BAERI alumn Taylor Bell has contributed to a new study that rethinks the nature of…
New Faces at BAERI: Spring 2023
Please join us in welcoming these eleven new employees to the BAERI team:
Jane Berg (she/her)
Science Writing Intern
Jane’s role: To start with, I’ll be working on a story about how remote sensing and evapotranspiration data is being used to monitor and reduce water consumption in US agriculture.
Before BAERI: Kind of a long story! I was born in Brazil, and then my family moved to the UK. When I was about eleven years old, we moved to South Africa, where I lived until recently. I spent some time in the UK again before deciding to relocate to the US, and I now live in San Jose, California. I also work as a photographer and content strategist for brands and non-profits and am also the Managing Editor of Reed Magazine, California’s oldest literary journal.
Academic background: In 2016, I graduated with a Bachelor’s in journalism from Rhodes University in South Africa. I am currently working towards an M.F.A. in creative writing at San José State University.
Talk to me about: I am very interested in Earth science and ecological issues and always excited to read about new research in this field. I also love talking about travel. I haven’t been to that many countries, just one other country in Africa and a handful in Europe, so I always appreciate new ideas. At the moment I’m especially interested in traveling around the continental US and looking forward to going to some of the beautiful national parks.
Alejandro Serrano Borlaff (he/him)
NASA/BAERI Space Science and Astrobiology Division Researcher
Alejandro’s role: I am working to characterize and correct stray-light contamination in space telescopes like Hubble, Euclid, ARRAKIHS, and Roman, and I also explore the galactic magnetic fields of spiral galaxies with the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA).
Before BAERI: I was born and raised in Madrid, Spain, and now live in Mountain View, California. Before starting at BAERI, I was a NASA Postdoctoral Fellow at the Ames Research Center (2019–2022).
Academic background: I completed a five-year physics degree at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, the largest public university in Spain. Then I did a Master’s degree in astrophysics at the same university and my Ph.D. at the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias at the observatory of Tenerife and La Palma. The topic of my dissertation was the exploration of the darkest outskirts in disk galaxies, and I specialized in the in-flight calibration of the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) and the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) observations of the Hubble Space Telescope. In 2019, I started my first postdoctoral position at the European Space Agency (ESA) and was selected for the NASA Postdoctoral Program.
Talk to me about: I have been working on the improvement of images from space telescopes for deep space astronomy for a while now, but I am always excited to learn how other space-imaging instruments are used: planetary imaging of other solar system bodies, for example, or even surface rovers. I think that BAERI might be a great place to find connections and, who knows, apply expertise of one field to others!
In 2022, I was one of the 24 finalists (and only the third from my country) for the latest astronaut recruitment of the ESA, selected out of 22,500 applicants from 25 countries across Europe. While I was not selected as an astronaut in the last selection decision, I am very excited about sharing my experience, and I am looking forward to the next opportunity to become an astronaut, perhaps here at NASA.
Isaac Edelman (he/him)
Astrophysics Data Analyst
Isaac’s role: I will be working to improve the Eureka! data reduction and analysis pipeline and using Eureka! to perform photometric observations of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) exoplanet data.
Before BAERI: I grew up in San Francisco, California, which is also where I currently live. Before starting at BAERI, I was a physics undergrad at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology.
Academic background: I graduated with honors from the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology with a B.S. in physics, a minor in mathematics, and an option in astrophysics.
Talk to me about: I love talking about the future of science and discussing what lies ahead in the fields of physics and engineering. I also love to travel to see new sights, meet new people, and experience different cultures.
Andrea Gabrieli
Research Scientist
Andrea’s role: I will be working on remote sensing of volcanoes and am also interested in remote sensing of wildfires and vegetation.
Before BAERI: I was born and raised in Italy, and I currently live in Honolulu, Hawai`i. Before coming to BAERI, I was a postdoc and affiliate faculty member at the Hawai`i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, which is part of the University of Hawai`i at Manoa.
Academic background: I graduated in physics from the University of Milan, Italy, in 2013, with a thesis in seismology on volcanic tremor and seismic noise. I then moved to the UK and, in 2014, completed a M.Sc. in volcanology and geological hazards at Lancaster University with Prof. Lionel Wilson. In 2014, I started my Ph.D. in remote sensing of volcanoes using hyperspectral thermal imaging at the University of Hawai`i at Manoa. In 2018, I completed my Ph.D. and started a postdoc at the Hawai`i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology.
Talk to me about: Volcanoes! I also love talking about many other things, including animals, growing plants, stargazing, photography, investing, history, and traveling.
Aimée Jacobson (she/her)
Finance Manager
Aimée’s role: As Finance Manager for BAERI, I oversee all areas of finance and administration, including annual budget, financial planning, financial reporting, billings and collections, payroll, accounts payable and receivable, financial statement preparation, tax reporting, and cash management.
Before BAERI: I grew up in Santa Barbara, California, and I currently live in Scotts Valley, California. I am a financial management professional with over 20 years of experience in contracts and grants management. In my previous role as Sr. Financial Analyst for the UC Observatories, I managed the finances for their instrument fabrication labs.
Academic background: I received my B.A. in business management economics from the University of California at Santa Cruz.
Talk to me about: I really enjoy process automation and can definitely produce my nerd card on report coding. I spent six years as a Systems Analyst for an investment firm in San Mateo, California, and my main focus was automating and developing financial reports for various areas of the business. I also enjoy snowboarding and like to get out with my family on the slopes at least once a year.
Alexandros Maragkoudakis (he/him)
Research Scientist
Alexandros’s role: I will be doing analysis of JWST observations in various astronomical environments, as well as enhancements of the data, models, and tools of the NASA Ames Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Infrared (PAH IR) Spectroscopic Database.
