Miranda Gorsuch
University of Wisconsin - Madison
Email: mrgorsuch@wisc.edu
GitHub: https://github.com/mirarenee
Status: Former Trainee
- GPU training module
- Software Engineering training module
- FPGA training module
Biography and Interests
I am a PhD candidate working in the Observational Cosmology group at University of Wisconsin - Madison. I’m an in-kind contributor for the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, focusing on validating the behavior of image coaddition and shear calibration algorithms. Non-academic interests include violin, piano, painting, and reading.
Project
I am contributing to the development and testing of novel algorithms for combining multiple optical/near-IR pixel-level images in the same region of the sky to make robust, high signal-to-noise measurements of faint galaxies for weak gravitational lensing and galaxy clustering probes of dark energy with the Vera C. Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST). Specifically, I am working on the implementation of the cell-based (or “edgeless”) image coaddition algorithm in the LSST Science Pipelines. Cell-based coadds are substantially more computationally efficient when working with large numbers of overlapping images and enable more robust modeling of the point-spread function (PSF). The approach will be tested and optimized for computational and science performance on increasingly large datasets until it is validated for deployment on survey-scale LSST data release processing.
Recent Accomplishments
- Developed collection of testing analyses for cell-based coadds (in progress) GitHub link
- Developed an introductory notebook for cell-based coadds (in progress) GitHub link
- Aided in testing image warping and coaddition tasks within LSST Science Pipelines
- Presentation (May 2024): DESC Pixel-to-Object Working Group Meeting
- Presentation (September 2024): Rubin Weak Lensing Science Unit Meeting
- Presentation (January 2025): Preliminary Exam
- Technote documentation (public draft): Getting Started with Cell-Based Coadds
- Technote documentation (published): Testing the implementation of Metadetection and Cell-Based Coadds on Abell 360 LSSTComCam data
- Presentation (July 2025): DESC Pixel-to-Object Working Group
Mentors
- Keith Bechtol (Univeristy of Wisconsin - Madison, advisor)
- Alex Drlica-Wagner (Fermilab)