Massive Stars and Stellar Evolution
My research focuses on identifying and characterizing the fundamental properties of massive stars across a range of metallicities, with particular emphasis on main sequence OB stars, and the most luminous supergiants across the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram. These include Wolf–Rayet stars, blue supergiants, luminous blue variables, blue supergiants, yellow supergiants and hypergiants, and red supergiants. I am interested in how episodic mass loss during the red supergiant stage affects massive star evolution, as well as the final stages before core-collapse and the ensuing variety in supernova types.
Time-Domain Astronomy and Transients
Time-domain astronomy provides a tool to probe physical processes in the Universe, as variability encodes physical information about the varying source. A number of wide-field variability surveys are currently underway, producing light curves for millions of objects. I am interested in using this treasure trove to probe the late stages of massive stars. The Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) at the Vera C. Rubin Observatory is the culmination of these efforts and is expected to revolutionize the field.
Near-Earth Objects and Lunar Impact Flashes
As PI of the NELIOTA project, I led the first systematic, high-cadence survey of lunar impact flashes using a 1.2-m telescope. This work provides unique constraints on the small Near-Earth Object population and impact rates on the Moon.