Curriculum Vitae

(Updated on March, 2025)

Education

• Ph.D in Astrophysics at Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias/Universidad de La Laguna (Spain), Nov 2016
• M.S. in Astrophysics at Universidad de La Laguna (Spain), Jul 2014
• B.S. in Physics at Universidad de Extremadura (Spain), Jul 2012

Professional Experience

• March 2025 - present: Assistant Astronomer at Community Science and Data Center/NSF NOIRLab (USA)
  • 50% Research / 50% functional duties.
  • Service: US National Gemini Office.
• Jun 2023 - March 2025: Assistant Astronomer at Gemini Observatory/NSF NOIRLab (USA)
  • 50% Research / 50% functional duties.
  • Service: GMOS, GRACES, NIRI, and MAROON-X scientific support staff, Queue Coordinator, Observer, Gemini Director Time Review Board member, Fast Turnaround team member.
• Sep 2021 - Jun 2023: Science Fellow at Gemini Observatory/NSF NOIRLab (USA)
  • 50% Research / 50% functional duties.
  • Service: GMOS, GRACES, NIRI, MAROON-X scientific support staff, Observer.
• Oct 2017 - Sep 2021: Science Fellow at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory/NSF NOIRLab (Chile)
  • 50% Research / 50% functional duties.
  • Service: DECam support scientist.
• Apr 2017 - Oct 2017: Postdoc Fellow at the INAF – Osservatorio Astronomico di Bologna (Italy)
  • Project: Resolved stellar population to study the potential of multi-conjugate adaptive optics
  • Advisor: Dr. G. Fiorentino

Awards and grants

• AURA Science Award 2022, in recognition of an outstanding research on pulsating variable stars in diverse satellite galaxies of the Milky Way

• Sept 2013 - Sept 2016: Ph.D. studentship (“residente”) at Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (Spain)
  • Thesis: Tracing the early chemical evolution of Local Group dwarf galaxies using RR Lyrae stars
  • Supervisor: Dr. M. Monelli. Co-supervisors: Dra. C. Gallart and Dr. E. J. Bernard
• Jul 2012 - Aug 2013: Summer student grant at Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (Spain)
  • Project: Chemical Composition of Open Clusters: Variations of the CN and CH band strengths
  • Supervisor: Dr. R. Carrera
• Sept 2011 - Jul 2012: Student grant in the Department of Physics at Universidad de Extremadura (Spain)
  • Project: Influence of a interstitial fluid over the transport coefficients of a dilute granular gas
  • Supervisor: Prof. V. Garzó

Observational Expertise

• PI of 23 proposals with more than 550 hours in different telescopes and CoI of more than 65.
• Experience in both photometric and spectroscopic observing runs in different observatories: ORM (La Palma, Spain), Teide (Spain), CTIO (Chile), Cerro Pachón (Chile), and Maunakea Observatories (Hawai’i).

Leadership

• Science coordinator for the DELVE-WIDE group within the DELVE survey, 2021-2024.
• Science coordinator for the subgroup of Milky Way Satellites within the DES survey in the Milky Way Working group, 2021-2023.
• Organiser of the Gemini North Journal Club, 2021-2023.
• Organiser of Science Coffee/Tea, AURA South (CTIO + Gemini), La Serena (Chile), 2019-2021.
• Colloquium convenor at CTIO, 2018-2021.

