Science AMA Series: We’re Sarah, Hansi and Aurora, postdocs at National
Labs in the US. We each study a different flavor of computational
science: computational genomics (Sarah), climate science (Hansi) and
mathematical chemistry (Aurora). AUA!
Abstract
Hi reddit! I’m Sarah Richardson. I specialize in the design of genomes
and the creation of all the technological tools necessary to be able to
write this sentence with a straight face. I work on massive scale
synthetic biology projects (Sc2.0), the construction of genetic toolkits
for non-model organisms (CRISPR for GMOs), and the reconciliation of
computational genomics with experimental genomics (bioinformatics is not
IT). All of which is to say, I am a germ wrangler who uses DNA to train
microbes to do tricks. I’m Hansi Singh. I will soon be joining the
Atmospheric Sciences and Global Change Division at Pacific Northwest
National Lab (PNNL) as a Linus Pauling Distinguished Postdoctoral
Fellow. I research climate variability and change, with a focus on the
polar regions. One intriguing open question is why Arctic and Antarctic
climates are responding so differently to anthropogenic forcing by
greenhouse gases. The tools I use run the gamut from global climate
models run on supercomputers, to small heuristic models that can be
analyzed with pencil and paper. I am also interested in developing novel
mathematical analysis methods for improved understanding of coupling in
the climate system and global teleconnections. For more information on
my research interests and publications, please visit
www.atmos.washington.edu/~hansi I’m Aurora
Pribram-Jones, and I tinker with electronic structure theory. I build
mathematical tools to investigate how well we describe electrons in
metals and molecules. My interests lie in analyzing and developing
density functional theory (DFT), one of the most popular computational
methods in the world, and how it’s used for thermal ensembles. Day to
day, this means I get to interact with shock physicists, planetary
modelers, and fusion scientists while imagining pseudo-molecules and
drawing pictures. My newest projects look at applications of DFT methods
in other complicated systems: materials for hydrogen storage, high
entropy alloys, and materials responding to lasers. We’re signing off
now, but will continue to answer questions where we can. Keep an eye out
here and at /u/TheGermWrangler. Thanks for having us! Aurora, Hansi, and
Sarah