Research Group
My current research group has a key thrust of novel instrumentation aimed primarily at exoplanet-related science. Group members (honours project or greater involvement) include:
- Anika Chan (Honours, ANU): Metrology for the Pyxis space interferometer prototype and the SEIRIOS mission. Chathura Bandutunga primary supervisor.
- Catherine Smith (Honours, ANU): Precision galactic archaeology using binary stars and the Heimdallr instrument.
- Benjamin Courney-Barrer (PhD, ANU): Solving the long secondary period puzzle through high angular resolution observations, and upgrading the VLTI for Asgard
- Arunima (PhD, ANU): Primarily in the group of Mark Krumholz, working on how star clusters disperse and become part of our Galaxy, and galaxies in general.
Past Group Members
Previous members of my group (non-exhaustive at semester-long undergrad research project level, with 1-2 students/year) includes the following people. As I am collaborative in my research, some of these people had other primary supervisors, and are listed as such.- Jonah Hansen (PhD, ANU): The Pyxis space interferometer prototype.
- Samuel Wade: Mechatronics engineer for the Pyxis project.
- Erin Holdorf (Honours, ANU): Enabling precision radial velocities using the Veloce spectrograph.
- Nicholas Standen (Honours, ANU): Adding a stellar (rather than association) age dimension to CHRONOSTAR.
- Jens Kammerer (PhD, ANU): Transitional disk structure, and direct imaging of young exoplanet with kernel phase interferometry.
- Alexander Wallace (PhD, ANU): Direct Imaging of the Youngest Exoplanets with aperture mask interferometry and accurate PSF modelling.
- Adam Rains (PhD, ANU): Abundances and Fundumental Parameters of TESS targets with FunnelWeb. Details TBD.
- Margaret Streamer (part-time M.Phil, ANU): Delta Scuti stars in eclipsing binary stars a way to calibrate models of A stars. Still an active visitor at RSAA
- Harry-Dean Kenchington Goldsmith (Postdoc, wasPhD candidate, ANU - Stephen Madden primary supervisor): Chancogenide waveguides for VIKING at VLTI.
- Dr Marusa Zerjal: Young stars and young stellar associations.
- Brendan Orenstein (Masters, ANU): Precision radial velocities of M-dwarfs with Veloce, especailly telluric correction.
- Dr Rajika Kuruwita (PhD, ANU - Christoph Fedderath primary supervisor): Circumbinary disks. Now postdoctoral researcher at University of Copenhagen.
- Timothy Crundall (Masters, ANU): Bayesian methods to search for Young Stars in the Gaia era. PhD candidate in Cologne from April 2019.
- Dr Joao Bento: Observatory integration of the RHEA spectrograph, HAT-South and transiting exoplanets. Went to at Intelledox.
- Dr Dary Ruiz-Rodriguez (PhD 2018, ANU - Lucas Cieza primary supervisor): Aperture mask interferometric imaging of young stars, focusing on binary stars and transition disks, ALMA observations of young stars of young stars.
- Eloise Birchall (Masters 2017, ANU): Modelling resolved disks from high angular resolution infrared observations.
- Dr Tobias Feger (PhD 2017, Macquarie Uni): The RHEA spectrograph.
- Adam Rains (Masters 2016, ANU): efficient injection into and astronomy with the RHEA spectrograph.
- Dr Aaron Rizzuto (honours 2010, PhD 2014). Became a postdoctoral fellow at UT Austin, and eventually a data scientist.
- Jane (Jinying) Lin (honours 2015, primary supervisor Martin Asplund). Universty medal, continuing with Asplund group.
- Dr Emily Rickman (undergrad project 2015). Currently a European Space Agency/Space Telescope Science Institute Astronomer.
- Dr Izabela Spaleniak (PhD 2014). Became a postdoctoral fellow at Herriot Watt University and works for Intel.
- Dr Yitping Kok (PhD 2013). Was a postdoctoral fellow in the Gravity group at MPIE, then at UWA physics, then a data scientist.
- Mr Benjamin Warrington : Research associate 2010-2013. Became a SOFIA astronomical flight planner.
- Dr Arwen Nicholson : Research associate 2011. Subsequent astrobiology PhD from the University of Exeter.
- Dr Barnaby Norris (honours, primary supervisor Peter Tuthill)
- Dr Carlos Bacigalupo (honours 2012)
- Dr Tom Evans (masters 2011)
- Dr Nathaniel Butterworth (honours 2009, PhD in geophysics)
- Dr Daniel Huber (PhD 2011, primary supervisor Tim Bedding)
- Dr Vicente Maestro (PhD 2013, primary supervisor Peter Tuthill)
- Dr Henry Woodruff (PhD 2010, primary supervisor Peter Tuthill)
- Ms Alison Hammond (TSP Undergrad project, 2008).
Bok prize 2012 - She once listed her astro project with me as the reason for a switch from Maths/History to physics, but eventually did law instead. - Dr Anthony Cheetham (Undergrad research project, 2009). PhD from Uni of Sydney, and became a postdoc at the Observatory of Geneva.