Before BAERI: I grew up in Athens, Greece, and currently live in Mountain View, California. Before coming to BAERI, I was a NASA Postdoctoral Program Fellow in The Astrophysics & Astrochemistry Laboratory at NASA Ames. Prior to that, I was a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Western University in Canada.
Academic background: University of Crete 2017, Ph.D. astrophysics. Thesis: A multi-wavelength study of the activity in a representative sample of nearby star-forming galaxies.
University of Crete 2011, M.Sc. advanced physics. Thesis: Optical activity diagnostics for the Star Formation Reference Survey.
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 2010, B.S. physics. Thesis: Synchrotron radiation, polarization and Faraday rotation in AGN jets.
Talk to me about: I enjoy talking about galaxy evolution and about the development of astronomical spectral decomposition and modeling software. I also enjoy field recordings, i.e., recording the sounds of nature, such as rivers, forests, the ocean, or even underwater recordings with a hydrophone.
Avnish Mishra (he/him)
Engineering Intern
Avnish’s role: I will be working on next generation Internet of Things (IoT) water observing systems, Uncrewed Systems (UxS).
Before BAERI: I grew up in Bhavnagar, Gujarat, India and currently live in San Jose, California. Before starting at BAERI, I was working at Motive Technologies as a hardware intern and designed radar sensors for commercial purposes.
Academic background: I am currently pursuing an M.S. from San José State University in electrical and electronics engineering.
Talk to me about: I like talking about current sensor technologies that are used to measure multiple environmental parameters and also about algorithms to optimize power consumption. I also love talking about adventure sports like skydiving, snorkeling, and deep sea diving. I am interested in talking about different ways to unleash human potential through yoga and other physical forms.
Lydia Schweitzer (she/her)
Research Scientist for NASA Ames
Lydia’s role: I’ll be conducting mission operations and data analysis at NASA Ames for a Neutron Spectrometer System—an instrument capable of measuring water ice on different planets, which will fly on the Peregrine Mission I and on Ames’s first ever lunar rover VIPER.
Before BAERI: I grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana and have recently moved to San Jose, California. Before coming to BAERI, I completed my master’s at Carnegie Mellon University. During the two years of my master’s program and for a year after, I led the avionics, mission operations, and science instrument integration development for a NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) lunar rover mission, MoonRanger. MoonRanger is a micro rover weighing ~19.5 kg that will fly to the lunar south pole (also with a Neutron Spectrometer System!) to autonomously explore for ice.
Academic background: I completed a bachelor of fine arts and mathematics from the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 2019 and a master of science degree in computational design from Carnegie Mellon University in 2021.
Talk to me about: I love anything lunar and micro-rover related and am a huge mission-operations nerd, so I am always down to talk about all of that! I love exploring, climbing, backpacking, and making things with my hands (most recently a self-converted van) and would be thrilled to talk with others who have similar interests! I also love learning about people, so if you ever want to share something you’re passionate about, go for it!
Rachel Sender (she/her)
Science Writing Intern
Rachel’s role: I will be writing five articles that cover some of the exciting past and present research projects at BAERI.
Before BAERI: I grew up in South Orange, New Jersey and now live in St. Louis, Missouri. I am currently finishing up my Ph.D. in biological anthropology at Washington University in St. Louis.
Academic background: I studied evolutionary anthropology and geology for my B.S. at Rutgers University, have a master’s in anthropology from Washington University, and will complete a Ph.D. in anthropology in just a few months!
Talk to me about: I love talking about human evolution, especially dietary adaptations of extinct human species! I can talk for hours about tooth biomechanics. I’m also an avid rock climber!
Claire Teitelbaum (she/her)
Postdoctoral Researcher
Claire’s role: My research uses statistical modeling and simulation to understand how animal movements contribute to infectious disease dynamics in wildlife and how environmental change (such as climate change) is altering these relationships and dynamics.
Before BAERI: I grew up in Takoma Park, Maryland, just outside Washington, DC. I currently live in Athens, Georgia. Before coming to BAERI, I was a postdoc at the USGS Eastern Ecological Science Center, where I studied avian influenza in wild waterfowl.
Academic background: I have a Ph.D. in ecology from the University of Georgia and a B.A. in biology from Pomona College.
Talk to me about: I always have fun coming up with figures, whether that’s thinking through how to display data or convey concepts, especially for other people’s projects! I am also a home baker and love talking with other people about what they’re making (or trying to make or failing to make).
Aparna V. (she/her)
Research Scientist
Aparna’s role: I am working at the Lockheed Martin Solar and Astrophysics Laboratory in Palo Alto, California. There, I am working on understanding coronal heating in active regions on the Sun, through the use of Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) data.
Before BAERI: I grew up in Kolar Gold Fields (KGF) in India—it was the first ever town in India to get electricity back in 1902 (only for gold mining!). I moved around a bit for undergraduate education and jobs and currently live in Cupertino, California. Before starting at BAERI, I was a Ph.D. student at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia and defended my Ph.D. dissertation on space weather predictions (November 2022).
Academic background: I got my undergrad degree in engineering from India. I came to the US for a master’s in space studies at University of North Dakota prior to my Ph.D. in astronomy.
Talk to me about: I would love to learn about the research everyone is doing, and that need not only be Sun related. I would love it if people reached out to me to talk about Sun-related topics, in general or for outreach events. I am also a current member of the American Astronomical Society Sustainability Committee. I would love opportunities to talk about sustainable living and to share ideas. And, I am always ready to go hiking.
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