Elijah Mullens

Summary

I am a first-year graduate student interested in the characterization of exoplanets, particularly how sub-stellar object composition (both surface and atmospheric) and orbits evolve during the Post-MS phase of their host star. I want to combine this with atmospheric probing of planetary bodies around white dwarfs and white dwarf pollution data, to develop models of exoplanets and link observables to the evolutionary histories of individual planets. I am also interested in the formation, composition, and exploration of Jovian satellites (such as Miranda, Europa, and Io) as they provide a closer-to-home view of sub-stellar object properties.  

I grew up in the panhandle of Florida and received a B.S. in Mathematics, Physics, and Astrophysics (with a minor in Japanese) from the University of Florida in 2021. My undergraduate research focused on a variety of topics from building instrumentation to detect life on Europa (University of Florida), the evolution of planetary bodies around post-MS stars (Nagoya University), and analyzing how 3D dust structure maps of the ISM map on to the physical conditions of gas (Space Telescope Science Institute).  

During my gap year I volunteered with a multitude of local science outreach and DEI groups. I was also active in a marine preservation and education group. One of the best experiences I had was working as a planetarium instructor where I gave talks and demonstrations to young students and the general public on topics ranging from local astronomy to the basics of general relativity.  

I like spending my free time with my dog and cat, cooking, and reading books/comic books.