CV
Education
- B.Sc. in Astrophysics with Distinction, Western University, 2021
- Honors Specialization in Astrophysics, Minor in Advanced Physics.
- Major GPA: 3.7.
- M.Sc. in Astronomy, Western University, 2023
- Thesis: “Probing the Photo-Chemical Evolution of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons using Machine Learning Techniques.”
- GPA: 3.97.
Work experience
- Sept 2022 - April 2023: Data Science Intern
- Scotiabank
- Working on the International Banking AIML Pricing Team to leverage distributed computing tools for analysis, data mining, and modeling. Applying model and algorithm testing strategies to evaluate and evolve models to drive business value.
- January 2022 - Present: Data Analyst Intern
- Kroll
- Duties and accomplishments include: Worked closely with the Data Engineering teams to develop enterprise-grase cloud-based ETL pipeline for client data from business teams; worked in data warehousing in schema design for cross-unit databases. Worked with Data Stewardship/Management team on enterprise-wide data cataloging and compliance efforts. Worked with Data Science teams on the development of a fintech dashboard leveraging data science and machine learning techniqies to gauge market insights; coordinated search for API resources for this tool as well as communicaiton with third-party vendors. I was also happy to lead and participate in machine learning discussions and functional knowledge transfer sessions.
- 2021 - Present: Graduate Student Research Fellow
- Western Univeristy
- Experimentation with diagnostic power of the combination of unsupervised learning (divisive and agglomerative clustering, Random Forest Classifiers) to characterize variability in large carbonaceous grains in space. My use of data from the James Webb Space Telescope will mark this a revolutionary study in the field at the intersection of data science and astrophysics. Publications in development.
- Duties Include: Leading first-year physics laboratories and demonstrations in addition to research duties.
- Supervisor: Dr. Els Peeters
- May 2021 - August 2021: High-Energy Black Hole Physics Researcher - Thesis project extension
- Western University
- Fitting multi-epoch energy distributions in various wavelength regimes for ultra-luminous, high-energy quasars using novel software package, SimBAL, in addition to Python packages in order to fully constrain outflow and quasar properties. Building the foundation of a dynamical model to probe the relationship between quasar outflows and host galaxy evolution.
- Supervisor: Dr. Sarah Gallagher
- May 2019 - April 2021: Black Hole and Interstellar Object Physics Researcher – Thesis project
- Western University
- Wrote a collection of Python ETL scripts in order to successfully mine and process large amounts of astronomical data from online databases such as NED and SDSS. These data were organized using a tool of my own creation central to the search for variability in the high-energy quasars observed. Using a nnovel softwarre package, SimBAL, in order ot fit multi-epoch spectra of a confirmed variable “FeLoBAL Quasar” in order to contrain a physical, dynamical model of its powerful mass outflow through this complex time-domain variability study.
- Organization of large amounts of data retrieved from the SIMBAD database using a series of my own SQL scripts in an effort to contrain the spatial origins of interstellar objects and their trajectories through space using numerical simulations.
- Used the Gemini-IRAF software to successfully organize a data reduction (ETL) pipeline for energy distribution data for a neaby powerful Active Galactic Nucleus. Completion of the reduction of this large astronomical dataset following dvelopment of pipeline itself.
- Supervisor: Dr. Sarah Gallagher
Skills
- Python ( Pandas, Numpy, Astropy, SciPy, Scikit-Learn, Matplotlib, Tensorflow, Keras, PyTorch, Sherpa, Seaborn)
- MATLAB
- R
- SQL (MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite)
- Git
- Linux, Mac, Windows OS
- Microsoft Azure (AZ-900 Azure, DP-900 Data, DP-203 Data Engineering Certifications)
- Microsoft Suite
Publications
- The Cause of Variability in FeLoBAL Quasar SDSS J122933.32+262131.2
Talks
- The Cause of Variability in FeLoBAL Quasar SDSS J122933.32+262131.2
- Given at Western University Undergraduate Thesis colloquia, May 2021.
- Thesis presentation at Colloquia
- The Cause of Variability in FeLoBAL Quasar SDSS J122933.32+262131.2
- Given at the Apache Point Observatory Science Symposium, July 2021
[Thesis presentation at APO Science Symposium] (https://github.com/sofiapasquini/sofiapasquini.github.io/files/APO Talk.pptx)
- The Cause of Variability in FeLoBAL Quasar SDSS J122933.32+262131.2
- Poster Presentation given at the annual Canadian Astronomical Society AGM (CASCA 2021), May 2021
- [Thesis presentation poster at CASCA 2021]
- (https://github.com/sofiapasquini/sofiapasquini.github.io/files/CASCA Poster.pptx)
Teaching
- Physics 1201A: First-Year Physics I and Physics Laboratories
- Physics 1202B: First-Year Physics II and Physics Laboratories
Awards
- Dean’s honor list: 2017-2021.
- The Western Scholarship of Distinction, 2017.
- Dr. Gerard Hebert Scholarship in Physics, 2020.
- Maude Holt Kingston Gold Medal- Honors Specialization in Astronomy, 2021.
- Western Graduate Research Scholarship- Astronomy, 2021-2023.