Overview
I’m Aiden Zelakiewicz (he/him), a PhD student at Cornell University since Fall 2023. My research lies at the intersection of exoplanetary science, habitability, and computational astronomy. I work with Professors Lisa Kaltenegger and Dmitry Savransky to model Earth-like exoplanets as they might appear through the Habitable Worlds Observatory, examining both the characteristics of these planets and our capacity to detect them. I earned my B.S. in Astronomy & Astrophysics from THE Ohio State University in Spring 2023, where I conducted research on extinction maps with the United Kingdom InfraRed Telescope (UKIRT) under the guidance of Prof. B. Scott Gaudi and Dr. Samson A. Johnson. Additionally, I am a counselor at the University of Arizona’s Astronomy Camp, where I help introduce middle and high school students to hands-on astronomy.
In my time not scraping seconds off my code runtime, I can be found practicing guitar, taking "not bad" photos, and playing video games. I also enjoy making subpar coffee while claiming it is heaven on Earth