Research Students

M.S. Students

12.) Kim Long Le: M.S. Physics/Astro, August 2024. Thesis: "Three-Dimensional Quasi-Geostrophic Simulations of Jupiter’s Zonal Winds and Vortices." Now a PhD candidate in Astronomy at Boston University.

11.) Yan Yan Ley: M.S. Physics/Astro, August 2024. Thesis: "Three-dimensional Simulations of Dust-laden Zombie Vortex Instability."

10.) Lenny Lupin-Jiminez: M.S. Physics, December 2023. Project: "Artificial Intelligence for the Simulation of Highly Nonlinear Physical Systems: Emphasis on Fluid and Geophysical Flows." Now a PhD candidate in Applied Mathematics at U.C. Santa Cruz.

9.) Wendy Crumrine: M.S. Physics/Astro, December 2020. Thesis: "Simulating the Birth of Planets: A Spectral Semi-Lagrangian Hydrodynamic Approach." Now: Ph.D. Physics candidate at U. Southern California.

8.) Nicole Rider: M.S. Physics/Astro, August 2020. Now: Ph.D. Physics candidate at U. North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

7.) Richard McWhirter: M.S. Physics/Astro, December 2018. Thesis: "Application of Thermal Wind Equation to the Jovian Troposphere & Stratosphere." Now: Software Engineer with The Boeing Company in St. Louis, MO.

6.) M. Quinn Parkinson: M.S. Physics/Astro, May 2015. Thesis: "Protoplanet-Planetesimal Interactions in Circumbinary Disks." Now: Haskell Developer with Tokhun.io.

5.) Diana Juarez Madera: M.S. Physics, May 2015. Thesis: "Dust Trapping in Protoplanetary Disk Vortices with a Two-Fluid Terminal Velocity Approach." After SF State: Ph.D. Aeronautics & Astronautics, Stanford University, June 2020. Now: Engineer with Lockheed Martin Corporation in Denver, CO.

4.) Colleen Twitty: M.S. Physics, May 2015. Thesis: "Dust Trapping in Protoplanetary Disk Vortices with a Lagrangian Super-Particle Approach." Now: Software Engineer with Peloton Technology.

3.) Andrew Fittingoff: M.S. Physics, August 2011. Thesis: "Light Curves of Kuiper Belt Objects and a Search for Kuiper Belt Binaries." Now: Adjunct Instructor of Physics with the University of San Francisco, College of Alameda & Laney College.

2.) Samy Kamal: M.S. Physics, August 2011. Thesis: "The Dynamics of Three-Dimensional Vortices in Rotating Stratified Shear Flows." After SF State: Ph.D. Aerospace Engineering, Arizona State University, May 2015. Now: Senior Scientific Programming Analyst at RedLine Performance Solutions, LLC.

1.) Michael Ryan: M.S. Physics, August 2010. Thesis: "Faint Moons Orbiting Kuiper Belt Objects." Now: High school teacher with Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory School in San Francisco, CA.

B.S. Students

7.) Arstanbek Tulekeyev: B.S. Physics, May 2021. Project: Simulation of dust trapping in 2D vortices in protoplanetary disks (joint with Collin Richardson). Now: Ph.D. candidate in Applied Math at U.C. Santa Cruz.

6.) Collin Richardson: B.S. Physics/Astro, May 2021. Project: Simulation of dust trapping in 2D vortices in protoplanetary disks (joint with Arstanbek Tulekeyev). Now: Ph.D. candidate in Earth Systems Science at U.C. Irvine.

5.) Michael Shadchin: B.S. Physics/Astro, December 2018. Project: Numerical simulation of orbits of moons of Uranus with time-dependent obliquity. Now: Private tutor.

4.) David Robinson: B.S. Physics/Astro, May 2015. Project: Numerical simulation of gravitational collapse of dust particles with REBOUND. Now: Ph.D. candidate in Computational Science at Florida State University.

3.) Connor Poland: B.S. Physics/Astro, May 2015. Project: Numerical simulation of gravitational collapse of dust particles with REBOUND. Now: M.S. candidate in Computational Science at U.C. San Diego.

2.) Seth Gossage: B.S. Physics/Astro, May 2014. Project: Numerical simulation of protoplanet collisions with Uranus with GADGET2. After SF State: Ph.D. Astronomy, 2021, Harvard University. Now: CIERA Postdoctoral Fellow at Northwestern University.

1.) M. Quinn Parkinson: B.S. Physics/Astro, May 2012. Project: Numerical simulation of dust settling in proto- planetary disks. Enrolled in M.S. program immediately after. M.S. Physics/Astro awarded May 2015 (see above).