Students, projects, teaching

Mentoring & Teaching

Mentoring is the part of this job I would keep if I had to give up the rest. Below are the students I have worked with, what they took on, and where they went next.

Research mentoring

Selected students

University of Arizona
Olivia Culbert

Olivia Culbert

Undergraduate · 2024–2026

Dust in normal core-collapse supernovae. Olivia contributed to the JWST/MIRI sample analysis by helping construct spectral energy distributions for eleven Type IIP supernovae and testing their robustness. Her work supported the broader analysis of late-time infrared emission and dust in the sample.

Chambliss Astronomy Achievement Student Award finalist at the 247th AAS meeting in Phoenix, 2026. Now an incoming master's student at San Diego State University, and a co-author on the JWST dust paper.
Purdue University
Braden Garretson

Braden Garretson

Undergraduate · 2020–2024

Machine-learning frameworks for rapid inference from all-sky surveys. Braden built classification and host-association machinery that fed directly into REFITT. His first-author paper photometrically classified more than 10,000 ZTF light curves and associated them with host galaxies. He has also significantly contributed to quantitatively estimate the HST limits on any underlying host galaxy for AT 2021lwx aka "Scary Barbie".

First author of Garretson et al. 2021 (RNAAS 5, 283); co-author on my AT 2021lwx late-time paper.
Also mentored

Shorter projects & advising

Moira Andrews

Moira Andrews

Undergraduate · 2022

Graduate-school application advising. Moira worked with me on refining her research statement and application materials, preparing for the transition from undergraduate research to graduate study.

Now a graduate student at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Teaching

Lectures

August 2026
Invited lecture on Nuclear Transients, Precursors: A Soirée for Rising Stars, Purdue University
Spring 2025
Guest lecture, Pima Spring School, Pima County, Arizona
Fall 2023
Guest lecture, AST 567: Observational Techniques in Astronomy, Purdue University
Spring 2023
Guest lecture, AST 364: Stars and Galaxies, Purdue University