CV
Alba Covelo Paz
PhD student in Astrophysics
Research experience
High-redshift galaxies with JWST — PhD
University of Geneva, Switzerland
I study the galaxy build-up in the first billion years of the Universe. I use grism spectroscopy from the James Webb Space Telescope to understand how galaxies form stars at redshifts 4-7.
Sep 2022 — Now
Light curve extraction of red giants in open clusters — MSc thesis
Heidelberg-Königstuhl Observatory (LSW), Germany
I used asteroseismology to determine which red giant stars are in the Kepler open clusters. For this, I extracted the light curves of candidate stars using a state-of-the-art difference imaging method on Kepler data.
Sep 2021 — Jul 2022
Asteroseismology — Research assistant
Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies, Germany
I collaborated on light curve extractions for asteroseismology. I was also in charge of the group’s website and was the communications representative.
Sep 2021 — Aug 2022
Asteroseismology — Internship
Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies, Germany
I performed aperture photometry in Kepler data of red giants and extracted their light curves and power density spectra, pursuing asteroseismic results.
Apr — Jun 2021
Stellar populations in the galaxy M33 resolved by HST — BSc thesis
Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain
I selected the stars from a field of the galaxy M33 that would be observed with the MEGARA instrument in the Gran Telescopio de Canarias. For this, I performed PSF photometry on Hubble Space Telescope data, and selected the stars at the tip of the RGB.
Sep 2019 — Feb 2020
Cosmology — Internship
Spanish Research Council (CSIC), Spain
Research initiation in the Gravitation and Cosmology group. I collaborated in theoretical and numerical analysis of quantum cosmological models.
Feb — Jun 2019
Teaching experience (University)
Physics Laboratory III
14 ECTS, 70h
BSc Physics, Université de Genève
Apr — May 2024
Introduction to Astronomy and Astrophysics II
6 ECTS, 180h
BSc Physics, Universität Heidelberg
Apr — Aug 2022
Other teaching experience
Maths & Physics tutor
Scientia Education, Switzerland
Tutoring maths and physics for pre-IB, IB, and A-level students.
Oct 2023 — Now
Jury at the maturity exams
State of Geneva, Switzerland
Maturity exams for physics, mathematics, and application of mathematics (+100 students).
Jun 2023, 2024
Astronomy teacher
Association École & Quartier in Versoix, Switzerland
Astronomy course for the general public — 20h.
Sep 2023 — Feb 2024
English exams supervisor
British Council, Spain
I worked part-time organising and supervising IELTS and Cambridge English exams in different cities in Spain.
May 2017 — Mar 2020
Scientific writing and editing
Senior Scientific Editor
TheScienceBreaker, Switzerland
Authoring, commissioning, and editing manuscripts for the open-access outreach journal TheScienceBreaker.
Apr 2024 — Now
Junior Scientific Editor
TheScienceBreaker, Switzerland
May 2023 — Mar 2024
Conferences
Contributed talk at Observing and Simulating Galaxy Evolution in the Era of JWST
An Hα view of galaxy build-up in the first 2 billion years with NIRCam/grism
Aug 2024, Ascona (Switzerland)
Poster at XVI Meeting of the Spanish Astronomical Society
Hα as a tracer of star formation and burstiness in the first billion years
Jul 2024, Granada (Spain)
Contributed talk at EAS Annual Meeting
Probing the epoch of reionization through spectroscopic redshifts with the JWST FRESCO survey
Jul 2023, Krakow (Poland)
Education
PhD in Astrophysics
University of Geneva, Switzerland
Sep 2022 — Now
MSc in International Education
University of St Andrews, UK
Sep 2024 — Now
Universität Heidelberg, Germany
Oct 2020 — Jul 2022
BSc in Physics
Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain
Sep 2016 — Feb 2020
Languages
Spanish (native), English (C2), French (C1), Galician (C1), German (A1).
Outreach
Public talk at the Madrid Science Week (Madrid, Spain)
Nov 2019
Press