Aloha! My name is Yuchen, which literally means ‘the universe and stars’ in Chinese. I go by the name Elina. I am a first-year Ph.D. student at the Institute for Astronomy, UH Manoa.

My primary interests are exoplanets and planetary systems, with a consideration of their host stars. I enjoy exploring finding exoplanets around various host stars, developing theoretical models for planetary systems, and hunting potentially habitable worlds.

I currently work with Prof. Dan Huber and Dr.Theron Carmichael for my 699-1 project on transiting brown dwarfs. My past research projects span various fields, including ‘Astrometric Properties of Late-B and A Stars in the Cygnus and Perseus Star-forming Complexes’, ‘Discovery of the X-ray Bright Quasars at z>5’, and ‘Recent Swift Spectroscopy of Cygnus X-3’.

I am a cat person and have a cat named Scarlett. I love puzzle games and escape rooms.