About Me
I am a graduate in Aerospace Engineering from GITAM University in Hyderabad, India, and a postgraduate in Astrophysics from Queen Mary, University of London, in London, UK.
Right now, I am a PhD student in Space Sciences at Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Florida, USA.
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Studying for a PhD in Space Sciences (Astronomy and Astrophysics), after having studied graduate level theoretical astrophysics and undergraduate level aerospace engineering, I would consider myself fortunate to be capable of executing the erudition and further developing the knowledge of the space sector as the courses emphasize the importance and relevance of both the hard sciences and engineering aspects of the industry and the prospect of applying the fundamentals to real-world issues.
I prefer being a part of a research environment to study, learn and work on understanding the field of astrophysics and unravelling the beginning of the known and observable universe and helping tackle its mysteries.
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Apart from this, a very astrophysically passionate work environment at the Society of Space Research, Education and Development (SSERD), Bangalore, India where I worked for a few months back in early 2022, gave me a boost towards research writing and approaching good projects.
Along with this, the couple of Astronomy courses I attended online, ‘Astronomy: Exploring Time and Space’ from the University of Arizona and ‘Data-Driven Astronomy’ from the University of Sydney, along with the python course 'Learning to Program: The Fundamentals'(of Python) from the University of Toronto, gave me a perspective on how astronomical and astrophysical research is conducted in universities at ground level.
So, while offering both depth and breadth across the field of space study, the courses and experiences put into perspective the importance and relevance of both Astrophysics and Aerospace Engineering and the application of their fundamentals to the problems faced by the real world. So, I can bring that learning and developing of my knowledge in the space sector to life. I hope to extend a reasonable contribution to society in this field since India is progressing fast in the space sector and astrophysics research.
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Moreover, I feel I am responsible for making a big move in this field, and hopefully one day, be someone who is remembered for his ideas. I think it is our duty as people sharing life in this world to explore and understand our universe better because the cosmos is not just ours. The upcoming generations should be proud of us one day when they look back and find how hard we worked to have a better vision looking up at the sky.
And besides my space enthusiasm and my academic run towards it along with my ambition to one day become an astronaut, there actually are some other things I'm into as well that you might be interested in.
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I am into writing, I write fictional short stories. You can check out my blog at MPR Stories.
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And, I sketch and paint a bit. You can visit my Instagram art page at mpraghav29.art.
Also, I'm into cricket, music and travelling (including hiking and trekking) and I'd be there if you'd like to have a good chat or invite to a meetup.​
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Research Interests
Education
Radio VLBI (VLBA) Astronomy
Galactic Stellar-Survey Studies
Stellar Structure and Evolution
Astrodynamics
Relativistic Cosmology and Gravitation
Dark Matter and Dark Energy
Internship
May 2018 - June 2018
Air India Engineering Services Limited, Hyderabad, India
Aircraft Maintenance Internship
Work Experience
2023 - Present (Currently Studying)
Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Florida, USA
PhD Space Sciences
2019 - 2020
Queen Mary, University of London, UK
MSc Astrophysics
2015 - 2019
GITAM University, Hyderabad, India
BTech Aerospace Engineering
Additional Education
May 2024
NRAO (New Mexico-Tech), Socorro, New Mexico, USA
NRAO 20th Synthesis Imaging Summer School
August 2023 - Present
Physics Lab 1, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Florida
Teaching Assistant
May 2024 - August 2024
Ortega Observatory (Florida Institute of Technology), Melbourne, Florida
Observatory Assistant
October 2021 - November 2021
University of Sydney (Remote)
Data-Driven Astronomy (Online Certificate Course)
October 2020 - December 2020
University of Toronto (Remote)
Learning to Program: The Fundamentals (of Python) (Online Non-Certificate Course)
February 2022 - April 2022
SSERD (Society for Space Education, Research and Development), Bengaluru, India
Scientific Content Writer
August 2016 - October 2016
University of Arizona (Remote)
Astronomy: Exploring Time and Space (Online Non-Certificate Course)