Observational Studies of Fast Radio Bursts and Technosignatures with the Allen Telescope Array

Sheikh, Sofia Zara, San Francisco CA

Investigators

Abstract

Sofia Sheikh is awarded a Mathematical and Physical Sciences Ascending Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (MPS-Ascend) to conduct a program of research and education at the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute, Mountainview, California. Dr. Sheikh will improve coherent imaging methods for rejection of radio frequency interference (RFI) and use the improved imaging for characterization of Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs). She will work to broaden experience in Diversity and Inclusion for underrepresented minority undergraduate students in astronomy. Dr. Sheikh plans three research activities using the unique qualities of SETI's Allen Telescope Array (ATA). The first is a hardware and software development project to increase the backend coherent imaging capabilities of the ATA. She will use these new capabilities to localize and characterize FRBs, which have previously been detected with other radio telescopes. Her third goal is searching for signs of Extraterrestrial intelligent life by radio observations of the anti-solar point, defining a special space and time on the sky from which a distant observer would see Earth in transit of the Sun. All three activities rely on implementing novel strategies and pushing into new regions of parameter space (i.e., higher frequencies, new regions of the sky). Dr. Sheikh seeks to improve the retention rate of underrepresented scholars in science and engineering fields. Her approach is mentoring these students and explicitly teaching the unspoken rules of academic success, helping them build strong professional networks, and provide introductory research experiences. She will enhance existing programs at the SETI Institute. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.