Dr Jennifer Anne Seiler jenn.seiler@gmail.com http://jennseiler.com I am a Ph.D. astrophysicist and avid problem solver in search of a stimulating position that will utilize my broad research, programming, and technical skills in an applied, ethical, and relevant way. ________________ Accomplishments Three of the Top Cited GR Papers of 2009 The three were: "Testing gravitational-wave (GW) searches with numerical relativity waveforms: Results from the first Numerical INJection Analysis (NINJA) project", "On the final spin from the coalescence of two black holes", and "The Final spin from the coalescence of aligned-spin black-hole binaries". I have a very high citation rate overall, but those also represent a fair sampling of my research progress. I entered the field of numerical relativity two years before the first successful binary black hole simulation in 2005. Since then I have been involved in some of the major discoveries of the field: 1. Developed a phenomenological formulae to predict the final spin, recoil, and orientation of a merged black hole given only initial data from the originating binary system. 2. We worked with data analysts with the LIGO detector in the NINJA project to test how successful our detector pipelines would be at identifying signals matched against the database of our numerical waveforms. 3. We matched post-Newtonian waveforms for binaries with large separations to numerically generated waveforms for close in binaries --where only numerical simulations can deal with the non-linearity of the system-- to produce very long and accurate waveforms for GW detection. Numerical Simulation of Black Hole Spacetimes I received a fellowship from the International Max-Planck Research School to do my PhD at the best institution in the world for numerical relativity, the Max-Planck Institut fuer Gravitationsphysik (Albert Einstein Institute). They have super-computer clusters devoted exclusively to relativity, and a large scale collaborative "toolkit" for numerical simulation called Cactus, written in C++. With gravitational wave detectors at design sensitivity the need for numerical GW templates for signal recognition by detector pipelines is an urgent problem. With that in mind, and the fact that binary black hole inspirals and mergers are the strongest potential source for GW signals, my research focused on improving numerical simulations, and on the generation of GWs both for detector templates and for astrophysics. I formulated a set of boundary conditions for artificial boundaries for a first order in time and second order in space formulation of the Einstein equations. I showed that these conditions reduce noise, reduce constraint violation, and increase stability for 3D simulations. My boundary conditions are now used in numerical simulations both within and outside of the field of numerical relativity. ________________ Skills Inter alia, Unix, C/C++, Python, Hadoop, Java, PHP, XML, SQL, Basic, Perl, Ruby, HTML, Fortran, LaTeX, JavaScript, Octave, MATLAB, HDF5, OpenDX, PBS, Globus, Scali, OpenMPI, MPICH, Lustre, Cactus, Arduino, vi, emacs, Photoshop, Mathematica ________________ Experience Postdoctoral Position, Columbia University 2013 - Present Postdoctoral position in the department of Statistics working on issues of researching issues of reproducibility in science. The main focus is ResearchCompendia.org. ResearchCompendia is a web service that allows researchers to run codes associated with scientific publications. The service allows authors of publications to create companion websites on which others may reproduce the paper's results. NASA Postdoctoral Position, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center 2010 - 2012 Extended postdoctoral position in the numerical relativity group in the Astrophysical Sciences Division for the LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) project. Numerical simulation of binary black hole spacetimes, electromagnetic counterparts to black hole interactions, and matter fields around binary black hole systems. I developed original code for the large scale simulations, data management, and both on-the-fly and post-processing data analysis of the precession of spins in binary systems. PhD Research Scholar, Max-Planck Institut fuer Gravitationsphysik 2005 - 2010 PhD work on numerical simulations of black hole spacetimes. My focus was on well-posed constraint preserving boundary conditions. With additional work on constraint damping methods, gravitational wave detectability, and phenomenological wave forms and predictions for binary final spin and kick. I wrote original code for all of these tasks, and ran a gammut of large simulations to cover the parameter space managed by my own job-running scripts and data management scripts. Undergraduate Researcher, Cornell University 2002 - 2004 Worked for Prof. Saul Teukolsky on software for the visualization and analysis of numerical simulations of solutions to the Einstein equations. These included inspiraling neutron stars and black holes systems, binary black holes, and accretion disks. Called DUSTVis, it is an OpenDX visualization program designed to be used with our Caltech/Cornell DUST algorithm. Undergraduate Researcher, Cornell University December 2004 - May 2004 Designed software for an industrial chemical waste exchange program, titled the National Trash to Treasure Network, for submission to the EPA as a project for voluntary participation offered to companies as an alternative to fines. A company can list its waste