Research

Projects in astrophysics, mathematics, materials physics, and biophysics: machine learning on DESI galaxy spectra, BVRI photometry and isochrone ages of open clusters, symmetry methods for the superpattern problem, laser patterning of C₆₀ thin films, CVD growth of V₂O₅, and the disordered protein IA3. Each entry gives the question, the method, the result, and where it stands.

  1. Subgroup lattice of the dihedral group D₈ with the involution path highlighted
    2025 – Jun 2026Mathematics

    Symmetry Reduction in the Superpattern Problem

    How short can a permutation be if it contains every pattern of length k? I show that symmetry alone cannot break the known quadratic barrier. Restricting to involutions, though, leaves room for sub-quadratic behavior, and connects the problem to RSK and ordered matchings.

    UF Department of Mathematics · Dr. Miklós Bóna

    Concluded
  2. Test R² versus neighbor scale k for three spectrum-to-environment regressions
    Spring 2026Astrophysics

    Can a Galaxy's Spectrum Tell You Where It Lives?

    I tested whether machine learning can recover a galaxy's local environment density from its DESI DR1 spectrum. It can't, at least not with within-survey density labels. The apparent signal turned out to be the model learning the survey's redshift selection function.

    AST7939 Machine Learning in Astronomy, University of Florida

    Course project
  3. Color–magnitude diagram of NGC 884 with Gaia members and the best-fit 12.6 Myr PARSEC isochrone
    Jan – Apr 2026Astrophysics

    BVRI Photometry and Isochrone Ages of Two Open Clusters

    I reduced our own telescope data of NGC 884 and the Orion Nebula Cluster, measured every star in four filters, and fit stellar isochrones to date both clusters. After recalibrating against Gaia DR3, NGC 884 comes out at 12.6 Myr, consistent with the literature.

    AST3722C Observational Techniques, University of Florida

    Course project
  4. Raman peak-position maps of a laser-written line and rectangle in a C₆₀ film
    Jan 2025 – 2026Materials Physics

    Laser Direct-Write Polymerization of Ultrathin C₆₀ Films

    A focused 532 nm laser both polymerizes evaporated C₆₀ films a few nanometers thick and reads the result out through Raman spectroscopy. It writes micron-scale patterns without a resist, and the reaction runs twice as fast in 10 nm films as in 2 nm films.

    Gutiérrez Lab, University of South Florida · Dr. Humberto R. Gutiérrez

    Concluded
  5. Aug 2024 – Jan 2025Materials Physics

    CVD Growth of V₂O₅ and 2D Materials

    Optimizing chemical vapor deposition of vanadium pentoxide and hexagonal boron nitride thin films, characterized with AFM, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction.

    Gutiérrez Lab, University of South Florida · Dr. Humberto R. Gutiérrez

    Concluded
  6. Circular dichroism spectra of IA3 from S. arboricola and S. pastorianus at 0, 15, and 30% TFE
    Jun – Jul 2024Biophysics

    Conformational Ensembles of the Disordered IA3 Protein

    Expressing, purifying, and structurally characterizing two never-before-studied variants of an intrinsically disordered yeast protein with circular dichroism spectroscopy. Awarded Best Paper among 71 international participants.

    Fanucci Lab, University of Florida · Student Science Training Program · Dr. Gail E. Fanucci (PI) · Tianyan Li

    Preprint