D221
My academic background is in Applied Physics (Electronics), Physics & Astrophysics, and my research interests cover planetary sciences and physics/astrophysics education research.
For planetary research, I am interested in planet-moon interactions in the Solar System and exoplanet systems. I perform computer simulations to study the dynamics of these systems and determine their orbital stability in the face of tides and other factors. Most recently, I determined a general stability limit for the moon of a moon, i.e., submoon (Rosario-Franco et al. 2020). Using results from my orbital studies, I examine the potential for (exo)planet-moon systems to be directly detected by modern radio-telescopes. Currently, I'm leading the analysis of the first application of satellite radio-detection method with data from the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT), located in India. I also conduct the survey and analysis of beam-formed observations using the Long Frequency Array (LWA) in New Mexico.
For (Astro)physics education research, I've had the opportunity to contribute to aiding the visibility of Physics students from underrepresented communities. Beyond recruitment, retention of students from these communities is a problem that (Astro)Physics departments face, especially at a graduate level. My most recent work (Sherr et al. 2020) sheds light on the graduate experience of Physics students from underrepresented backgrounds and how racial or ethnic isolation in their departments may impact their careers. In this study, we include an essential distinction between diversifying and serving statistically underrepresented communities and suggestions for departments to achieve retention.
Lastly, I'm interested in outreach and science communication as it can provide access to audiences that traditionally have been excluded from the process of science, thus, fostering equal opportunity in the field. I firmly believe it is of utmost importance to include the general public to motivate the community of young scientists from all types of backgrounds.