John H
- Research Program Mentor
PhD at Vanderbilt University
Expertise
Observational astrophysics, Experimental Cosmology, astronomy, robotics, data science
Bio
(1) My academic passion is space and space sciences. It doesn't matter if I'm in the lab building next generation detectors or helping develop a new software pipeline to make data processing smoother. My favorite objects in space are black holes and a classification of active galaxies called blazars! (2) Personal interests and hobbies of mine include gaming, drawing and building gundam models when I'm not busy with family.Project ideas
Project ideas are meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.
Exploring Active Galactic Nuclei Light Curves
Students will investigate the extreme, unpredictable brightness fluctuations of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) using public data from the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) and the South Pole Telescope (SPT). By writing basic Python code, they will clean real telescope data, construct "light curves" (brightness over time), and calculate statistical metrics to determine which type of supermassive black hole systems vary the most drastically.
Coding skills
python, agentic AI, machine learningLanguages I know
Spanish, beginnerTeaching experience
As an undergraduate, I worked as a volunteer for the Coca-Cola Space Science Center (CCSSC), where my responsibilities included running mobile planetarium shows at local elementary schools for grades K-5. I was also a volunteer for the mobile astronomy unit that was responsible for operating telescopes for astronomy nights or stargazing events. As a graduate student, I worked with more groups. I started my career as a volunteer mentor at the Pulsar Search Collaboratory (PSC), where I worked with local high school students from The School for Science and Math at Vanderbilt (SSMV). The outcome of this project was the development of a new method of analysis by my students that sped up the original analysis process. This project continued for one full school year before coming to an end. After ending the PSC project, I became a volunteer with SSMV, teaching and leading astronomy and robotics projects for high school sophomores. Additionally, I have volunteered with high school students in the Chicago area through the NAACP Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological, and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO) program and the Space Explorers program through the University of Chicago.Credentials
Work experience
University of Chicago (2022 - Current)
PostdocEducation
Columbus State University
BS Bachelor of Science (2014)
Astrophysics and Planetary GeologyFisk University
MA Master of Arts (2017)
PhysicsVanderbilt University
PhD Doctor of Philosophy (2022)
Astrophysics