Curriculum Vitae – Nick Konidaris - Caltech Astronomy

Curriculum
Vitae
&
Publication
List
–
Nicholas
Konidaris
UCLA
Tracking
#1000-0809-01
Personal
Information:
Name:

Nicholas
Pel
Konidaris
II
Birth:

June
1st ,
1977,
Massachusetts,
USA
Address:
 Caltech
105‐24
Pasadena,
CA
91125
Phone:
(831)
512‐4465
email:

npk@caltech.edu
web:

 www.astro.caltech.edu/~npk
Education:
• Ph.D.
Astrophysics,
University
of
California,
Santa
Cruz,
December
2008.
Adviser:
Prof.
David
C.
Koo
• Completed
half
the
necessary
coursework
in
a
part
time
M.S.
program
in
Electrical
Engineering
at
The
University
of
Southern
California
before
starting
the
Ph.D.
program
at
UCSC.
• B.S.
Physics,
Carnegie
Mellon
University,
December
2000
Instrumentation
Skills:
• Optics:
Lens
tolerance
and
performance
analysis
using
ZEMAX
for
Lick’s
Planet
Finding
Spectrograph
and
Keck’s
MOSFIRE.

While
at
JPL
I
designed
both
astronomical
and
laser
optics.

Hands
on
optical
test
experience
using
autocollimators
and
lasers.
• Electronics:
Designed
and
built
~5
mixed
signal
boards
including
DSP
programming
in
C,
and
photodiode
amplifiers
while
working
at
JPL.
• Team:
Extensive
teamwork
experience
working
with
machinists,
electronic,
mechanical
and
software
engineers,
and
scientists
at
JPL,
UCSC
and
Caltech.
• MEMS:

Microelectronic
design
including
electrical
and
mechanical
finite
element
analysis
with
Intellisuite.

Lab
testing
microelectronic
devices
(presented
at
SPIE
in
July
2008).
Research
and
Work
Experience
with
Instrumentation
Highlights:
• Caltech,
September
2008
–
Today
Postdoctoral
Scholar
in
Astronomy
Instrumentation
Responsible
for
integration
and
commissioning
of
MOSFIRE,
as
well
as
initial
science.

Have
designed
a
variety
of
mechanical
and
optical
tests
for
the
MOSFIRE
optical
assemblies.
• University
of
California
Santa
Cruz,
September
2002
–
September
2008
Research
Assistant
to
DEEP2
Team
Performed
PhD
research
for
the
DEEP2
and
AEGIS
teams.

Studied
ionized
gas
in
early‐type
galaxies
in
AEGIS,
SDSS,
and
SAURON
surveys.
1

• University
of
California
Lick
Observatories,
2004‐2006
Research
Assistant
to
Prof.
Steve
Vogt,
Automated
Planet
Finder
The
Automated
Planet
Finder
(APF)
searches
for
planets
outside
of
our
solar
system
through
the
doppler
shift
method.
Performed
sensitivity
analysis
of
the
APF
spectrograph
in
Zemax.

Based
on
the
sensitivity
analysis,
wrote
an
alignment
and
test
procedure
for
primary
camera.

Performed
ghost‐image
and
scattered
light
analysis
of
spectrograph
in
Zemax.

Specified
and
purchased
various
components.

Sadly,
completion
of
APF
was
delayed
beyond
my
graduation
date.
• Jet
Propulsion
Laboratory,
January
2001
–
July
2002
Member
of
Technical
Staff,
Optical
Communications
Group
An
electronics
engineer
in
the
Optical
Communications
Group
and
project
investigator.

Proposed
and
awarded
$750,000
for
three
years
to
upgrade
and
run
the
Automated
Visibility
Monitoring
Stations
(AVM).

AVM
is
a
series
of
three
telescopes
across
the
Western
United
States.

As
the
PI,
I
managed
a
0.25
FTE
engineer
and
two
interns.

We
(1)
upgraded
the
telescope
optics
(2)
upgraded
drive
electronics
and
servos
and
(3)
rewrote
the
telescope
control
software.
Laser
engineer
for
a
Mars‐lander
laser
radar
system.

The
laser
radar
team
included
roughly
20
engineers
across
all
disciplines
at
JPL.

