Ayush Pandhi – NSERC CGS-D Scholar

I am a fifth year PhD candidate and NSERC CGS-D scholar at the David A. Dunlap Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics in the University of Toronto. Prior to that, I completed an Honours Bachelor of Science, specializing in Astronomy and Astrophysics, from Victoria College at the University of Toronto.

My research focuses on using radio frequency observations to study the role of magnetic fields in various astrophysical processes and environments. As a part of the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment fast radio burst (CHIME/FRB) project, I produced and analyzed the largest polarimetric sample of FRB sources to date and I am interested in using their polarization properties to elucidate FRB emission mechanisms, their circumburst environments, and using them to map the structure of magnetic fields in our Galaxy and in the intergalactic medium. A cornerstone of my work is incorporating cutting edge statistical inference methods to reconstruct continuous magnetic field structure from discrete, noisy observations.

Another avenue of my interest includes understanding the role of magnetic fields in the process of star formation. The preferred orientation of dust grains in the interstellar medium informs us about the local Galactic magnetic field morphology and, combined with high resolution radio observations of dense molecular gas tracers, I study how the orientation and rotation of dense cores (proginetors of stars) align with the ambient magnetic fields. This type of analysis sheds light on the balace of gravity, turbulence, and magnetic pressure in the earliest stages of star formation and how these cores evolve into stellar systems.

Much of my research is conducted as a part of scientific collaborations, working with researchers across the world. Currently I am a part of the:
Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping fast radio burst (CHIME/FRB) experiment,
Polarisation Sky Survey of the Universe’s Magnetism (POSSUM) collaboration,
Green Bank Ammonia Survey (GAS), and
Interstellar Magnetic Field Inference Engine (IMAGINE) consortium.

Using the tabs above, you can find more information about my research, a curated list of my publications, teaching and outreach initiatives (including student supervision), and you can download my curriculum vitae.