Keaton Burns is from Bolton, Massachusetts and first became interested in physics during high school when he spent a summer as an intern at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory.  As an undergraduate at UC Berkeley, he also became interested in numerical methods and how to computationally study astrophysical problems.  Keaton’s undergraduate research included internships at the SETI Institute and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, where he developed simulations to explore the orbital stability of multiple asteroid systems and the magnetorotational instability in accretion discs.  Keaton completed his Bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics, physics, and astrophysics in 2012.  The following year he studied fluid mechanics in Part III of the Mathematical Tripos at the University of Cambridge, and received a Master’s degree in mathematics.  

As an entering graduate student in MIT’s Department of Physics, Keaton is generally interested in analytically and computational studying dynamical systems.  In particular, he hopes to explore problems in fluid mechanics with geophysical and astrophysical applications, and associated numerical methods.  Keaton will be supported through the MIT Kavli Graduate Fellowship and the National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship.

The Kavli Graduate Fellowship was established with generous gifts from Fred Kavli and The Kavli Foundation, to further our mission of providing an intellectual home for students engaged in space-related research.