CURRICULUM VITAE

DR. MARYAM MODJAZ

UC Berkeley, Astronomy Department  Tel: (510) 642-1280
601 Campbell Hall  Fax: (510) 642- 3411
Berkeley, CA, USA  e-mail: mmodjaz@astro.berkeley.edu
URL: http://astro.berkeley.edu/~mmodjaz/   


EMPLOYMENT

   
2007$-$2010 MILLER POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW
  UC Berkeley

EDUCATION

   
2001$-$2007 HARVARD UNIVERSITY
  Ph.D., Astronomy (June 2007)
  Ph.D. Thesis: Varied Deaths of Massive Stars: Properties of Nearby
  Type IIb, Ib and Ic Supernovae
  Advisor: Prof. Robert P. Kirshner
  A.M., Astronomy (2003)
1996$-$2000 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY
  B.A., Astrophysics (2000)
  Honors Thesis: The Peculiar Type Ia Supernova 1998de in NGC 252
  Advisor: Prof. Alexei V. Filippenko



HONORS, AWARDS, AND GRANTS

   
Dec 2007 Grand Poster Prize at IAU Symposium 250: ``Massive Stars as Cosmic Engines''
2007 UC Berkeley: Miller Institute Research Fellowship
2007 Fireman Award for Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation in Astronomy, Harvard University
2006 Harvard Graduate Student Council Conference Award
2006 AAS International Travel Grant
2002, 2003, 2005 Certificates of Distinction in Teaching, Harvard University
2002$-$2003 NRAO Student Grant
2000 Dorothea Klumpke Roberts Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Astronomy, UC Berkeley
2000 Commencement Speech, Physics & Astronomy Department, UC Berkeley
2000 High Honors, UC Berkeley
1997$-$2000 Golden Key National Honor Society
1996 & 1999 UC Berkeley Dean's Honor List



TEACHING & MENTORING

   
2002$-$2006 Mentor, Harvard College Science Mentors Program
2004, 2005 Session Leader, Teaching Fellows Conference, Bok Center for Teaching
2005 Fall Teaching Fellow, Science A47 - `Cosmic Connections''
2002 & 2003 Spring Teaching Fellow, Science A35 - ``Matter and the Universe''
2000 Fall Teaching Fellow, AY 10, UC Berkeley - ``General Astronomy''


   
MEMBERSHIP: American Astronomical Society (AAS)
  ``Astronomische Gesellschaft'' of Germany


   
RESEARCH INTERESTS: Observations of Stripped-Envelope Core-Collapse Supernovae
  SN-GRB connection
  Environments of SN and GRBs

OBSERVING EXPERIENCE

PUBLICATIONS

Refereed journals
  1. M. Modjaz, et al (2009), ``From Shock Breakout to Peak and Beyond: Extensive Panchromatic Observations of the Aspherical Type Ib Supernova 2008D associated with Swift X-ray Transient 080109'', 2009, ApJ, 702, 226

  2. D. Kocevski, A.  West, & M. Modjaz (2009), ``Modeling The GRB Host Galaxy Mass Distribution: Are GRBs Unbiased Tracers of Star Formation?", 2009, ApJ, 702, 377

  3. M. Modjaz, et al. (2008), ``Double-peaked Oxygen Lines Are not Rare in Nebular Spectra of Core-Collapse Supernovae'', 2008, ApJL, 687, L9

  4. M. Modjaz (2008), L. Kewley, R. P. Kirshner, K. Z. Stanek, P. Challis, P. M. Garnavich, J. E. Greene, & J. L. Prieto, ``Measured Metallicities at the Sites of Local Broad-Lined Type Ic Supernovae and Implications for the SN-GRB Connection'', 2008, AJ, 135, 1136

  5. W. M. Wood-Vasey, A. S. Friedman, J. S. Bloom, M. Hicken, M. Modjaz, R. P. Kirshner, D. L. Starr, C. H. Blake, E. E. Falco, A. H. Szentgyorgyi, P. Challis, S. Blondin, & A. Rest, "Type Ia Supernovae are Good Standard Candles in the Near Infrared: Evidence from PAIRITEL", 2007, ApJ, submitted (arXiv:0711.2068)

