Probing spatial variation of the fine-structure constant using the CMB
Smith, Tristan, Dan Grin, David Robinson, and Davy Qi. “Probing Spatial Variation of the Fine-Structure Constant Using the CMB.” Physical Review D 99.4 (2019).
CV
Education
- B.S. in Physics and Mathematics, with Highest Honors, Swarthmore College, 2019
- Ph.D in Physics, University of Michigan, 2025
Research Experience
- Graduate Student Research Assistant (2020-2025)
- University of Michigan, LSA Physics
- Topic: Leveraging machine learning and hydrodynamic simulations of galaxy formation to illuminate the effects of incident radiation fields on atomic gas cooling and heating functions
- Supervisor: Camille Avestruz
- Department of Energy Office of Science Graduate Student Researcher (2022-2023)
- Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
- Topic: Exploring the dependence of gas cooling and heating functions on the incident radiation field with machine learning
- Supervisor: Nick Gnedin
Awards, Fellowships, and Grants
- Office of Science Graduate Student Research Fellowship (SCGSR), U.S. Department of Energy (2022-2023)
- Graduate Fellowship, Michigan Space Grant Consortium (MSGC, 2022-2023, $5000)
- Leinweber Graduate Fellowship, Leinweber Center for Theoretical Physics, University of Michigan (2022-2024)
- Phi Beta Kappa, Swarthmore College (2019)
- William C. Elmore Prize, Physics and Astronomy, Swarthmore College (2019, $500)
- Tarble Summer Research Fellowship, Swarthmore College (2018, $4500)
Publications
Can Cooling and Heating Functions Be Modeled with Homogeneous Radiation Fields?
Robinson, David, Camille Avestruz, and Nickolay Y. Gnedin. “Can Cooling and Heating Functions be Modeled with Homogeneous Radiation Fields?” ApJ 936 50 (2022).
Exploring the dependence of gas cooling and heating functions on the incident radiation field with Machine Learning
Robinson, David, Camille Avestruz, and Nickolay Y. Gnedin. “Exploring the Dependence of Gas Cooling and Heating Functions on the Incident Radiation Field with Machine Learning.” MNRAS 528 1 (2024).
Emergence of the temperature-density relation in the low-density intergalactic medium
Wells, Alexandra, David Robinson, Camille Avestruz, and Nickolay Y Gnedin. "Emergence of the temperature–density relation in the low-density intergalactic medium." MNRAS 528 4 (2024).
The effects of different cooling and heating function models on a simulated analog of NGC300
Robinson, David, Camille Avestruz, Nickolay Y. Gnedin, and Vadim A. Semenov. “The effects of different cooling and heating function models on a simulated analog of NGC300.” arXiv:2412.15324 (2024).
Cosmic Reionization on Computers: Statistical Properties of the Distributions of Mean Opacities
Werre, Ella, David Robinson, Camille Avestruz, and Nickolay Y. Gnedin. "Cosmic Reionization on Computers: Statistical Properties of the Distributions of Mean Opacities". arXiv:2503.10768 (2025).
On the minimum number of radiation field parameters to specify gas cooling and heating functions
Robinson, David, Camille Avestruz, and Nickolay Y. Gnedin. “On the minimum number of radiation field parameters to specify gas cooling and heating functions.” OJA 8 (2025).
Talks
CMB Constraints to the Spatial Variation of the Fine-Structure Constant
Contributed talk at KNAC Student Research Symposium, Colgate University, NY
‘Dark Fluid’ Cosmology
Contributed talk at Keck Northeast Astronomy Consortium (KNAC) Student Research Symposium, Middlebury College, VT
Using generalized dark matter to probe the dynamics of the dark sector
Poster at 233rd Meeting of the American Astronomical Society, Seattle, WA
Do cooling and heating functions actually exist?
E-poster at Galaxy Formation and Evolution in the Era of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Conference, Virtual
Do cooling and heating functions actually exist?
Flash talk at Cosmology from Home 2021, Virtual
Do cooling and heating functions actually exist?
Contributed talk at Summer All-Zoom Epoch of Reionization Conference (SAZERAC): Models and Simulations of High-Redshift Galaxies, Virtual
The dependence of cooling and heating functions on local radiation fields
Contributed talk at Michigan Space Grant Consortium (MSGC) Fall Conference, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
The dependence of cooling and heating functions on local radiation fields
Contributed talk at New Perspectives 2023, Fermilab, Batavia, IL
The dependence of cooling and heating functions on (local) radiation fields
Seminar at University of Michigan Galaxies Group, Ann Arbor, MI
Exploring the dependence of cooling and heating functions on local radiation fields with machine learning
Group meeting presentation at Astro-AI Lab (University of Heidelberg), Virtual
Exploring the Dependence of Gas Cooling and Heating Functions on the Incident Radiation Field with Machine Learning
Lightning talk at First Stars VII, CCA, New York, NY
Exploring the Dependence of Gas Cooling and Heating Functions on the Incident Radiation Field with Machine Learning
Seminar talk at University of Michigan Physics Graduate Student Symposium (PGSS), Ann Arbor, MI
Connecting Cooling to the Incident Radiation Field with Machine Learning
Seminar talk at Michigan Graduate Physical Sciences Seminar, Virtual
Connecting Cooling to the Incident Radiation Field with Machine Learning
Seminar talk at Princeton Department of Astrophysical Sciences Thursday Lunch Seminar ('Thunch'), Princeton, NJ
Connecting Cooling to the Incident Radiation Field with Machine Learning
Seminar talk at Yale Cosmology Seminar, New Haven, CT
Connecting Cooling to the Incident Radiation Field with Machine Learning
Seminar talk at University of Pennsylvania Astro Journal Club, Philadelphia, PA
Connecting galaxy cooling and heating functions to the incident radiation field with machine learning
Contributed talk at Cosmology and galaxy astrophysics with simulations and machine learning 2024, CCA, New York, NY
Connecting Cooling to the Incident Radiation Field with Machine Learning
Group meeting presentation at Hernquist Group Meeting, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Cooling and heating functions with Machine Learning
Seminar talk at MIT Kavli Institute Monday Afternoon Talks, Cambridge, MA
Illuminating galaxy cooling and heating with machine learning
Department colloquium at Swarthmore College Department of Physics and Astronomy, Swarthmore, PA
Teaching
Service and leadership
- Workshop Co-coordinator, Researchers Expanding Lay-Audience Teaching and Engagement (RELATE, 2020-present)
- Graduate Student Instructor, Michigan Math and Science Scholars (MMSS) course “Climbing the Distance Ladder to the Big Bang: How Astronomers Survey the Universe” (2025)
Outreach talks
Professional Development
- Preparing Future Faculty seminar, University of Michigan Center for Research on Learning and Teaching (CRLT, 2025)
- Graduate Teacher Certificate program, University of Michigan CRLT (2019-2025)
- Science Communication Fellows program, University of Michigan Museum of Natural History (2023-2024)
- Cosmology Summer School 2023, University of Michigan
- Wide-Field Spectroscopy vs. Galaxy Formation Theory, Biosphere 2 (2023)
- Summer School in Statistics for Astronomers XVII, Penn State Center for Astrophysics (2022, virtual)
- Cosmology Summer School 2020, University of Michigan (virtual)
- RELATE Communication Fundamentals Workshop, University of Michigan (2020, virtual)