Responsibilities
included
testing
the
laser
electronics
and
performing
survival
studies
of
diode
lasers
in
space.
Chief
engineer
of
a
prototype,
high‐efficiency,
MEMS‐based,
laser
communications
system,
for
Mars
rovers.

I
designed
the
optics,
laser,
servo
and
communications
system
electronics.

Machinists
built
all
the
hardware,
and
while
I
mounted
and
aligned
the
optics.
• Research
Assistant
for
Prof.
Robert
Nichol
at
Carnegie
Mellon
University,
Summer
2000
• Research
Assistant
for
Dr.
David
Rust
at
The
Johns
Hopkins
University
Applied
Physics
Lab
from
July
1999
–
January
2000.
The
work
was
split
between
studying
solar
flare
production
and
working
as
an
engineer
on
the
Flare
Genesis
Balloon
telescope.
Upgraded
the
very
low‐level
Flare
Genesis
communications
code
by
adding
software
compression
increasing
total
communications
throughput
by
a
factor
of
more
than
3.


I
was
selected
and
deployed
to
the
Antarctic
where
my
duties
included
assisting
in
optical
alignment,
but
were
primarily
undergrad‐level
duties
(soldering,
carrying
heavy
boxes,
and
the
like).
2

• Summer
Intern
in
the
Scientific
Information
Systems
Group
at
Brookhaven
National
Laboratory,
summer
1998.
Wrote
a
pipeline
to
format
data
from
GOES
satellites
into
images
useful
for
scientists,
the
code
is
still
in
use
to
this
day.
Grants:
• 2004

 NASA
Spitzer
Observing
Proposal
#3216

 (Co‐I,
$26k/18.5
hours)
• 2000
 NASA/JPL
Communications
Directorate

 (PI,
$750k
over
three
years)
Refereed
Publications
(1
refereed
first
author):
10)
Sawicki,
M.,
Lemaux,
B.
C.,
Guhathakurta,
P.,
Kirby,
E.
N.,
Konidaris,
N.
P.,
Martin,
C.
L.,
Cooper,
M.
C.,
Koo,
D.
C.,
Newman,
J.
A.,
Weiner,
B.
J.,
ApJ,

687,

884
‐
The
DEEP2
Redshift
Survey:
Lya;
Emitters
in
the
Spectroscopic
Database

(2008)
9)
Faber,
S.
M.,
Willmer,
C.
N.
A.,
Wolf,
C.,
Koo,
D.
C.,
Weiner,
B.
J.,
Newman,
J.
A.,
Im,
M.,
Coil,
A.
L.,
Conroy,
C.,
Cooper,
M.
C.,
Davis,
M.,
Finkbeiner,
D.
P.,
Gerke,
B.
F.,
Gebhardt,
K.,
Groth,
E.
J.,
Guhathakurta,
P.,
Harker,
J.,
Kaiser,
N.,
Kassin,
S.,
Kleinheinrich,
M.,
Konidaris,
N.
P.,
Kron,
R.
G.,
Lin,
L.,
Luppino,
G.,
Madgwick,
D.
S.,
Meisenheimer,
K.,
Noeske,
K.
G.,
Phillips,
A.
C.,
Sarajedini,
V.
L.,
Schiavon,
R.
P.,
Simard,
L.,
Szalay,
A.
S.,
Vogt,
N.
P.,
Yan,
R.,

ApJ,

665,

265
‐
Galaxy
Luminosity
Functions
to
z~1
from
DEEP2
and
COMBO­17:
Implications
for
Red
Galaxy
Formation
(2007)
8)
Le
Floc'h,
E.,
Willmer,
C.
N.
A.,
Noeske,
K.,
Konidaris,
N.
P.,
Laird,
E.
S.,
Koo,
D.
C.,
Nandra,
K.,
Bundy,
K.,
Salim,
S.,
Maiolino,
R.,
Conselice,
C.
J.,
Lotz,
J.
M.,
Papovich,
C.,
Smith,
J.
D.,
Bai,
L.,
Coil,
A.
L.,
Barmby,
P.,
Ashby,
M.
L.
N.,
Huang,
J.‐S.,
Blaylock,
M.,
Rieke,
G.,
Newman,
J.
A.,
Ivison,
R.,
Chapman,
S.,
Dole,
H.,
Egami,
E.,
Elbaz,
D.,

