John T. Whelan

Dr. John T. Whelan is a Professor at the Center for Computational Relativity and Gravitation within the School of Mathematical Sciences at Rochester Institute of Technology. His work spans gravitational wave data analysis, quantum mechanics, and Bayesian statistical methods, with a focus on continuous wave sources like Scorpius X-1 and applications in sports analytics via the Bradley-Terry model.

• Research Interests:Gravitational waves from compact binaries, Bayesian inference, computational methods for parameter estimation, stochastic background searches, and educational applications of Jupyter notebooks
• Notable Projects:Development of cross-correlation search techniques for gravitational waves, quantum decoherence modeling, and statistical teaching tools
• Advising:Mentored graduate students Yuanhao Zhang and undergraduates Jackson Henry, Anthony Castiglia, and Marc Cenac in gravitational wave research
• Publications:15+ recent works on gravitational wave detection, including presentations at major conferences like GR22/Amaldi 13 and LSC-Virgo-KAGRA meetings
• Teaching Innovation:Pioneered use of Jupyter notebooks for online graduate statistics instruction, integrating code, visualizations, and mathematical derivations

His work demonstrates the intersection of computational physics, statistical inference, and pedagogical innovation, with ongoing contributions to both gravitational wave astronomy and Bayesian methodology.