Dark Matter @ McGill (aka DMcGill)

Until 2021, I was a Pappalardo Fellow and NASA Einstein Fellow in the MIT Department of Physics. I received my PhD in physics from UC Berkeley in 2019 with the support of fellowships from the Hertz Foundation and the National Science Foundation. My dissertation, "Searching for the invisible: how dark forces shape our Universe" was supervised by Hitoshi Murayama and won the American Physical Society Sakurai Dissertation Award. I received my Bachelors from MIT in 2014 with a thesis jointly supervised by David Kaiser and Tracy Slatyer. In my spare time, I love making and eating all kinds of food, savoury and sweet, from a range of cuisines. 

I am a Trottier Space Institute Fellow at McGill. I look for dark matter through signatures in the present day universe as well as in its evolution history, such as the Epoch of Reionization. I use analytical calculations, data analysis, simulations, and Machine Learning to understand complex astrophysical systems, and to untangle potential signals of dark matter from them. Before McGill, I did my PhD studies at MIT and Bachelors in math and physics at the University of Chicago, where I explored a range of topics from collider experiments to theory. When I'm not doing physics, I enjoy dancing, badminton, and playing with my cat Stephen.

Publications written in collaboration with the group:

2) Looking in the axion mirror: An all-sky analysis of stimulated decay

1) Axion dark matter-induced echo of supernova remnants

I joined the group as a PhD student in 2022 and am jointly supervised by Prof. Evan McDonough, Prof. Robert Brandenberger, and Prof. Katelin Schutz. I am interested in the intersection of particle physics and cosmology theory.  Lately, I have been thinking about potentially distinguishing features of ultra-light dark matter models. Before coming to McGill, I completed my Master's at Brown University. Before that, I was an undergrad at the University of Michigan. When not doing science, I enjoy dabbling in visual arts, playing video games, and watching B-movies.

Publications written as a group member: 

3) Cosmological Implications of Kalb-Ramond-Like Particles

2) Runaway Gravitational Production of Dark Photons

1) Gravitational Production of Completely Dark Photons with Nonminimal Couplings to Gravity

I started as a MSc student in the group in 2024 after completing my bachelors at McGill in Honours Physics. I first joined the group in 2023 as an NSERC USRA researcher and continued to work in the group for my Honours thesis. I was born and raised in Montreal and am of Honduran descent. With regards to my research interests, I am mostly fascinated by astrophysics and particle physics, especially with regards to possible new physics. Besides science, I am also very interested in history, movies and football (soccer). 

    I joined the group in 2024 as a MSc student after completing my BSc at the University of Toronto, working with David Curtin and Chris Matzner. Previously, my research was focused on atomic dark matter and how stars made of this invisible matter, so called "mirror stars," could be
detected. Nowadays, my interests lie in cosmological/gravity models that give us insights on the  nature of dark matter, and topological defects in cosmology. Other than that, you can often find me cooking, reading, or checking out the local botanist! 

I am an honours physics student at McGill university and I joined the group summer 2024 as an NSERC USRA recipient. My broad research interests are cosmology and physics beyond the standard model specifically topics like 21 cm cosmology and dark matter. I was raised in Ottawa and spent some time studying in Germany before ending up in Montreal. In my free time I like to spend as much time as I can whitewater kayaking on the glorious rivers surrounding Ottawa and reading anything I can get my hands on (time permitting). 

Publications written as a group member:

1) Direct Detection of the Millicharged Background

I am a Simons Junior Fellow at New York University. I study cosmology and particle astrophysics, with a special interest in the nature of dark matter and its effects on the early universe. Prior to starting at NYU, I received my Ph.D. in Physics from MIT and was a double major in Physics and Mathematics at Johns Hopkins University. When I’m not thinking about physics, I can be found scaling rocks and dabbling in music.

Publications written in collaboration with the group:

1) An Effective Bias Expansion for 21 cm Cosmology in Redshift Space

I started as a graduate student at MIT in the Fall of 2017 after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University. I currently work at the MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research with Mark Vogelsberger on galaxy formation simulations. I'm broadly interested in understanding how the galactic environment shapes the evolution of galaxies.​  On large scales, I investigate techniques for measuring the boundaries of dark matter halos using the splashback radius and how galaxies change depending on their environment.  On smaller scales, I study self-interacting dark matter and how different models affect dark matter halos.  I also enjoy baking, games, and having fun!

Publications written in collaboration with the group:

1) Endothermic self-interacting dark matter in Milky Way-like dark matter haloes

I am an experimental physicist, specializing in classical mechanics. In my spare time I enjoy chasing bouncy balls around the living room, receiving belly rubs, and vigilantly observing squirrels through the window.