About Me

Hello! I am a 4th Year PhD candidate in the Astronomy Department at the University of Maryland, College Park, being advised by Dr. Brad Cenko. My research focuses on understanding astrophysical transients from an observational perspective. I utilize ground and space-based telescopes to paint a multi-wavelength, panchromatic picture of some of the most explosive and energetic explosions in the Universe.

I obtained my B.S. in Astrophysics from the California Institute of Technology in 2021, where I completed a senior thesis under the supervision of Prof. Mansi Kasliwal, titled "Using Palomar Gattini-IR to study Core-collapse Supernovae and Probe their Red Supergiant Progenitors". You can find a copy of my full CV here.

I will be a visiting graduate student at the California Institute of Technology during the 2025-2026 academic year, and plan to defend my dissertation in May 2026. I plan to continue doing research as a post-doctoral scholar after I obtain my PhD, and then ultimately become a Professor of Astrophysics. When not doing research, you will probably find me on the basketball court. I played at the collegiate level, and plan to continue being involved in basketball through coaching in the future.

Research

  • Long Gamma-Ray Bursts

    Long Gamma-Ray Bursts (LGRBs) are short-lived flashes of gamma-rays that originate from black holes and neutron stars left over after a massive stellar collapse, that are characterized by jets moving extremely close to the speed of light. These bursts are the most luminous electromagnetic phenomena in the Universe and are playgrounds for studying physics at the most extreme levels.

  • Core-Collapse Supernovae

    Core-collapse supernovae are explosions (CCSNe) that represent the end of a massive star's life, and end with the creation of a neutron star or black hole. They are the most energetic phenomena in the Universe, and their studies have far-reaching implications across astrophyiscs.

My research focuses on studying LGRBs, CCSNe, and other transients that bridge the gap between these explosive phenomena. Below is a list of my first-authored publications. A full list can be found on NASA ADS here.

First-authored publications

  • Srinivasaragavan, G.P., Yang, S., Anand, S. et al. (2024b) Optical and Radio Analysis of Systematically Classified Broad-lined Type Ic Supernovae from the Zwicky Transient Facility, ApJ 976, 71 arXiv:2408.14586
  • Srinivasaragavan, G.P., Swain, V., O'Connor, B et al. (2024a) Characterizing the Ordinary Broad-line Type Ic SN 2023pel from the Energetic GRB 230812B, ApJL 960, 18 arXiv:2310.14397
  • Srinivasaragavan, G.P., O'Connor, B., Cenko, S.B. et al. (2023) A Sensitive Search for Supernova Emission Associated with the Extremely Energetic and Nearby GRB 221009A, ApJL 949, 39 arXiv:2303.12849
  • Srinivasaragavan, G.P., Sfaradi, I., Jencson, J., et al. (2022)PGIR 20eid (SN 2020qmp): A Type IIP Supernova at 15.6 Mpc discovered by the Palomar Gattini-IR survey, A&A 660, 138, arXiv:2109.02159
  • Srinivasaragavan, G.P., Dainotti, M.G., Fraija, N. et al. (2020) On the Investigation of the Closure Relations for Gamma-Ray Bursts Observed by Swift in the Post-plateau Phase and the GRB Fundamental Plane, ApJ 903, 18 arXiv:2009.06740

Outreach and Service

  • Cosmos Crusaders Podcast

    I am a co-creator of Cosmos Crusaders, a podcast that highlights the stories and achievements of minorities and underrepresented individuals in astrophysics. We have highlighted members in the astrophysics community spanning from graduate students to tenured faculty, from a diverse set of ethnicities, identities, and backgrounds, in hopes of making the astrophysics field a more inclusive and diverse space for future generations. Here is our Youtube link.

  • UMD Astronomy EDI Commitee

    I am a member of the UMD Astronomy EDI commitee, and implemented the Department's first ever mentoring program between graduate students and senior undergraduate Astronomy majors. The program is in its third year, and has been very successful. Here is a link to the EDI commitee's website.

  • AMAZN HQ

    AMAZN is short for "Amazingly Asian", and is an organization that spotlights Asian American athletes, a demographic that is often overlooked, stereotyped, and misrepresented in the mainstream media when it comes to athletics. I volunteer with AMAZN, and am helping them organize future events that will shine the spotlight on the next generation of Asian American hoopers. Here is a link to their website.

Contact Information

If you would like to contact me to give a talk, have any questions about my work or outreach activities, or just want to connect, feel free to reach out to me at my email, gsriniv2@umd.edu. I also am active on Twitter and often highlight my most recent work on there, @gsrinibstar.