chemicals, or search for chemicals it needs. A learning algorithm finds other chemicals with similar properties for the buyer and evaluates the cost of transportation and processing. Internship, Fermi National Accelerator Lab May 2002 - August 2002 Participated in the Internship for Physics Majors Program (IPM). I designed and programmed the track-finding algorithm for the Level 1 Trigger Code for the BTeV project. After finding tracks, it looks for detached tracks which signify an exotic decay, on-the-fly in the detector firmware to determine which of the terabytes of incoming data to store, and which to dump. I decreased false positives by 17%. ________________ Education Ph.D., Physics -- Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics Magna Cum Laude -- 2005 - 2010 Thesis: Numerical Simulations of Binary Black Hole Spacetimes and a Novel Approach to Outer Boundaries 1. Atoms and Bits volunteer (technology workshops) 2. Journal club organizer 2005-2007 3. Teleconference technology support 2006-2008 4. Lecturer at Potsdam University B.A., Physics -- Cornell University Honors -- 2001 - 2005 Focus: Computational Physics, Numerical Relativity, and Discrete Mathematics 1. Volunteer for Big Brother Big Sisters 2. Volunteer for Planned Parenthood of the Southern Finger Lakes 2003-2005 3. Parliamentary Debate (APDA) at Cornell 2001-2002 4. Treasurer for the Cornell Chapter of Sigma Phi Sigma, Society of Physics Students 2003-2005 5. Sister in Sigma Chi Delta coed service fraternity since Fall 2002 ________________ Fellowships, Grants, and Awards 1. Visiting Scientist Grant from Universitat de les Illes Balears for October 2010 2. Three of the top cited GR papers of 2009 3. James Hartle Award: talk Constraint Preserving Boundaries in 2nd Order Format GRG18 4. NASA NY Space Grant 2003: For work under Saul Teukolsky on DUSTVis 5. Fermi National Accelerator Lab Internships for Physics Majors 2002: BTeV Trigger Algorithm 6. US DoD’s SEAP (Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program)2001 7. Award of Recognition of Outstanding Achievement 2001,US Naval Research Laboratory 8. Treasurer for the Cornell Chapter of Sigma Phi Sigma, Society of Physics Students 2003-2005 9. Recognition from Nat. Science Teachers Association 2000 10. Recognition from Graduate Women in Science (for Acoustic Thermometry of Sea Water) 11. Intel Science Talent Search Semifinalist 2001(for Longitudinal Flow in Au-Au Collisions) 12. University of Southern California Young Scientist of the Year 2000 13. CIA Outstanding Young Scientist (for Acoustic Thermometry of Sea Water) 14. Armed Forces Communications and Electronics scholarship and internship for summer of 1999 15. Award of Recognition: the Society of Women Engineers (Acoustic Thermometry of Sea Water) 16. Honors Science Program at Michigan State University in the National Superconducting Cyclotron 17. Physlink.com Young Scientist of the Year 2000 (for Acoustic Thermometry of Sea Water) ________________ Publications L. Rezzolla, P. Diener, E. N. Dorband, D. Pollney, C. Reisswig, E. Schnetter, J. Seiler.The Final Spin From the Coalescence of Aligned-spin Black-hole Binaries.Astrophysical Journal 674 (2008) L29. Preprint: arXiv.org:0710.3345 [gr-qc] L. Rezzolla, E. Barausse, E.N. Dorband, D. Pollney, C. Reisswig, J. Seiler and S. Husa. On the final spin from the coalescence of two black holes. Physical Review D78 (2008) 044002. Preprint: arXiv:0712.3541 [gr-qc] J. Seiler, B. Szilagyi, D. Pollney. Constraint Preserving Boundaries for a Generalized Harmonic Evolution Systems. Classical and Quantum Gravity 25 (2008) 175020. Preprint: arXiv:0802.3341 [gr-qc] B. Aylott, et al.(including J. Seiler). Testing gravitational-wave searches with numerical relativity waveforms: Results from the first Numerical INJection Analysis (NINJA) project. Classical Quantum Gravity 26 (2009) 165008. Preprint: arXiv:0901.4399 [gr-qc]. B. Aylott, et al.(including J. Seiler). Status of NINJA: the Numerical INJection Analysis project. Classical Quantum Gravity 26 (2009) 114008. Preprint: arXiv:0905.4227 [gr-qc] C. Reisswig, S. Husa, L. Rezzolla, E. Dorband, D. Pollney and J. Seiler. Gravitational-wave detectability of equal-mass black-hole binaries with aligned spins. Physical Reveiw D 80 (2009) 124026. Preprint: arXiv:0907.0462 [gr-qc] L. Santamaria, F. Ohme, P. Ajith, B. Bruegmann, N. Dorband, M. Hannam, S. Husa, P. Moesta, D. Pollney, C. Reisswig, E. L. Robinson, J. Seiler, B. Krishnan. Matching post-Newtonian and numerical relativity waveforms: systematic errors and a new phenomenological model for non-precessing black hole binaries. Physical Reveiw D 82 (2010) 064016. Preprint: arXiv:1005.3306 [gr-qc] P. Ajith, M. Hannam, S. Husa, Y. Chen, B. Bruegmann, N. Dorband, D. Muller, F. Ohme, D. Pollney, C. Reisswig, L. Santamaria, J. Seiler. ``Complete'' gravitational-waveforms for black-hole binaries with non-precessing spins. Phys. Rev. Lett. 106(2011) 241101. Preprint: arXiv:0909.2867 [gr-qc] ________________ In Preparation J. Seiler, V. Stodden, S. Miguez. ResearchCompendia.org: Connection Computation To Publication. [in preparation: May 2014] J. Seiler, V. Stodden. Reproducibility Upon Request: An Empirical Evaluation of Published Computational Science. [in preparation: May 2014] ________________ Extracurricular Interests Physics outreach, Fire performance (poi, rope dart, staff), Open source programming, Electronics, Arduino, Science outreach, Rock climbing, Skiing, Hiking, Kayaking, Debate, Go, Multimedia installation art, Vegetarian cooking