Casey Lam

Biography

I am a finishing PhD candidate (graduating 2023) in the Department of Astronomy at UC Berkeley. I am interested in finding isolated stellar mass black holes in the Milky Way with astrometric microlensing. My advisor is Professor Jessica Lu.

I graduated from MIT in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in math and physics. During my time there, I had the opportunity to do research in the Center for Theoretical Physics with Professor Tracy Slatyer, studying the distribution of pulsars “kicked” out from the galactic disc, and with Professor Alan Guth, studying hybrid inflation and primordial black holes.

Aside from research, I also enjoy participating in outreach events with the department. The picture (courtesy of Carina Cheng) is from Discovery Day at AT&T Park in San Francisco. It’s a demonstration of how telescope mirrors focus light, which allows astronomers to see faint objects (as well as set marshmallows on fire!)