Students
Current
Shane Frewen (Astro Grad)
Shane is doing a thesis on the dynamical stability of planetary systems
undergoing stellar evolution. The motivations for this project are the observations of
tidally disrupted asteroids around white dwarfs, which suggest that, at least some portion
of planetary systems around old stars experience dynamical instability.
Short video interviews with Shane and other grad students can be found on the
UCLA Planets Institute
Website
Former
Ian Crossfield (Astronomy; PhD 2012)
Ian recently a thesis on the search for emission from hot Jupiter planets using a
variety of telescopes, including Spitzer, Keck, IRTF and Subaru. He is now a postdoctoral
fellow in Heidelberg, Germany.
Thayne Currie (Astronomy; PHD 2006) -- now a
postdoctoral fellow at Goddard Space Flight Center
Thayne worked on models of protoplanetary gas disk evolution with me, and then moved
on to observational studies of infrared excesses in young clusters, working mostly with
the CfA and Arizona groups, with Ben Zuckerman as official advisor.
Eugene Chen (Physics; PHD 2008) -- now a postdoc at UT Austin
Eugene has recently completed a thesis
on the spectral evolution of white dwarfs under the influence of accretion from the ISM
and how this affects observational quantities like the white dwarf luminosity function.
Elliot Koch (Physics; PHD 2008), now postdoc at University of New South Wales.
Elliot has completed a thesis on gravitational dynamics. The two principal applications were
studies of the interaction of multiple black holes in galactic nuclei and
of the collisional evolution of planetesimals, with application to the
formation of the irregular satellites of the solar system.
Steve Berukoff (Physics; PHD 2009), now Team Lead, Data Products Group at National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON)
Steve completed a thesis in two parts. One was dynamical simulations of the dissolution of
star clusters in the Galactic center, particularly ones with central black holes. The second
part was a study of the dynamical and thermal stability of protoplanetary disks.
Hsi-Yin (Jenny) Shih (Physics; BS 2007), now attending grad school in Hawaii
Jenny worked on the assembly of planetesimals to form terrestrial-stype planets, but
under the conditions appropriate to the formation of the pulsar planets. A paper summarising
this work will soon be published in the Astrophysical Journal
Tiffany Meshkat (Physics; BS 2009), now attending grad school at Leiden, in the Netherlands
Tiffany performed some calculations regarding the location and stability of trojan-class particles
in extrasolar systems where the planets are on elliptical orbits.
I am, of course, always willing to talk to prospective students about potential projects.
If I'm not around, it may be because I'm travelling.
Here is my travel schedule:
Here is my academic family tree (advisors advisor and so on).