018-2021. Moved to Caltech 2021-2023. Beginning March 2023, Assistant Professor at Drexel University.

Education
Ph.D. in Physics and Astronomy
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
Sep 2018

Certificate in Graduate Study: Integrated Data Science
Northwestern University
Jun 2018

Master of Science in Physics and Astronomy
Northwestern University
Sep 2013

Bachelor of Architecture (Honors) and Minor in Physics
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur
Aug 2011

Expertise
Stellar evolution modeling, supernova light curve modeling, large scale surveys, high performance computing, statistical methods, machine learning

Interests
I am interested in constraining the physics governing supernova progenitors by combining population-scale stellar evolution models with observations, using statistical inference and machine learning methods. I typically use MESA to model single and binary stars and STELLA to model their supernova light curves. To constrain my models, I use observations ranging from high resolution HST images, sparse time-series photometry from large scale surveys, and X-ray/radio observations.

website: https://www.niharikasravan.in/

Bhagya Subrayan

Part of the Milisavljevic group between 2018-2024. New postdoctoral position at University of Arizona starting September 2024.

Education
Purdue University, PhD in Physics and Astronomy
2018-2024
Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Thiruvananthapuram
Integrated BS - MS Degree, Major in Physics and Minor in Chemistry

Expertise
My research primarily focuses on developing statistical inference techniques to extract science of explosion parameters from sparse supernova light-curves. My primary research interests include: Multiwavelength observations of astrophysical transients in time-domain astronomy; maximizing scientific return from ongoing and upcoming all-sky surveys; understanding core-collapse supernovae with their remnants; and onvestigating precursor activities and mass-loss mechanisms in massive stars

Interests
I am a food lover who loves to cook and try new cuisines. I also enjoy travelling and exploring new places. Volleyball and badminton are my all-time favorite sports. I like listening to music and reading fiction too.

Website: https://bsubraya.github.io/

Elizabeth Norman

John Banovetz

Part of the Milisavljevic group between 2018-2022. New postdoctoral position at Brookhaven National Laboratory starting June 2022.

Education
Purdue University, PhD Student 2016-2022
Hamline University, B.S. Physics and B.A. Chemistry (2016)

Expertise
Proper motion analysis of supernova remnants to determine explosion centers and ages.
Reduction and analysis of optical and near-infrared photometry and spectroscopy.

Interests
Cooking, reading, tennis, and Frisbee golfing

jbanovet@purdue.edu

Ethan Pinarski

Part of the Milisavljevic group between 2022-2024. Graduated May 2024. 

Education
Major: Applied Physics
Minor: Astronomy

Expertise
Forced aperture photometry of supernovae remnants. Analysis of the distribution of Lyman-α emitters (LAE) in the large-scale structure at high redshift.

Interests
Outside of classes I enjoy stargazing, watching horror movies, reading, writing, and rock climbing. I like to practice piano, grow hot peppers in my garden, and play DnD. I'm an active Saturday Morning Astrophysics (SMAP) volunteer at Purdue and I enjoy helping out with physics/astronomy outreach. I am co-President of the Society of Physics Students (SPS) at Purdue and Outreach Coordinator for the Purdue Astronomy Club (PAC).

epinarsk@purdue.edu

Melody Shimba

Part of the Milisavljevic group between 2021-2024. Graduated May 2024. Entered MSc program in Physics at Brown University starting Fall 2024.

Education
Major: Physics
Minors: Astronomy, Creative Writing

Expertise
Analysis of light curves and categorization of anomalous objects using data brokers and the Python programming language

Interests
Outside of school, I really enjoy stargazing, reading and writing in my free time. I also enjoy learning new recipes and cooking/baking.

Moira Andrews

Part of the Milisavljevic group between 2019-2022. Entered PhD program in Astronomy and Astrophysics at University of California Santa Barbara starting Fall 2023.

Education
Major: Physics Honors
Minor: Astronomy
Graduated: May 2022

Expertise
Tracking protoclusters through merger trees and studying stellar kinematics of quiescent galaxies using the IllustrisTNG simulation. Also experienced in prioritization of REFITT transients and analysis of supernova light curves.

