Personal Bio

I am a first year graduate student and NSF Research Fellow pursuing a Ph.D. in Astrophysics at the California Institute of Technology. Advised by Prof. Dimitri Mawet, I work as a part of Caltech's Exoplanet Technology Laboratory (ET Lab) to use novel ground- and space-based high-contrast imaging technologies for the direct detection and characterization of planets outside our Solar System. The central motivation behind my research efforts is the question: Are we alone in the Universe? My long-term goal is to become a professor or research scientist in Astrophysics leading high-impact research programs and promoting diversity and inclusion in STEM through active K-12 outreach and inclusive mentorship.

I graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. in Astronomy (Honors) and a B.S. in Physics from The University of Texas at Austin in May 2023. As an undergraduate, I relentlessly pursued original research spanning the mass ladder of astronomical objects — stars, brown dwarfs and planets — to tackle research questions at the forefront of the field from an interdisciplinary perspective. My work led to the discovery and classification of variable stars, the development of novel planet-imaging techniques, the characterization of forming exoplanets, and the calculation of fundamental properties for the largest sample (1000+) of ultracool dwarfs and planetary-mass companions. I have been recognized for my research efforts through numerous awards such as the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, the Universities Space Research Association’s Distinguished Undergraduate Award and the American Astronomical Society’s Chambliss Astronomy Achievement Award.

Born in Fremont, California, I moved to India when I was 4 and spent most of my childhood in the Garden City of India, Bangalore. Outside research, I enjoy playing the guitar, watching Formula 1, reading crime-thriller novels, gaming on my Playstation 5, and exploring the art of Japanese anime.