About
Presently I’m interested in observational studies of exoplanets, debris disks, and their host stars. One of my favorite parts of this job is giving research talks! One of my long-term goals is to become a research professor.
I was born in San Antonio, Texas where I lived until moving to Hawai’i for graduate school. I did my undergraduate studies at UT San Antonio. My journey as a scientist truly began when I worked as a TAURUS Scholar at UT Austin in the summer of 2017. Here I worked with Dr. Brendan Bowler to measure the dynamical mass of HR 8799. I also worked as a NSF REU student at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian in the summer of 2018. Here I worked with Dr. Luca Matrà on the REsolved ALMA and SMA Observations of Nearby Stars (REASONS) Survey, where I characterized the HD 170773 debris disk using ALMA.
I’m a first-generation college student with interests in student success initiatives, including effective mentoring.
Fun Facts: Before finding my calling in science, I considered a career in law/politics. I once participated in joint classroom learning sessions with incarcerated participants at a state jail. My favorite band is probably Darkthrone.
Research
Awards
Grants
- Phi Kappa Phi Graduate Fellowship ($8.5K)
- NSF Graduate Research Fellowship ($102K + $36K)
- IfA Director's Research Excellence Award ($5K)
- Barry Goldwater Scholarship ($7.5K)
- NASA/Texas Space Grant STEM Columbia Crew Memorial Scholarship ($3K)
Honors
- Honorable Mention, Chambliss Astronomy Achievement Award (Undergraduate). 235th Meeting of the AAS.
- Best Presentation (Astrophysics). 2019 UTSA-SwRI Graduate Symposium.
- Outstanding Poster Presentation (Astronomy & Astrophysics). 2018 SACNAS Diversity in STEM Conference.
- Outstanding Presentation (Physics & Astronomy). 2018 Rice University GCURS Symposium.
- 1st Place, Poster Presentation. 2018 UT Austin SURE Symposium.
Aldo G. Sepulveda