Overview
I am a final-year Ph.D. candidate working on observational cosmology and advised by Prof. Nick Battaglia.
A major focus of my Ph.D. is developing new statistical estimators and improving methods for extracting the kinematic Sunyaev-Zel’dovich (kSZ) effect from high-resolution data of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). By combining current/upcoming CMB maps with various large-scale structure surveys, kSZ measurements can help advance our understanding of long-standing questions, such as the nature of dark energy and modified gravity, the masses of neutrinos, and the distribution of baryons. Broadly, I am interested in probing fundamental physics beyond the Standard Model using various cosmological observables extracted from state-of-the-art data. Another theme that interests me is leveraging observations to gain insights into astrophysical uncertainties that limit our ability to infer cosmological information. I am fortunate to be a member of the Simons Observatory collaboration.
Prior to starting my Ph.D. at Cornell at the end of 2020, I completed my BS-MS dual degree from IISER Pune (India), majoring in Physics and graduating at the top of my class. Outside of astrophysics, I enjoy hiking and petting friendly cats during the warmer months in Ithaca, and cooking, singing, and solving puzzles in the other half of the year.
Professional Experience
Teaching Experience: Teaching Assistant for undergraduate courses at Cornell University:
- From New Worlds to Black Holes (ASTRO 1101): Fall 2025 (Head TA), Fall 2024 (Head TA), Fall 2021,
- Our Solar System (ASTRO 1102): Spring 2021,
- The History of the Universe (ASTRO 2201): Spring 2025, Spring 2024, Spring 2022.
Publications
Publications and Preprints: Google Scholar, arXiv.