  6. L. Dessart et al. (incl. M. Modjaz), ``Using Quantitative Spectroscopic Analysis to Determine the Properties and Distances of Type II-Plateau Supernovae: SNe 2005cs and 2006bp'', 2008, ApJ, in press

  7. D. Kocevski, M. Modjaz, J. S. Bloom, R. Foley, D. Starr, C. H. Blake, E. E. Falco, N. R. Butler, M. Skrutskie, & A. Szentgyorgyi, ``Multicolor Infrared Observations of SN 2006aj, the Supernova Associated with XRF 060218 - Paper I'', 2007, ApJ, 663, 1180

  8. P. J. Brown et al. (incl. M. Modjaz), ``Early Ultraviolet, Optical and X-Ray Observations of the Type IIP SN 2005cs in M51 with Swift'', 2007, ApJ, 659, 1488

  9. H. Hao et al. (incl. M. Modjaz), ``Strongly Variable z=1.48 MgII and FeII Absorption in the Spectra of z=4.05 GRB 060206'', 2007, ApJ, 659, L99

  10. K. Z. Stanek, O. Y. Gnedin, J. F. Beacom, A. P. Gould, J. A. Johnson, J. A. Kollmeier, M. Modjaz, M. H. Pinsonneault, R. Pogge, & D. H. Weinberg, ``Protecting Life in the Milky Way: Metals Keep the GRBs Away'', 2007, Acta Astronomica, 56, 333

  11. M. Modjaz et al., ``Early-Time Photometry and Spectroscopy of the Fast Evolving SN 2006aj Associated with GRB 060218'', 2006, ApJ, 645, L21

  12. N. Tominaga et al (incl. M. Modjaz), ``The Unique Type Ib Supernova 2005bf: A WN Star Explosion Model for Peculiar Light Curves and Spectra'', 2005, ApJ, 633, L97

  13. M. Modjaz, J. M. Moran, P. T. Kondratko, & L. J. Greenhill, ``Probing the Magnetic Field at Subparsec Radii in the Accretion Disk of NGC 4258'', 2005, ApJ, 626, 104

  14. B. M. Peterson et al. (incl. M. Modjaz)``Steps toward Determination of the Size and Structure of the Broad-Line Region in Active Galactic Nuclei. XVI. A 13 Year Study of Spectral Variability in NGC 5548'', 2002, ApJ, 581, 197

  15. W. Li, A. V. Filippenko, S. D. Van Dyk, J. Hu, Y. Qiu, Yulei, M. Modjaz, & D. C. Leonard, ``A Hubble Space Telescope Snapshot Survey of Nearby Supernovae'', 2002, PASP, 114, 404

  16. M. Modjaz, W. Li, A. V. Filippenko, J. Y. King, D. C. Leonard, T. Matheson, R. R. Treffers, Richard R. & A. G. Riess, ``The Subluminous Type Ia Supernova 1998de in NGC 252'', 2001, PASP, 113, 308

  17. W. Li et al. (incl. M. Modjaz), ``The Unique Type Ia Supernova 2000cx in NGC 524'', 2001, PASP 113, 1178

  18. S. Jha et al. (incl. M. Modjaz), ``The Type Ia Supernova 1998bu in M96 and the Hubble Constant'', 1999, ApJS, 125, 73

Conference Proceedings & Contributions

  1. ``Comprehensive and Extensive CfA Observations of Type Ib and Ic Supernovae'', M. Modjaz 2007, Proceedings of the Meeting ``Compact Objects and Their Explosive Origins'', 2006, Cefalu, Sicily, Italy, AIP Confernece Proceedings, 924, 285

  2. ``Optical Spectra of Type Ia, Ib/c Supernovae'', M. Modjaz, R.P. Kirshner, P. Challis, M. Hicken, & T. Matheson 2005, BAAS, 206, 51.06

