معرفی
Farnik Nikakhtar is a YCAA Postdoctoral Fellow at Yale University, conducting research in Astrophysics and Cosmology. Her work centers on the observable effects of dark energy and dark matter, utilizing Baryon Acoustic Oscillations and Galactic Dynamics, and applying theoretical frameworks from Optimal Transport Theory.
Her educational journey includes:
- Ph.D. in Physics and Astronomy (2022) from the University of Pennsylvania, where she was an NSF Graduate Research Fellow under the advisement of Nikhil Padmanabhan.
- Dual Master’s degree in Statistics from the Wharton School.
- B.Sc. in Physics with a minor in Computer Science from Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran.
Dr. Nikakhtar's research is strategically divided: approximately 70% on Baryon Acoustic Oscillations to investigate dark energy and 30% on galactic dynamics to probe dark matter. She employs Optimal Transport Theory, which generalizes the shortest path principle to the transport of matter distributions, as a unifying approach across scales from galaxies to the entire cosmos. This theoretical foundation allows her to model complex physical processes in the universe's structure formation.
Her notable recognition includes the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. A list of her scientific awards is:
- National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship
There is no information provided about current advising of students. During her graduate studies, she may have participated in mentoring, but this is not specified. No current research grants are mentioned beyond her postdoctoral fellowship at YCAA.
She is affiliated with the Yale Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics (YCAA), working from Kline Tower (room KT 435), which houses Yale's astronomy and physics research groups, facilitating collaborative work in observational and theoretical cosmology.
