Janelle Sy | Data Science

Hi, I'm Janelle Sy!

I’m a recent graduate from NYU with a Masters of Science in Physics. During my studies, I conducted research on various astrophysical subjects and analyzed complex data sets with Python. I have done work in galaxy evolution, X-Ray binary systems, and “weighing” supermassive black holes. While astrophysics has been a rewarding field, I am now seeking a new challenge in the data science industry!

Resume

About Me

I am a dedicated researcher with a passion for astronomy and data science. Throughout my academic career, I have contributed to several astrophysics research projects and have extensive experience in data analysis and programming with Python.

At NYU, my research focused on analyzing large datasets from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey to study galaxy evolution and active galactic nuclei. I have presented my research at conferences to both technical and non-technical audiences. You can check out my github repo for this project here.

I am originally from Southern California, and graduated summa cum laude from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona with my Bachelors of Science in Physics. During my undergraduate studies, I conducted research on X-ray binary systems and analyzed observational data from the Hubble Space Telescope to measure the mass of a black hole. Check out the github for this work here.

Now that my graduate studies has concluded, I am excited to pursue a new route in the data science industry, where I can leverage my analytical and programming skills. I’m eager to find opportunities that will allow me to apply my skills and knowledge in a challenging and dynamic work environment. I’m passionate about making a positive impact and look forward to working with a team that values innovation, excellence, and growth.

My Skills and Technologies:

Python
Matplotlib
NumPy
Pandas
SciKit-Learn
R
SQL
Tableau

Data Science Experience

New York University
California State Polytechnic University Pomona
University of California Irvine

Graduate Research Assistant - New York University

May 2022 - May 2023

Github

Utilized Python to analyze large datasets consisting of 10,000 galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, identifying key trends and patterns to inform research on galaxy formation and evolution.
Employed data cleaning, transformation, and visualization techniques to streamline analysis.

Student Researcher - California State Polytechnic University Pomona

Fall 2019 - Spring 2021

Arxiv Publication

Implemented Python to perform ultraviolet spectroscopy analysis of an X-ray binary system using observations from the Hubble Space Telescope.
Utilized Matplotlib to plot characteristic emission lines, track the motion of the binary’s donor star, and calculate its radial shift and black hole mass. Results were published in The Astrophysical Journal, a top peer-reviewed journal.

Student Intern - University of California Irvine

Jun 2020 - Aug 2020

Analyzed observational astronomy data from the Atacama Large Millimeter Array in Python and implemented a gas kinematic model to produce a robust and reliable supermassive black hole mass estimate in the galaxy NGC 4786.
Implemented MCMC optimization techniques by adapting and utilizing existing code to fit the gas kinematic models, resulting in significantly improved fits to data.
Communicated results at the 237th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society, a national conference attended by leading researchers in the astronomy field.

Education

2021 - 2023

Master of Science in Physics

New York University

Relevant Coursework: Statistics and Data Science, Graduate Level Computational Physics

2017 - 2021

Bachelor of Science in Physics

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Relevant Coursework: Linear Algebra, Calculus, Differential Equations, Computational Physics

Projects

Python Astrophysics Research Big Data

Galaxy Classification

An analysis and visualization of the light coming from 10,000 galaxies captured by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Click the github logo to check out the Python script I wrote to measure the brightness at the center of each galaxy and visualize these measurements on a scatter plot for galaxy classification.

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Python Astrophysics Research

X-Ray Binaries

A spectroscopic analysis on the X-ray binary system, NGC 300 X-1, resulting in a robust calculation of its black hole mass. Additional research includes using simulations from the Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics to constrain the progenitor system of NGC 300 X-1.

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Python Statistics & Data Science Maximum Likelihood Estimation

Using Likelihood Profiles to Find Secondary Signals

A project I did using likelihood profiles and maximum likelihood estimation techniques to detect secondary sinusoidal signals in sample data. This project leveraged statistical modeling and optimization to accurately estimate the parameters of the secondary signals.

Python Statistics & Data Science Probability Sampling

Uncertatinty Ellipses & Markhov Chain Monte Carlo Optimization

Project using covariance matrices to plot uncertainty ellipses. Also includes a simple MH MCMC sampler of a Gaussian probability density.

Python Statistics & Data Science SciKit-Learn High Dimensional Data Dimensionality Reduction

Gaussian Process Regression

Application of Gaussian Process Regression (GPR) to accurately fit a sinusoidal signal by using the Matern 3/2 kernel. This project leveraged GPR's ability to capture complex patterns and handle noise in the data.