The Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Chicago and Northwestern University’s CIERA launched the Northwestern-UChicago Brinson Postdoctoral Fellowship in Astrophysics in 2023. The goal is to attract an outstanding postdoctoral fellow to carry out astrophysics research with faculty at both institutions. The fellow will split their time between the two institutions and have faculty mentors at both institutions. This fellowship is being made possible through the generosity of the Brinson Foundation.
Current Fellow
Sunil Simha
Sunil Simha is a Brinson Postdoctoral fellow with a joint position at Northwestern University and the University of Chicago. He obtained his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in physics from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras and his doctorate in astrophysics from the University of California Santa Cruz. His research focuses on Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs), both in understanding their origins and in their use as probes of ionized matter in the universe. Sunil characterizes the host galaxies of FRBs, specifically the immediate neighborhood of the event, to look for recurring patterns in the gas content and composition. These patterns will yield clues regarding what progenitors are responsible for the bursts. On the other hand, regardless of their origin, their unique signal provides a sensitive probe of otherwise invisible ionized gas that pervades the universe. With FRBs and the FLIMFLAM survey that Sunil is leading the analysis for, he hopes to shed light on how galactic processes fling matter out into the wider universe.
Aside from his research, Sunil is interested in mentoring undergraduates in short-term research projects. In his free time, he enjoys landscape and bird photography and loves going on hikes.