ApJ,

660,
L65
‐
Far­Infrared
Characterization
of
an
Ultraluminous
Starburst
Associated
with
a
Massively
Accreting
Black
Hole
at
z=1.15
(2007)
7)
Kassin,
S.
A.,
Weiner,
B.
J.,
Faber,
S.
M.,
Koo,
D.
C.,
Lotz,
J.
M.,
Diemand,
J.,
Harker,
J.
J.,
Bundy,
K.,
Metevier,
A.
J.,
Phillips,
A.
C.,
Cooper,
M.
C.,
Croton,
D.
J.,
Konidaris,
N.,
Noeske,
K.
G.,
Willmer,
C.
N.
A.,

ApJ,

660,

L35
‐
The
Stellar
Mass
Tully­Fisher
Relation
to
z
=
1.2
from
AEGIS
(2007)
6)
Moustakas,
L.
A.,
Marshall,
P.,
Newman,
J.
A.,
Coil,
A.
L.,
Cooper,
M.
C.,
Davis,
M.,
Fassnacht,
C.
D.,
Guhathakurta,
P.,
Hopkins,
A.,
Koekemoer,
A.,
Konidaris,
N.
P.,
Lotz,
J.
M.,
Willmer,
C.
N.
A.,

ApJ,

660,

L31
‐
A
Strong­Lens
Survey
in
AEGIS:
The
Influence
of
Large­Scale
Structure
(2007)
5)
Konidaris,
N.
P.,
Guhathakurta,
P.,
Bundy,
K.,
Coil,
A.
L.,
Conselice,
C.
3

J.,
Cooper,
M.
C.,
Eisenhardt,
P.
R.
M.,
Huang,
J.‐S.,
Ivison,
R.
J.,
Kassin,
S.
A.,
Kirby,
E.
N.,
Lotz,
J.
M.,
Newman,
J.
A.,
Noeske,
K.
G.,
Rich,
R.
M.,
Small,
T.
A.,
Willmer,
C.
N.
A.,
Willner,
S.
P.,

ApJ,

660,
L7
‐
AEGIS:
Galaxy
Spectral
Energy
Distributions
from
the
X­Ray
to
Radio
(2007)
4)
Davis,
M.,
Guhathakurta,
P.,
Konidaris,
N.
P.,
Newman,
J.
A.,
Ashby,
M.
L.
N.,
Biggs,
A.
D.,
Barmby,
P.,
Bundy,
K.,
Chapman,
S.
C.,
Coil,
A.
L.,
Conselice,
C.
J.,
Cooper,
M.
C.,
Croton,
D.
J.,
Eisenhardt,
P.
R.
M.,
Ellis,
R.
S.,
Faber,
S.
M.,
Fang,
T.,
Fazio,
G.
G.,
Georgakakis,
A.,
Gerke,
B.
F.,
Goss,
W.
M.,
Gwyn,
S.,
Harker,
J.,
Hopkins,
A.
M.,
Huang,
J.‐S.,
Ivison,
R.
J.,
Kassin,
S.
A.,
Kirby,
E.
N.,
Koekemoer,
A.
M.,
Koo,
D.
C.,
Laird,
E.
S.,
Le
Floc'h,
E.,
Lin,
L.,
Lotz,
J.
M.,
Marshall,
P.
J.,
Martin,
D.
C.,
Metevier,
A.
J.,
Moustakas,
L.
A.,
Nandra,
K.,
Noeske,
K.
G.,
Papovich,
C.,
Phillips,
A.
C.,
Rich,
R.
M.,
Rieke,
G.
H.,
Rigopoulou,
D.,
Salim,
S.,
Schiminovich,
D.,
Simard,
L.,
Smail,
I.,
Small,
T.
A.,
Weiner,
B.
J.,
Willmer,
C.
N.
A.,
Willner,
S.
P.,
Wilson,
G.,
Wright,
E.
L.,
Yan,
R.,

