Former NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellows (NSF AAPF)

Elizabeth Newton 2016-2019
Elisabeth received her PhD in Astronomy & Astrophysics from Harvard University in 2016 with her thesis “The Evolution of Rotation and Magnetism in Small Stars Near the Sun”. She earned her B.S. in Physics from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 2009. Her research focuses on the physics of nearby, low mass stars (red dwarfs, or M dwarfs), and the planets that orbit them. Elisabeth uses observations to investigate their fundamental stellar properties, angular momentum evolution, and magnetic field generation. Elisabeth is enthusiastic about mentoring and outreach. She helped found  Astrobites, a blog that communicates current research in astronomy to an undergraduate audience, and ComSciCon, a national workshop on science communication for graduate students. As part of her NSF Fellowship, Elizabeth taught an introductory astronomy course in Massachusetts state prisons through the Boston University Prison Education Program.

Kathy Cooksey 2010-2013
Kathy received her PhD in Astronomy & Astrophysics from the University of California,  Santa Cruz in 2009 with her thesis “Probing the Chemical Composition of the z <1 Intergalactic Medium with Observations and Simulations. Her advisor was Professor J. Xavier Prochaska. She earned her M.S. in Astronomy & Astrophysics from University of California, Santa Cruz in 2005, and her B.S. in Physics from Valparaiso University in 2003.