Curriculum Vitae
EDUCATION
Ph.D. Candidate, Physics, University of California – Davis (UCD), third-year graduate student
• Research Advisor: Dr. Andrew Wetzel
Physics, M. S. with Honors, California State University – Long Beach (CSULB) 2020
• Thesis title: “Identifying the Quark-Hadron Phase Transition in Neutron Stars with g-modes”
• Research Advisor: Dr. Prashanth Jaikumar
Physics, B. S., University of California – Santa Barbara (UCSB) 2013
PUBLICATIONS
The dark side of FIRE: predicting the population of dark matter subhaloes around Milky Way-mass galaxies
Megan Barry, Andrew Wetzel, Sierra Chapman, Jenna Samuel, Robyn Sanderson (Accepted for publication to MNRAS May 2023, preprint)
Lifting the Veil on Quark Matter in Compact Stars with g-mode Oscillations
Wei Wei, Marc Salinas, Thomas Klähn, Prashanth Jaikumar, Megan Barry. Dec 3, 2020. ApJ 904 187
SKILLS & ABILITIES
Physics Research Experience
• Galaxy simulations: working with & analyzing data from the FIRE (Feedback In Realistic Environments) simulations of Milky Way-mass galaxies
• Stellar structure: building stellar models, working with equations of state, stellar pulsations, compact objects
• Quantum Statistics: Fermi-Dirac statistics, extreme astrophysical environments
• Quantum phase transitions: Ising model, Heisenberg model
Coding & Computational Methods
• Proficient Languages: Fortran, Mathematica, G (LabVIEW), C, IDL, Python
• Experience with numerical integration, large matrix manipulation, working with large data files, differential equation solving
Teaching & Tutoring
• Extensive experience in explaining physics concepts to non-majors and the general public
• Emphasizes depth of understanding and teaching students how to learn independently
RECENT EMPLOYMENT
Graduate Student Researcher, UC Davis
July 2021 –
• Researcher in Dr. Andrew Wetzel’s group. Performs analysis of cosmological zoom-in simulations of Milky Way-like galaxies. Current research includes predictions of dark matter subhalo populations.
Teaching Assistant, UC Davis
September 2020 –
• Discussion lab instructor for PHY 7 (General Physics)
Graduate Research Assistant, CSULB
July 2019 – August 2020
• Participates in astrophysics research, including programming and numerical analysis
Graduate Assistant, CSULB
August 2017 – June 2019
• Telescope operator for weekly “Nights at the Observatory” outreach program
Teaching Associate, CSULB
August 2017 – June 2019
• Instructor for PHYS100BL (Intro EM Lab) and PHSC112 (Intro to Physical Science Lab)
Museum Guide, Griffith Observatory
August 2012 – March 2020
• Gives presentations about exhibits and answers questions from guests at the historic Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles
AWARDS & SCHOLARSHIPS
Kennedy Reed Award, American Physical Society (APS) Far West Section 2019
• Best Theoretical Research by a Graduate Student – First Place
Summer Research Assistantship – Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, CSULB 2019
• Student research support awarded to 2 students annually
TALKS & PRESENTATIONS
Astronomy on Tap, Davis, September 29, 2022
• The Milky Way’s Invisible Neighbors (Public Talk)
GalFRESCA (Galaxy Formation and Evolution in Southern California), September 6-7, 2022
• Predicting Dark Matter Subhalo Populations Around Milky Way-Mass Galaxies (Oral Presentation)
American Physical Society – Far West Section Meeting, November 1-2, 2019
• Identifying the Quark-Hadron Phase Transition in Neutron Stars with g-modes (Oral Presentation)
CSULB Student Research Symposium, September 20, 2019
• Impact of the Tsallis Distribution on the Thermodynamics of Fermions (Poster)
CSULB Student Research Competition, February 22, 2019
• g-mode Oscillations in Neutron Stars (Oral Presentation)
American Physical Society – Far West Section Meeting, October 18-20, 2018
• g-mode Oscillations in Neutron Stars (Oral Presentation)
CSULB Student Research Symposium, September 14, 2018
• Calculation of Primary Variables Affecting the g-mode Oscillations in Neutron Stars (Poster)