ApJ,

660,

L1
‐
The
All­Wavelength
Extended
Groth
Strip
International
Survey
(AEGIS)
Data
Sets
(2007)
3)
Schiavon,
R.
P.,
Faber,
S.
M.,
Konidaris,
N.,
Graves,
G.,
Willmer,
C.
N.
A.,
Weiner,
B.
J.,
Coil,
A.
L.,
Cooper,
M.
C.,
Davis,
M.,
Harker,
J.,
Koo,
D.
C.,
Newman,
J.
A.,
Yan,
R.,

ApJ,

651,

L93
‐
The
DEEP2
Galaxy
Redshift
Survey:
Mean
Ages
and
Metallicities
of
Red
Field
Galaxies
at
z
~
0.9
from
Stacked
Keck
DEIMOS
Spectra
(2006)
2)
Yan,
R.,
Newman,
J.
A.,
Faber,
S.
M.,
Konidaris,
N.,
Koo,
D.,
Davis,
M.,
ApJ,

648,

281
‐
On
the
Origin
of
[O
II]
Emission
in
Red­Sequence
and
Poststarburst
Galaxies
(2006)
1)
Willmer,
C.
N.
A.,
Faber,
S.
M.,
Koo,
D.
C.,
Weiner,
B.
J.,
Newman,
J.
A.,
Coil,
A.
L.,
Connolly,
A.
J.,
Conroy,
C.,
Cooper,
M.
C.,
Davis,
M.,
Finkbeiner,
D.
P.,
Gerke,
B.
F.,
Guhathakurta,
P.,
Harker,
J.,
Kaiser,
N.,
Kassin,
S.,
Konidaris,
N.
P.,
Lin,
L.,
Luppino,
G.,
Madgwick,
D.
S.,
Noeske,
K.
G.,
Phillips,
A.
C.,
Yan,
R.,

ApJ,

647,

853
‐
The
Deep
Evolutionary
Exploratory
Probe
2
Galaxy
Redshift
Survey:
The
Galaxy
Luminosity
Function
to
z~1
(2006)
Non­refereed
Publications
and
Internal
Reports
4)
Konidaris,
MOSFIRE
Optical
Design
Note
10,
Measuring
the
MOSFIRE
Camera
BFD
3)
Konidaris,
MOSFIRE
Optical
Design
Note
9,
MOSFIRE
Prescription
Monte
Carlo
4

2)
Konidaris,
Fucik,
Aliado,
&
Wang,
MOSFIRE
Mechanical
Design
Note
50,
Camera
and
Collimator
Barrel
Assembly
Procedure
1)
Konidaris,
N.
P.,
II,
Kubby,
J.
A.,
Sheinis,
A.
I.,

SPIE,

7018,

‐
Small
solutions
to
the
large
telescope
problem:
a
massively
replicated
MEMS
spectrograph
Presentations:
3)
Jan
2009
 Long
Beach
AAS
 Poster
Presentation
2)
Nov
2008
 UT/Austin
 
 Invited
Colloquium
on
Instrumentation
1)
Jan
2005
 Washington
AAS
 Poster
Presentation
Teaching/Volunteer
Experience:
• Volunteer,
FIRST
robotics
Competition,
at
Notre
Dame
All
Girls
High
School
in
San
Jose,
CA.
Volunteered
on
Saturday
and
Sunday
from
October
to
March
in
two
seasons
(2005‐2006
and
2006‐2007).

FIRST
Robotics
is
an
international
high‐school
robotics
competition.

I
taught
electronics
and
programming.
• Teacher
California
State
Summer
School
for
Mathematics
and
Science
(COSMOS)
program,
Summers
of
2003
and
2004.

Six
students
observed
an
open
and
globular
cluster
using
the
Lick
1
m
telescope,
then
were
taught
basic
stellar
evolution,
and
tasked
with
determining
the
age
of
the
two
clusters
using
theoretical
isochrones.
• TA,
Prof.
Xavier
Prochaska,
Introduction
to
Cosmology,
Spring
2002
• TA,
Prof.
Mike
Bolte,
Introduction
to
Astronomy,
Winter
2002
Affiliations
and
Service:
• Member,
AAS
and
SPIE.
• Core
member
of
DEEP2
and
AEGIS
surveys.
• UCSC
Graduate
student
association
representative
for
Astronomy
department
(2004‐2007).
5