- Major:
- Ph.D. in Astronomy
What degree are you working toward?I am a PhD candidate in Astronomy. My research focus is to study Gravitational Instabilities in protoplanetary disks. A protoplanetary disk is a rotating disk of gas around a young star. Most of the material from the disk accretes onto the central star, and some of the material end up forming planets. Understanding the physical processes in such disks help us understand the planet formation process.
Why did you choose graduate school at IU Bloomington?IU Bloomington is a co-owner of the WIYN Observatory, which hosts a 3.5-meter telescope atop Kitt Peak National Observatory in Southern Arizona. The telescope has world class instruments for astronomical research. There are also state of the art computational resources available for graduate students at IU, including Big Red II – one of the world’s fastest research supercomputers. Outstanding quality of faculty and research facilities attracted me to IU Bloomington.
What do you enjoy most about life in Bloomington?Bloomington is one of the best campus towns in United States. Regardless of where you live in the city, your drive to work won’t be longer than about 15 minutes. The green terrain of the city, and nearby state park and national forest are wonderful attractions for a nature lover. Bloomington has a diverse set of cuisines, great music schools with lots of shows, and many trails for walking and biking.