I am an (incoming) Physics PhD student at Harvard University. My current computational cosmology research compares different techniques to infer galaxy cluster masses based on how they deflect light from distant galaxies and clusters (gravitational weak lensing). I studied physics, astronomy, and computer science at the University of Michigan.
Before returning to academia, I worked as a software engineer and engineering manager at Facebook and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. At Facebook, I primarily focused on addressing low prevalence, high severity problems like counter terrorism and child safety. At the Broad, I worked on building scientific services and scientific pipelines for computational biologists doing genomic analysis.
I am passionate about improving physics education. For an AI in Education class, I worked with two classmates to develop a prototype personalized AI physics tutor for introductory physics concepts. We aim to continue to develop this prototype in our free time. [Video demo] [Github]
I love dancing. I danced Bhangra competitively from 2010-2015, mostly with Furteelay Shokeen. I judged the Boston Bhangra Competition twice and have been the Director of Operations for BBC and for South Asian Showdown since 2022. I also briefly coached the Boston Bhangra Juniors and helped coach at Furteelay Dance. I was briefly on the Michigan Ballroom Dance Team. I can’t wait to get back into the salsa scene in Cambridge!
I enjoy reading, stargazing, tennis, street art, brass bands, Calvin and Hobbes, hiking, burritos, Michigan football, nature documentaries, working on hard problems, dad jokes, hot sauce, and spending time with family and loved ones.
I live in Cambridge, MA with my fiancée, Shauna, and our pets, Tiggr and Alaska.
Shoutout Allai Kaushik for the logo!