about me

I am a final year Ph.D Candidate in Physics at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and soon-to-be Einstein Fellow in NASA’s Hubble Postdoctoral Fellowship Program at the City University of New York. Broadly, I am interested in how, when, and why we can infer properties of celestial compact objects like black holes and neutron stars using gravitational waves, from both astrophysical and statistical standpoints. Additionally, I am passionate about teaching and building a more inclusive, supportive culture in physics academia that serves the public good.

 

I am a member of the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA scientific collaboration.

 

RETROSPECTIVE: I graduated summa cum laude from Smith College in 2020 with a Bachelor’s in Physics, minor in Mathematics, and thesis with highest honors. Before coming to Caltech in 2021, I then spent a year researching rapidly rotating neutron stars in Germany at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics under a Fulbright Research Scholarship. Now at Caltech, I am in the research group of Professor Katerina Chatziioannou.

 

RESEARCH: My Ph.D research focuses the measurability of the spins of binary black holes through their gravitational-wave emission, for both individual systems and their astrophysical population. You can learn more about my research interests here or access a list of my publications here. Code and data releases relevant to my work can be found on my github page.

 

TEACHING AND MENTORING: Teaching and mentoring undergraduate scientists is a priority for me. In Spring 2026 (during my graduate studies), I was a Lecturer in Physics and Astronomy at Pomona College, where I taught undergraduate Cosmology. You can read my mentoring philosophy here. My outlook stems from extensive experience with one-on-one mentorship, advocacy for increased representation, and leadership in community-building projects such as Caltech’s graduate student and postdoc union.

 

You can access my full curriculum vitae here. Feel free to reach out via email at smiller@caltech.edu.