Welcome!

Self-proclaimed space cowgirl, I am a Galactic archaeologist investigating the origins of the Milky Way at the University of Texas at Austin advised by Dr. Keith Hawkins. I research the chemodynamic evolution of the Milky Way by using stellar spectroscopy to analyze the chemical abundances of stars in our Galaxy, an endeavor that started when I obtained my B.S. in Astrophysics from the University of Florida.

Research

In general, I am interested in anything having to do with the formation of the Milky Way, from large survey studies like my work on azimuthal metallicity variations in the Galactic disk, to metal-poor stars in the Galactic halo (like HETDEX stars or Gaia BH3), to any kind of anomalous stars in between (like MAEs).

With the wealth of information we get from large spectroscopic surveys like APOGEE or GALAH, I enjoy looking for Galaxy-wide trends in the chemodynamics of stars to see what we can learn about our Galaxy. Conversely, I also love doing boutique, high-resolution spectroscopic analyses of individual stars to derive chemical abundances, especially pushing to the heavy-element regime.

A bit about me!

Born and raised Floridian, I love to bask in the sunlight! With my family hailing from Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, I try to emanate the Caribbean's love of life - and the beach. On days that I am not working, I love to travel and be in nature, whether it's for a camping trip or a music festival! I am also known to love a good book, yoga practice, and an iced oat milk dirty chai with lavender.

Avid lover of astronomy and craft beer, I am happy to be an organizer of Austin's Astronomy on Tap. Check us out!

Astronomy is an inclusive space.

I am fully committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive envrionment in Astronomy. I believe that our abilities and experiences shape the lens through which we approach science. Most importantly, science is done by humans! All humans deserve equal access and opportunities in science.

sirEN Conference

I presented my work on the peculiar red giant-black hole system GaiaBH3 in the beautiful Adriatic beach town Guilianova.

Board of Visitors Talk

I gave a public talk to the members of the Board of Visitors at McDonald Observatory and took them on an investigation throughout the Galactic disk.

Master's Defense

Howdy! I presented my Master's Defense at UT Austin in Spring of 2024 with a space cowgirl twist, taking the audience on a journey throughout the Galactic Frontier.

SDSS-V Conference

I had the amazing opprotunity to present my work on azimuthal metallicity variations in the Galactic disk to an extremely welcoming and engaging crowd.

Girl Scout Presentation

In 2022 I was able to present an interactive lecture to elementary-aged girl scouts! I am deeply passionate about fostering the love for science in young women and gender-nonconforming people.

McDonald Observatory

I have the privilege of observing at McDonald Observatory as a part of my research, one of my favorite parts of astronomy.

NLTE Conference

The 2023 Stellar Properties from NLTE Radiative Transfer conference at which I presented about the key witnesses of Galactic evolution -- stars.

Florida Gator

I graduated with my B.S. in Astrophysics from the University of Florida in 2021 after working with Dr. Rana Ezzeddine for two years.

Publications

Linked below are projects that I have conducted with some amazing colleagues!

Azimuthal Variations in the Disk

Hackshaw et al 2024
Chemical azimuthal variations in the Galactic disk show age dependencies and tantalizing hints towards what dynamical process is causing this substructure!

Novel Uranium Lines

Shah et al 2023
New U II lines at 4050 and 4090 Å prove to be reliable and render abundances in agreement with the canonical 3859 Å line enabling robust calculations of nucleocosmochronometric ages.

Ultra Li-rich [Fe/H]-poor Red Giant

Kowkabany et al 2022
Discovery of a metal-poor ([Fe/H]=-2.43), r-process enhanced ([Eu/Fe]=+1.34) Milky Way Halo red giant with an ultra high Li abundance of A(Li)(3D,NLTE)=5.62 and [Li/Fe]=+7.00.