Casey DeRoo

Casey DeRoo is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Iowa. His research focuses on UV/X-ray instrumentation, including diffraction gratings and high-performance mirrors for telescopes. He leads the DeRoo Research Group, which collaborates globally with NASA, Harvard-Smithsonian, and others. Notably, he received the 2021 Nancy Grace Roman Technology Fellowship for his work on freeform grating patterns on curved surfaces.

Education: PhD in Physics from the University of Iowa.

Research Interests:

• X-ray spectroscopy of supernova remnants
• Instrument design for rockets, CubeSats, and flagship missions
• Grating fabrication and testing
• Machine learning for source classification

His work bridges cutting-edge instrumentation with astrophysical discovery, particularly in high-energy environments.

Articles Trends: Recent publications emphasize X-ray optics development (e.g., OGRE, Arcus missions), grating fabrication via electron-beam lithography, and adaptive optics using piezoelectric actuators. Machine learning applications for outlier detection in astronomical catalogs are also a growing focus.

Awards:

• NASA Nancy Grace Roman Technology Fellowship (2021)

Advising & Grants: Mentors students like Jeff Leiberton (Large Magellanic Cloud studies) and Cecilia Fasano (grating fabrication). Secured grants including a NASA APRA award and FINESST funding. Collaborates with Washington University on adjustable X-ray optics.

Labs & Missions: Leads the Arcus Optics and Astronomical Instrumentation (OAT) Lab. Key projects include the Arcus X-ray spectrometer probe mission and the OGRE suborbital rocket payload.