EDUCATION

University of Toronto September 2025 -

PhD - Astronomy & Astrophysics

University of Toronto September 2021 - June 2025

HBSc: Astronomy & Physics Specialist, Computer Science Minor, Math Minor
Final CGPA: 3.67/4.00.

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AWARDS

PhD Entrance Scholarship: $5000 2025

Awarded by the David A. Dunlap Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics.

Dorothy Helen Mcrobb Scholarship: $1800 2025

Awarded by Woodsworth College; based on academic merit in the most recent academic session.

Greg Mori Award: $2000 2024

Awarded by the University of Toronto; based on academic merit and financial need.

Leslie Langbord Saunders Scholarship: $4100 2022

Awarded by the Faculty of Arts & Science to 1st year physics students; based on academic merit.

Rose M. Patten Scholarship: $2300 2021

Admission scholarship awarded by Woodsworth College.

University of Toronto Scholar Award: $7500 2021

Admission scholarship awarded by the University of Toronto.

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PUBLICATIONS

As supporting author

1. The CHIME/FRB Collaboration + 84 co-authors including Sachdeva, G. (2025). FRB 20250316A: A Brilliant and Nearby One-Off Fast Radio Burst Localized to 13 parsec Precision. Submitted to The Astrophysical Journal Letters. arXiv:2506.19006v1.

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RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

Sensitivity Characterization of the CHIME/FRB Hat Creek Outrigger May 2025 -

• Supervised by Juan Mena-Parra and Mattias Lazda.
• Completing the commissioning process for the Hat Creek Outrigger telescope.
• Calculating noise profiles of the telescope’s signal chains to constrain interferometric sensitivity.
• Remotely diagnosing problematic components; planning and performing repairs during site visits.
• Main skills: Python and shell programming, data analysis, radio instrumentation.

Accretion Disk Collision Simulations for QPEs in AREPO September 2024 -

• Supervised by Chris Matzner and Pavan Vynatheya.
• Investigating star collisions with accretion disks as potential progenitors of quasi-periodic eruptions, using AREPO simulations.
• Main skills: Python and shell programming, data visualization, hydrodynamics simulations.

Kozai-Lidov Oscillations & Hierarchical Secular Dynamics in celmech September 2024 - April 2025

• In a year-long research course supervised by Sam Hadden.
• Calculated, programmed, and tested analytic solutions to the equations of motion for Kozai-Lidov oscillations in preparation for implementation in celmech.
• Achieved 10- to 100-fold reductions in computational cost compared to numerical integrators in simulations of 3-body systems of interest.
• Main skills: Python and shell programming, complex analysis, Hamiltonian mechanics.

CHIME-KKO VLBI Pulse Calibration with Temporally Distant Calibrators May 2024 - September 2024

• Supervised by Juan Mena-Parra and Mattias Lazda.
• Learned the fundamentals of interferometry and radio astronomy and instrumentation.
• Augmented existing very-long-baseline interferometry (VLBI) pipeline to test sub-optimal pulsar calibrator performance on the CHIME-KKO Outrigger baseline.
• Corroborated existing constraints on calibrator stability over week-long timescales.
• Main skills: Python and shell programming, data analysis, pipeline development.

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WORK EXPERIENCE

Teaching Assistant - AST101 (The Sun and Its Neighbours) September 2025 - December 2025

David A. Dunlap Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of Toronto

• Review and provide feedback on exams to improve readability and fairness.
• Create questions to be used on exams, considering that students are from non-science programs.
• Invigilate, develop marking schemes for, and grade exams.

Math and Physics Tutor June 2021 - June 2025

Private via Superprof

• 1230+ hours tutoring first year undergraduate and grade 11-12 math and physics.
• Applied practical teaching methods to improve problem solving skills, focusing on how to think, not just do.
• 5/5 star student rating.

Teaching Assistant - AST320 (Introduction to Astrophysics) January - May 2025

David A. Dunlap Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of Toronto

• Applied to this TA position on recommendation from the professor based on my performance in the course.
• Hosted tutorials and office hours teaching students versatile problem solving techniques in astrophysics.
• Created fair and rigorous rubrics for homework assignments; graded assignments and tests.

Teaching Assistant - MAT136 (Calculus II) January - May 2025

Department of Mathematics, University of Toronto

• Led weekly tutorials on integral calculus, series, and ODEs.
• Hosted office hours, maintained online discussion board, and graded assignments.

Teaching Assistant - MAT135 (Calculus I) September - December 2023

Department of Mathematics, University of Toronto

• Led weekly tutorials teaching students critical thinking and problem solving skills in differential calculus.
• Invigilated tests; marked tests and assignments well before deadlines.
• Voluntarily helped maintain online student Q&A forum, contributing dozens of detailed answers over the semester.

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VOLUNTEERING & OTHER EXPERIENCE

AstroTours September 2025 -

Interactive Media Coordinator

• Co-organize outreach events enabling members of the public to learn about astronomical instrumentation and research at the University of Toronto.
• Responsible for setting up demonstrations at monthly events, including interactive gravity demos and 3D-printed model satellites.

Graduate Astronomy Students Association September 2025 -

Undergraduate Astronomy Union Ambassador

• Co-organize mixers and other events to establish stronger academic and personal connections between undergraduate and graduate students and the rest of the department.
• Attend weekly meetings with Undergraduate Astronomy Union executives to encourage collaboration in outreach and student advocacy efforts.

Undergraduate Astronomy Union September 2022 - June 2025

2nd Year Rep. (2022-23); VP Communications (2023-24); VP Operations (2024-25)

• Organized and hosted research presentations, telescope observation nights, cabin trips, and other events.
• Managed major expenditures including department-wide merchandise orders and cabin trip transportation.
• Created and managed a Discord server to facilitate an online community of astronomy students.
• Mediated and recorded weekly meetings with executives, ensuring smooth event planning and execution.

Physics Recognized Study Group September 2021 - April 2022

Group Leader

• Facilitated weekly study sessions for first year physics courses through UofT’s Recognized Study Group Program.
• Guided study sessions with 5 peers, collaboratively revising course content and completing practice problems.

Turner Fenton Astronomy Club September 2019 - June 2021

Founder

• Maintained a social media presence for the club, promoting events and scientific literacy.
• Hosted weekly astronomy discussions for students, posing and trying to answer questions about astronomy news.
• Organized public outreach events enabling attendees to observe the Moon, Sun, and planets using an amateur-grade telescope.

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SKILLS

Programming Languages:

• Python (proficient)
• Java (novice)
• C (novice)
• LaTeX (proficient)
• HTML & CSS (novice)

Languages:

• English (native)
• French (conversational)
• Punjabi (conversational)
• Japanese (novice; N5-N4)