About Me — Michael Alan Keim

Astrophysicist

Bookworm

Friend

Relaxing with a book on the banks of Town Lake

Austinite

I grew up in Austin, where the lush, green trees and meadows of the Hill Country stand against the deserts of West Texas.

Teammate

In high school, I competed on FIRST Robotics Team 2468 where I was in charge of STEM outreach. Under my leadership we started new robotics teams at middle and elementary schools, mentored teams abroad, and more. For these efforts we were recognized with the prestigious regional Chairman’s Award each year, and the Engineering Inspiration Award at world champs. I was personally selected as the MVP of the entire region.

Alumnus

I attended Washington University in St. Louis for my Bachelor’s, where I studied Physics and Ancient History. When I was not researching nuclear physics under the supervision of Prof. Willem H. Dickhoff or TA-ing a variety of courses under Dr. Sai Iyer, I spent my free time in Forest Park, Kaldi’s Coffee, and the botanical and sculpture gardens.

Traveler

Wanting to see more of the world - and the universe - I started my graduate studies in Astronomy at Leiden University in the Netherlands. Working with Dr. Joesph R. Callingham and Observatory Director Huub J. A. Röttgering, I went from a novice nuclear physicist to a skilled radio astronomer who could turn visibility data into images of AGN jets. My life was filled with beautiful canals, cute houses, fast trains, and fun trips across Europe.

A whole lot of lens - and that’s only half!

Dragonfly

To finish my PhD studies, I returned to America where I’m now working with Prof. Pieter van Dokkum at Yale University observing the night sky with the Dragonfly Telephoto Array.