Graduate Mentors (GradMAP) Coordinator

Caroline Anna Roberts, Ph.D.
Title/Position
Graduate Mentor Program (GradMAP) Coordinator
Instructional Services Specialist
Caroline received her BS in Physics from Sewanee: The University of the South and her MS in Physics and PhD in Astronomy from Georgia State University. In the University of Iowa Department of Physics and Astronomy she is the Astronomy Laboratory Coordinator and Van Allen Observatories Manager, supervising the experience of undergraduate students taking Astronomy lab classes in the department and overseeing the operation of the department’s 17- and 20-inch telescopes used for labs, research, and outreach. She is also a co-coordinator of the department’s “Hawkeyes in Space” outreach program and the program advisor for GradMAP, the department graduate student peer-mentoring group.
Meet your Graduate Mentors

Collin Brown
Title/Position
Graduate Research Assistant
Graduate Student Mentor
Collin Brown’s research interests involve using high-performance computation and kinetic plasma theory to study the solar wind. He is working with Dr. Greg Howes, Dr. Jimmy Juno, and Dr. Steve Baek to develop a machine learning algorithm that detects key properties of shocks in simulated astrophysical plasmas.

Sanjay Chepuri
Title/Position
Graduate Research Assistant
Graduate Student Mentor
Sanjay Chepuri is interested in studying space physics. He is currently working with Dr. Allison Jaynes examining the Earth's magnetosphere using data from MMS and other spacecraft.

Sean Gunderson
Title/Position
Graduate Teaching Assistant
Graduate Student Mentor
Sean Gunderson’s interest is in the properties and evolution of hot stars. His research is primarily focused on the hypersonic stellar winds of these stars using theoretical models and high energy light spectra. The research is an intersection between high energy astrophysics and plasma physics; particularly the physics of plasma shocks that generate X-rays within the stellar winds.

Jacob McLaughlin
Title/Position
Graduate Research Assistant
Graduate Student Mentor
Jacob McLaughlin performs research in experimental plasma sciences, specializing in nonperturbative, laser-based diagnostic techniques. Working with Dr. Skiff, his current focus is wave-particle interactions and kinetic instabilities.

Keith Vidal
Title/Position
Graduate Teaching Assistant
Graduate Student Mentor
Keith Vidal is interested in space and plasma physics. He has studied strongly coupled and magnetized plasmas and is currently studying wave-particle interactions in the Earth's magnetosphere with Prof. Jaynes.