Jared Hand

Physics PhD Candidate, UPitt

Physics graduate student in Pittsburgh studying cosmology. Current Yinzer, Idaho native, dog dad, bread baker, beer brewer, mountain lover.

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Supernova Cosmology and Data Science

Type Ia supernovae are exceptionally bright transients events signalling the end of a white dwarf's long life. They are also remarkably consistent in their brightness. They are made more consistent by exploiting known empirical relations, providing a powerful distance measure to constrain cosmology models. These transient events were used to to the discovery of dark energy and the accelerating expansion of a flat universe.My research focuses on better understanding supernova cosmology systematics uncertainties. This includes a comparison of observational methods and fitting techniques and their impact on type Ia supernova host galaxy bias measurements, and developing a new empirical type Ia supernova model to better separate the intrinsic and extrinsic phase-independent color variation. I work closely with Dr. Alex Kim of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory on this new model, with this second project being initially supported by a Department of Energy Office of Science SCGSR award.My interests have shifted towards data science. Integrating physics directly into machine learning algorithms and sensor fusion for spacecraft guidance, navigation, and control are some current interests.

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Me and My Hobbies

I come from Boise, Idaho. Born and raised in the Northwest, I moved to Pittsburgh in 2017 with my dog Phelan. When not playing fetch or walking the dog, my time is spent reading about history or beer, writing, cooking, or playing video or board games with friends.Spaceflight is another passion. In my free time I enjoy reading about mission operations, rocket engineering, and nuclear propulsion, to name a few topics. I am also working through some online courses on orbital mechanics and astrodynamics.I struggle with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and have become a vocal advocate raising awareness about both its prevalence in society and its devastating effects on people's lives.Growing up in Idaho offered me the opportunity to see firsthand the varied experience of American Indians and how their lives, both present and past, have been affected by generations of injustice.I am a novice homebrewer and beer enthusiast taking full advantage of the Pittsburgh craft beer scene. Baking bread is my solace. Drop me a line if you want to talk yeast.

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