Professional Service

• Internal Scientific Referee in the Milky Way Working Group of the Dark Energy Survey (DES) Collaboration.
• Scientific Referee in the AAS, A&A, MNRAS journals.
• Science Assistant Editor for Memorie della Società Astronomica Italiana (MemSAIt).
• Member of the Gemini Director’s Discretionary Time review committee (2023-present).
• Member of the NOIRLab Time Allocation Committee (2023-present).
• SOC member:
  • RR Lyrae and Cepheid conference 2024. Marrakesh, Morocco (Nov 23-30, 2024).
  • DELVE Collaboration meeting 2023. Urbana-Champaign, Illinois (Oct 16-18, 2023).
  • DELVE Collaboration meeting 2022. Tucson, Arizona (Sep 15-16, 2022).
  • Joint Observatories Kavli Science Forum in Chile. Santiago, Chile (April, 25-29, 2022).
• LOC member:
  • Windows on the Universe: Establishing the Infrastructure for a Collaborative Multi-messenger Ecosystem.Tucson, Arizona (Oct 16-18, 2023).
  • DECam Community Science Workshop 2018: Science Highlights, Coming Opportunities, LSST Synergies. Tucson, Arizona (May 21-22, 2018).
• Session Chair:
  • RR Lyrae and Cepheid conference 2024. Marrakesh, Morocco (Nov 23-30, 2024).
  • DELVE Collaboration meeting 2023. Urbana-Champaign, Illinois (Oct 16-18, 2023).
  • DELVE Collaboration meeting 2022. Tucson, Arizona (Sep 15-16, 2022).
  • Galaxy & Cluster Population in the 241st AAS Annual Meeting. Seattle, Washington (Jan 8-12, 2023).
  • DECam at 10 years - Looking Back, Looking Forward. Tucson, Arizona (Sep 12-14, 2022).
  • Gemini Observatory Science Meeting 2022. Seoul, South Korea (Jul 26-29, 2022).
  • DECam Community Science Workshop 2018: Science Highlights, Coming Opportunities, LSST Synergies. Tucson, Arizona (May 21-22, 2018).
• Chambliss judge for the 241st AAS Annual Meeting. Seattle, Washington (Jan 8-12, 2023).
• Hiring committee member for:
  • Science Intern position at NOIRLab in 2023
  • Science Fellow position at Gemini North in 2023
  • Research and Science Services Director at NOIRLab in 2024
• Queue coordinator at Gemini Observatory (2023-2025).
• GMOS, GRACES, NIRI, MAROON-X support staff at the Gemini Observatory (2021-2025).
• DECam support staff at CTIO (2017-2021).
• Technical reviewer observing proposals at CTIO and Gemini.

Mentoring

• Undergraduate student co-advisor. Clark Acohido, University of Hawai’i Manoa, USA (Akamai student at Gemini Observatory). Project: Replicating IRAF Functions in Python. June–Aug 2024. Main advisor: Pablo Martín-Ravelo.

• Undergraduate student main advisor. Jennifer Nakano, University of Hawai’i Manoa, USA (Akamai student at Gemini Observatory). Project: Machine Learning to create a training sample to classify variable stars in the Magellanic Clouds. June-Aug 2023 and Oct 2023-July 2024.

• Ph.D. student co-advisor. Joseph Mullen, Iowa State University, USA. Project: Metallicity and Period-Luminosity relations of Galactic RR Lyrae stars from Optical and Infrared Light Curves. 2019-2023. Main advisor: Dr. Massimo Marengo.

• Undergraduate student co-advisor. Xavier Tablit, University of Hawai’i, Hilo, USA (Akamai student at Gemini Observatory). Project: A Brute Force Strategy for Cataloging Members of Open Clusters. June-July 2021. Main advisor: Dr. André-Nicolas Chené.

• Master student co-advisor. Camille Bentaj, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France (research inter student at Gemini South). Master thesis: Analysis of stellar variability in multi-conjugate adaptive optics images. March-July 2020. Main advisor: Dr. John Blakeslee. Other co-advisor(s): Dr. Ricardo Salinas.

• Undergraduate student co-advisor. Morgan Elise McCarthy, University of Rochester, New York, USA (research inter student at CTIO). Project: Searching for Variable Stars in the Reticulum III Ultra-Faint Dwarf Galaxy. June-Aug 2018. Main advisor: Dr. Kathy Vivas.

• Master student co-advisor. Alberto Jesús Prieto Antúnez, ULL-IAC, Tenerife, Spain. Master thesis: Criterios de búsqueda de estrellas variables en galaxias. Feb-July 2017. Main advisor: Dr. Carme Gallart. Other co-advisor(s): Dr. Matteo Monelli.