C.V.

Full C.V. can be found here (updated September 24, 2018).

Education

2017 – 2022 (expected): Astronomy and Astrophysics Ph.D. student, UC Santa Cruz. Advisor: Ryan J. Foley

2017: Bachelor in Classical Philology (with honors), Universidad de Costa Rica.

2016: Bachelor in Physics, Universidad de Costa Rica.

August 2010 – June 2011: Physics at Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona, Spain. Erasmus Mundus Scholarship.

Refereed Publications

  • First author

1) Rojas-Bravo, C., Araya, M. (2016). “Search for gamma-ray emission from star-forming galaxies with Fermi LAT” . MNRAS 463, 1068-1073. NASA ADS

  • Co-author

1) Coulter, D. et al. (incl. Rojas-Bravo, C.), 2017: “Swope Supernova Survey 2017a (SSS17a), the Optical Counterpart to a Gravitational Wave Source”. Science. 358, 1556-1558.

2) Kilpatrick, C.. et al. (incl. Rojas-Bravo, C.), 2017: “Electromagnetic Evidence that SSS17a is the Result of a Binary Neutron Star Merger”. Science. 358, 1583-1587.

3) Drout, M.R. et al. (incl. Rojas-Bravo, C.), 2017: “Light Curves of the Neutron Star Merger GW170817/SSS17a: Implications for R-Process Nucleosynthesis”. Science.  358, 1570-1574.

4) Siebert, M. et al. (incl. Rojas-Bravo, C.), 2017: “The Unprecedented Properties ot the First Electromagnetic Counterpart to a Gravitational Wave Source”. ApJL 848: L26. 

5) Murguia-Berthier, A. et al. (incl. Rojas-Bravo, C.), 2017: “A Neutron Star Binary Merger Model For GW170817/GRB170817A/SSS17A”. ApJL. 848: L34.

6) Pan, Y-C. et al. (incl. Rojas-Bravo, C.), 2017: “The Old Host-Galaxy Environment of SSS17A, The First Electromagnetic Counterpart to a Gravitational Wave Source”. ApJL. 848: L30.

7) Abbott, B.P. et al (incl. Rojas-Bravo, C). 2017. “A gravitational-wave standard siren measurement of the Hubble constant”. Nature.  551, 85–88.

8) Abbott, B.P. et al (incl. Rojas-Bravo, C). 2017. “Multi-messenger Observations of a Binary Neutron Star Merger”. ApJL. 848: L12. 

9) Tartaglia,L. et al. (incl. Rojas-Bravo, C). 2017. “The early detection and follow-up of the highly obscured Type II supernova 2016ija/DLT16am”. ApJ 853:62.

10) Kilpatrick, C. et al. (incl. Rojas-Bravo, C). 2018. “X-ray Limits on the Progenitor System of the Type Ia Supernova 2017ejb”. MNRAS, accepted.

Other publications

Proceedings

1)  Rojas-Bravo, C., Araya, M. (2017). “Star-forming Galaxy Search with Fermi-LAT”. Proceedings of the 6th International Symposium on High-Energy Gamma-Ray Astronomy (Gamma2016), Heidelberg, Germany. AIP Conference Proceedings 1792, 050010. DOI: 10.1063/1.4968956.

Astronomer’s Telegrams

Twenty Astronomer’s Telegrams in total: 10518, 10559, 10593, 10620, 10654, 10868, 10908, 10966, 10996, 11009, 11170, 11284, 11433, 11629, 11707, 11735, 11736, 11914, 11921, 12041.

 

Other

1) Rojas, C. (2013). “Why I didn’t like the Hobbit movie” (first The Hobbit film review). Mallorn: The Journal of the Tolkien Society. 54.

Honors and Awards

2017: Part of the scientific Breakthrough of the Year discovery.

2017: Regents’ Fellowship, UC Santa Cruz

2014: Highest overall score of the Classical Philology carreer: Universidad de Costa Rica.

2010: Erasmus Mundus Scholarship.

2006: Gold Medal, Costa Rican Physics Olympics. High school level.

2006: Gold Medal, Costa Rican Mathematics Olympics. High school level.

Oral and poster presentations

1) “Search for gamma-ray emission from star-forming galaxies with Fermi LAT” (Poster), at International School of Cosmic Ray Astrophysics “Maurice M. Shapiro” – ISCRA 2016 . Ettore Majorana Centre, Erice, Sicily, Italy. August 1-7, 2016

2) “Search for gamma-ray emission from star-forming galaxies with Fermi LAT” (Oral presentation), at 6th International Symposium on High-Energy Gamma-ray Astronomy (Gamma2016). Heidelberg, Germany. July 11-15, 2016.

3) “Search for gamma-ray emission from star-forming galaxies with Fermi LAT” (Oral presentation), at School on Dark Matter. Sao Paulo, Brazil. June 27 – July 9, 2016.

4) “Extragalactic Gamma-ray Astronomy with the Fermi Telescope and HAWC” (Oral presentation) at “37th International School for Young Astronomers, ISYA 2015” Honduras. November 23- December 11, 2015.

5) “The experience and discovery of the electromagnetic counterpart of neutron star merger GW170818” (in Spanish). Invited and closing talk at “24 Hours of Physics”. Universidad de Costa Rica, Costa Rica. December 15, 2017.

Observing experience

  • Lick Observatory – Optical Spectroscopy (Kast): 16 nights
  • Keck Observatory – Optical Spectroscopy (LRIS): 5 nights (remotely)
  • Kitt Peak Observatory – Optical Spectroscopy (Mayall/KOSMOS): 4 nights (remotely)
  • SOAR – National Optical Astronomy Observatory – Optical Spectroscopy (Goodman): 2 nights (remotely)
  • Lick Observatory – Optical photometry (Nickel): 5 nights

(Some) Other symposia and schools attended

2016: ESAOBELA – Latin American Observational Astronomy School. UNAM/INAOE. Puebla, México. January 10-29. 

2015: Workshop on Astrophysics and General Relativity: Astro-GR 2015. ICTP, São Paulo, Brazil. August 11-15.

2015: School on Gravitational Waves: from theory and back. ICTP, São Paulo, Brazil. August 3-11.