Earl Patrick Bellinger
Assistant Professor, Department of Astronomy
Website: https://earlbellinger.com/
Wednesday, April 10, 2024
Lunch: 11:30 am (Kitchen)
Talk: 12:00 pm (Seminar Room #1327)
at the Yale Institute for Foundations of Data Science, Kline Tower, 13th Floor
Webcast (starts at 12:00 pm): https://yale.zoom.us/j/7859884026?omn=95730283457
Title: Probing far-ranging astrophysics with big data and machine learning
Abstract: Space telescopes like the NASA Kepler and TESS missions as well as the forthcoming PLATO mission are driving a data revolution in astrophysics. The ultra-precise observations provided by these missions are challenging our best models of how stars evolve, and are in turn granting insights into the formation and evolution of planetary systems and the Galaxy as a whole. They furthermore present novel opportunities to probe far-ranging physics, such as dark matter and theories of gravity beyond general relativity. In this talk, I will give an overview of the data, models, challenges, and opportunities in astronomy, and highlight the role that machine learning is playing in advancing our knowledge across astrophysics.
Bio: Earl Bellinger joined Yale University as Assistant Professor in the Department of Astronomy in January 2024. His research intersects astrophysics and artificial intelligence with a particular focus on stellar evolution, structure, and pulsations. He utilizes seismic data from stars to determine their inner structure and ages, which in turn enables further study of the exoplanets they host, the galaxies that host them, and their own underlying physics. He carried out his Ph.D. research at the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research and Yale, and he held Postdoctoral Research Fellowships at the Stellar Astrophysics Centre in Denmark and at the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics in Germany.