Interests
Outside of research, I like painting, going on hikes, and taking trips to the beach. I also enjoy cooking and I’m always looking for something new to try.

Faith Bergin

Education
Major: Physics
Minors: Astronomy
Anticipated Graduation Date: December 2024

Expertise
Localization for the Supernova Early Warning System (SNEWS) Network, Multi-Messenger Astronomy

Interests
Outside of academics, I am a competitor for the Purdue Latin and Ballroom Dance Team. I have represented Purdue at competitions across the Midwest and at the National Collegiate Dancesport Championships. I also am an avid reader, skier, painter, and general outdoor enthusiast.

fbergin@purdue.edu

Landon Abboud

Rachel Lee

Part of the Milisavljevic group between 2018-2022. Entered PhD program in Physics at University of Connecticut starting Fall 2022.

Education
Physics Honors major with a minor in math and astronomy.
Graduated: May 2021

Expertise
Supernova remnants

Interests
Stellar evolution, time domain astronomy, cosmology, and quantum physics

Jack Reynolds

Part of the Milisavljevic group between 2018-2022. Started work at STANLEY Security in June 2022.

Education
Physics, Honors
Graduation: May 2022

Expertise
My projects this summer have focused on data science and it’s applications to big data in astrophysics. The main challenge has been working with the limited data available now to create systems for the future. I love the problem solving involved in data science and the unique way it has taught me to understand astrophysics. My current work involves using machine learning to classify transients with sparse light curves augmented with correlated, but sometimes incorrect, data. It’s a fun challenge that has made me learn new skills every step of the way.

Interests
Outside of physics I’m a member of the Purdue Pistol Team which nearly qualified for for nationals last year. I’m also an amateur astrophotographer and Eagle Scout our of Troop 199 in Fishers Indiana. I love the outdoors and camping. I would highly recommend Shades State Park which is only a short drive from campus as it is one of the only places in Indiana you can see the arms of the Milky Way with the naked eye.

Carleen Markey

Part of the Milisavljevic group between 2018-2021. Entered PhD program in Physics at Carnegie Mellon University starting Fall 2021. Now Data Science Fellow (Player Tracking Analyst) for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Education
Majors: Physics and Statistics
Minor: Astronomy
Graduation: May 2021

Expertise
Identifying reliable supernova coordinates using a Python pipeline of Astrometry and SExtractor, using Python to identify "double" supernovae, and applying Gaussian Process regression to galactic chemical evolution models for the purpose of identifying best fit parameters with the ensemble sampler for Markov Chain Monte Carlo (emcee).

Interests
In addition to research, I volunteer for the Saturday Morning Astrophysics at Purdue program, and help run Purdue's chapter of the Society of Physics Students. Outside of astrophysics, I have a deep interest in sports analytics, particularly when applied to hockey. I also enjoy playing hockey, Dungeons and Dragons, various other board games, and taking long roadtrips around the country (and Canada!).

YuXin Dong

Part of the Milisavljevic group between 2019-2021. Entered PhD program in Physics and Astronomy at Northwestern University starting Fall 2021.

Education
Major: Physics honors and Mathematics
Minor: Astronomy
Graduated: May 2021

Expertise
My project has mainly being focusing on Ca-rich transients. I have used advanced coding package Prospector and emcee ensemble sampler algorithm for high-dimensional stellar population inferences. I learned to calibrate fluxes and obtain precise photometry measurements using aperture-correction software called Aperture Photometry Tool and archival images from multiple public astrophysical databases. I also have experience in using astronomical tools such as SAOImage ds9 for creating finding charts of supernovae.

Interests
Besides doing time domain astrophysics research, I enjoy being part of the physics student council and helping fellow physics students navigate within the department of Physics and Astronomy. I like to volunteer for the Saturday Morning Astrophysics at Purdue program that educates younger students about physics and astronomy. I'm always open to learn and obtain new knowledge in a variety of fields. I like to run a short distance once in a while. I'm also a coffee and noodle enthusiast. :)

https://sites.northwestern.edu/yuxindong/

Allison Earnhardt

Saurabh Mital

Alan Wright

Manuela Gonzalez Y Gonzalez

Brody Conner