Curriculum Vitae

Luis Alberto Canizares - canizares (at) cp.dias.ie


Education

Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies / Trinity College Dublin

PhD in Solar Physics (in progress)

  • PhD Project title: "Space Weather with the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) and NASA’s Parker Solar Probe and ESA’s Solar Orbiter".
  • Supervisors: Prof. Peter Gallagher and Dr. Eoin Carley

Imperial College London

MSc Advanced Computational Methods for Aeronautics, Flow Management and Fluid-Structure Interaction

  • Masters Research Project: "Deployable Compliant Booms for Nano-Satellite Missions".

Dublin City University

BSc Physics with Astronomy

  • Awarded with the ‘top-ranked student of the year’ in 1st and 2nd Year.
  • 4th year thesis: “Exoplanet atmospheric Characterisation using the Rossiter McLaughlin Effect.”
  • Founder and President of DCU Space and Robotics Club

Trinity College Dublin

BAI Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering

  • 4th year thesis: “Phase Change on Nanostructured Surfaces”.
  • Awarded “the best Management for Engineers” project in 3rd year.
  • Winner of the 2012 “Trinity Engineering Student Entrepreneurs of the Year Competition” with the project Boundless.

Work Experience

University of Notre Dame

Research Experience for Undergraduates - REU

  • Investigated the nature of the Cataclysmic Variable “GY Cnc”.
  • Used Python to automate and analyse the large datasets obtained from the Kepler Space Telescope.
  • Published report titled ‘Analysis of the cataclysmic variable GY Cnc light curve over two K2 campaigns.
  • Published a research note at the American Astronomical Society.

Irish Low Frequency Array, LOFAR

Building Team Member

  • Built and installed the I-LOFAR Telescope in Birr, Ireland.
  • Set up the antennas and instrumentation of radio astronomy.
  • Optimised the process of building the telescope and ensured all equipment met the quality standards.

EADS Astrium (Airbus Defence and Space)

Satellite Payload Mechanical Design Intern

  • Aided designers in the use of CATIA CAD Platform.
  • Optimisation of satellite database and design process.
  • Upgraded applications into more user-friendly interfaces.
  • Tested and debugged software used for visualisation and design.

Technical University Berlin

Research Intern

  • Research project for the development of advanced manufacturing techniques of microscopic edges.
  • Developed a Matlab program to determine the quality of the manufacturing process.
  • This software was published by Mathworks under the name Aquiles and is available open-source.

First Tutors / Science in a Box

Science, Maths and Physics Tutor

  • Grinds for Junior and Leaving Certificate students.
  • Primary school co-teacher, teaching science to three classes of 30 children each.

NOTABLE PROJECTS AND AWARDS

Irish Research Council

2019 Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship

  • Awarded for the purpose of completing a PhD in Space Weather with the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) and NASA’s Parker Solar Probe and ESA’s Solar Orbiter. Scholarship commenced on September of 2019.

Naughton Foundation Fellowship

Naughton NOTRE DAME Scholarship

  • Selected to participate in the REU programme at the University of Notre Dame.
  • Awarded $8,500 for travel and living expenses.

DCU Space And Robotics Club, SPARC

Founder and President of the first astronomy and robotics club in DCU.

  • Club featured in the March issue of the Astronomy Ireland Magazine.
  • Managed many projects including sumo robots, DIY 3D printer, quadcopter drone, Mars rover and rocket.
  • Organized and presented the science Podcast “Sparc it up”.
  • Organized a trip abroad for 20 people to see the northern lights in Iceland.

James Dyson Award

National Winner 2013

  • Awarded for the development of Boundless, an innovative adjustable snowboard binding that lets the snowboarder move with more freedom in flat areas and gives an increased comfort in chairlifts.

Publications

Research Notes

  • Cañizares LA, Garnavich P, Littlefield C, Pepper J, Bieryla A, Awiphan S, et al. An Improved Orbital Period for GY Cancri Based on Two K2 Campaigns. Research Notes of the American Astronomical Society. 2018 Oct;2(4):184.

Matlab - MathWorks

  • Published Software known as “Aquiles” in MathWorks file exchange. Over 700 downloads since submission.