Student projects in general relativity

Background:
My PhD is in high energy particle physics, which is essentially smashing particles together at close to the speed of light. My graduate research involved data analysis for the Large Hadron Collider. Though I love particle physics, the day-to-day work of this type of physics analysis was not very interesting to me, and I am working to transition my field of research into problems involving general relativity and cosmology.

Current Interests:
I'm interested in lots of questions involving astrophysics, cosmology, and general relativity. My focus at the moment is on finding interesting student projects in these areas. My previous research students have studied general relativity and then used that knowledge in particular projects including simulating orbits around black holes and learning about the production and detection of gravitational waves.

I would also be happy to work with students on projects involving cosmology (the study of the large scale evolution of the universe) and dark energy. These projects could involve learning about the theory behind the big bang, how we "know" that dark energy exists along with evidence for alternative cosmological models.

Another area of interest is in multiverse models and the debate about the scientific validity of these models. Multiverse models fall into two basic categories, cosmological multiverses in which our universe is only one of a potentially infinite number of bubble universes, and the quantum multiverse (also known as the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics) in which quantum measurements create new universes. Both of these theories are currently untestable, but physicists and philosophers are thinking about how to determine if such theories are self-consistent (i.e. don't lead to paradoxes) and if there are predictions that could be made from these models.

Projects involving cosmology, dark energy, and multiverse theories approachable by students at the sophomore level.

Current Classes:
I'm teaching PHYS 104 in the fall of 2022. I'm teaching PHYS 100 and PHYS 305 (statistical mechanics) in the spring of 2022.

Tips for students interested in research:
Come talk to a professor! You don't need to already have a project in mind in order to talk with a professor. Just set up a meeting and ask the professor what projects they are working on or would be interested in working on.