Rohan Gupta

Rohan Gupta

(he/him)

PhD Student in Astronomy

University of Michigan

323 West Hall

1085 S. University Ave

Ann Arbor, MI 48109

guprohan@umich.edu

My Research

I’m a first year graduate student at the University of Michigan, working with Professor John Monnier. I’m interested in both observational astronomy and instrumentation, with a goal of both designing and using cutting-edge instruments to push astronomical discovery. I also have a strong background in computer science and machine learning, having completed both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Computer Science prior to starting my PhD. My current work focuses on developing novel techniques to reconstruct images from interferometric data in optical/infrared astronomy. I aim to study the environments around young stellar objects and understand the processes of star and planet formation using these techniques. Before starting my PhD, I worked with Professor Jacob Bean at the University of Chicago on improving the stability and precision of MAROON-X, a high-resolution spectrograph for exoplanet detection.

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Interests

Optical/Infrared Interferometry Protoplanetary Disks High performance Computing Machine Learning Applications in Astronomy Generative models

Education

  1. PhD Astronomy

    University of Michigan

    Advisor: Professor John Monnier

    Research focus on interferometric image reconstruction and instrumentation for optical/infrared astronomy.

  2. MS Computer Science

    University of Chicago
    Specialized in machine learning and high performance computing.

  3. BS Astronomy, Computer Science, BA Physics

    University of Chicago
Research
Studying Protoplanetary Disks with Generative Priors
CHARA Array Logo
I currently work with Professor John Monnier at the University of Michigan, focusing on image reconstruction methods using generative priors. Image reconstruction in optical/infrared interferometry is an ill-posed inverse problem due to sparse sampling of the Fourier plane. This necessitates the use of priors to regularize the solution. Until recently, analytic functions such as total variation have been used as priors, but they often fail to capture the complex structures present in astronomical objects. My work explores the use of models such as normalizing flows and diffusion models as priors for interferometric image reconstruction. These models can learn complex distributions from large datasets, more effectively encoding our knowledge about the types of objects we expect to observe. By integrating these learned priors into the reconstruction process, we hope to resolve time variable substructures in protoplanetary disks, which may provide insights into planet formation, planet-disk interactions, and planet migration.
PULSE-A - Space to Ground Optical Communications from a 3U CubeSat
PULSE-A Logo

I was a co-founder of the PULSE-A mission during my undergraduate studies at the University of Chicago. PULSE-A (Polarization-based Laser Satellite Experiment-A) is a 3U CubeSat designed to demonstrate polarization-based free-space optical communication between low-Earth orbit and a ground station. Developed by an undergraduate-led team, the mission aims to improve the affordability and accessibility of space-to-ground optical communications, which offer higher data rates and enhanced security relative to traditional radio-frequency systems.

PULSE-A also serves as a risk-reduction mission for a planned follow-up mission, PULSE-Q, which will demonstrate space-based quantum key distribution. I contributed to early mission concept development and co-authored multiple successful grant proposals, securing a launch opportunity through NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative and $70,000 in confirmed funding. I also co-authored a $1M NSF proposal supporting PULSE-Q that has been selected as a finalist and is currently under review. To date, this work has resulted in two conference publications.

MAROON-X
MAROON-X Instrument. The vacuum chamber is shown.
Prior to starting my PhD, I worked as an research assistant with Professor Jacob Bean at the University of Chicago on the MAROON-X high-resolution spectrograph for exoplanet detection. I focused on integrating the laser frequency comb into the calibration pipeline for MAROON-X, which would improve the long-term stability and precision of radial velocity measurements. This work culminated in my thesis, which detailed the calibration scheme for both the Fabry-Perot etalon (which is currently in use) and the laser frequency comb. I also presented this work at the 245th AAS meeting in January 2025.
Recent Publications
Ritvik Basant, Rafael Luque, Jacob L. Bean, Andreas Seifahrt, Madison Brady, Lily L. Zhao, Nina Brown, Tanya Das, Julian Sturmer, David Kasper, Rohan Gupta, Gumundur Stefansson (2025).
Four sub-Earth planets orbiting Barnard’s Star from MAROON-X and ESPRESSO. ApJL 982 L1.
PDF
Logan Hanssler, Seth Knights, Graydon Schulze-Kalt, Juan Ignacio Prieto Asbun, Robert Pitu, Lauren Ayala, Rohan Gupta, Vincent Redwine, Spencer Shelton, Catherine Todd, Maya McDaniel, Sofia Mansilla, John Baird, Mason McCormack, Leah Vashevko, Tian Zhong, Michael Lembeck (2025).
PULSE-A Mission Overview: Optical Communications for Undergraduate Students. SmallSat Conference 2025.
PDF
Logan Hanssler, Juan Ignacio Prieto Asbun, Seth Knights, Sofia Mansilla, Everette Spencer Shelton, Catherine Todd, Elizabeth Rosario, Graydon Schulze-Kalt, Leah Vashevko, Daniel Lee, Robert Pitu, Rodrigo Spinola E Castro, Aidan Etterer, Akash Piya, Brian Yu, Vidya Suri, Lauren Ayala, Rohan Gupta, Mason McCormack, Vincent Redwine, Danielle Zumi Riekse, Tian Zhong, Michael Lembeck (2025).
PULSE-A: Polarization-Modulated Optical Communications at the CubeSat Form Factor. IEEE Aerospace Conference Proceedings (Accepted).
Skills & Hobbies
Technical Skills
C/C++, Python, Julia
High Performance Computing (CUDA, MPI)
Data Visualization (D3.js, Matplotlib)
Hobbies
Biking
Flying/ Aviation
Sci-Fi Reading
Languages
%
English
%
Hindi
%
French