This week’s SDSS tweeter is Jonathan Bird, current the VIDA (Vanderbilt Inititative in Intensive Data Astrophysics) postdoctoral fellow at Vanderbilt University, and Co-Chair of the Disk Science Working Group for APOGEE.

Jonathan Bird

Jonathan received his PhD in 2012 from the Ohio State University. His thesis focused on using numerical simulations to look for patterns in the dynamics and chemistry of the stars in disk galaxies which can be linked to specific evolution and formation mechanisms. He has used both APOGEE and SEGUE data to search for such signatures in our own Milky Way Galaxy.

Jonathan is currently working on generating mock APOGEE catalogs from simulated disk galaxies. Of the SDSS surveys, he is most connected with APOGEE, where he is co-chair of the disk science working group, but he is also hoping to get more involved with MaNGA soon.

Jonathan regularly tweets as @galaxyhistorian and has been working on some awesome visualisations of the APOGEE and SEGUE data sets, so keep your fingers cross for a sneak peek this week.