  3. ``Probing the Magnetic Field at Sub-Parsec Radii in the Accretion Disk of NGC 4258'', M. Modjaz, J. M. Moran, P. T. Kondratko, & L. J. Greenhill 2005, ``Growing Black Holes: Accretion in a Cosmological Context'', Proceedings of the MPA/ESO/MPE/USM Joint Astronomy Conference edited by A. Merloni, S. Nayakshin, R. A. Sunyaev (Berlin, Aug 2005), p. 296

  4. ``Magnetic Fields in the Accretion Disks of AGN: NGC 4258'' , M. Modjaz, J. M. Moran, P. T. Kondratko, & L. J. Greenhill 2005, ``Future Directions in High Resolution Astronomy: The 10th Anniversary of the VLBA'' ASP Conf. Proceedings edited by J. Romney and M. Reid. (San Francisco, Nov 2005), p. 192

  5. ``High-Quality Optical Light Curves of Supernovae with the Katzman Automatic Imaging Telescope'', M. Modjaz, W. D. Li, A. V. Filippenko, & R. R. Treffers, 2000, BAAS, p. 196

  6. ``The Lick Observatory Supernova Search with the Katzman Automatic Imaging Telescope'' A. V. Filippenko, W. D. Li, R. R. Treffers, M. Modjaz 2001, ``Small Telescope Astronomy on Global Scales'' ASP Conf. Proceedings edited by B. Paczynski, W. Chen, & C. Lemme (San Francisco, Apr 2000), p. 121

Papers in preparation

Circulars

SELECTED SCIENTIFIC TALKS
  1. Astronomy Colloquium, UC Berkeley, December 2009

  2. Astronomy Colloquium, Columbia University, October 2009

  3. Invited Review Talk, Bash Symposium, U of Texas, Austin, October 2009

  4. Invited Review Talk, "Stellar Deaths and Supernovae" , KITP Santa Barbara, August 2009

  5. Astronomy Colloquium, University of Toronto, November 2008

  6. Astronomy Colloquium, Carnegie Institute, October 2008

  7. Astronomy Seminar, UC Irvine, October 2008

  8. Astronomy Colloquium, San Francisco State University, October 2008

  9. Invited Review Talk, 1st California Postdoc Symposium, UC Santa Cruz, August 2008

  10. ``Elucidating the Supernova-GRB Connection: Metallicities and Host Galaxy Properties'', Colloquium, Space Telescope Science Institute, April 2008

  11. ``Elucidating the Supernova-GRB Connection: Metallicities and Host Galaxy Properties'', Colloquium, Heidelberg University, Germany, March 2008

  12. ``The SN-GRB Connection from the SN Perspective'', Colloquium, University of Hawaii, IfA, Hawaii, February 2008

  13. ``Metallicities at the Sites of Nearby SN Ic and Implications for the SN-GRB Connection'', Prize Talk, IAU Symposium 250: Massive Stars as Cosmic Engines, Hawaii, December 2007

  14. ``Supernovae: Violent Deaths of Massive Stars'', Colloquium, Sonoma State University, November 2007

  15. ``The SN-GRB Connection from the SN Perspective'', Colloquium, Berkeley Spaces Sciences Lab, November 2007

  16. ``Varied Deaths of Massive Stars: Properties of Nearby SN IIb,Ib and SN Ic'', PhD Colloquium, CfA, May 2007

  17. ``The SN-GRB Connection: Environments and Metallicities'', Research Forum, CfA, April 2007

  18. ``The SN-GRB Connection: Environments and Metallicities'', ITC Talk, CfA, April 2007

  19. ``Properties of SN Ib/c'', Invited talk, 20 Years of SN1987A and GRBs, Aspen, February 2007

  20. ``Observations of SN Ib/c and the SN-GRB Connection'', MPA Seminar Talk, Max-Planck Institute for Astrophysics, Garching, Germany, December 2006

  21. ``The GRB-SN Connection from the SN Perspective'', KIPAC Tea Talk, Standford/KIPAC SLAC, October 2006

  22. ``Varied Deaths of Massive Stars: Properties of SN Ib/c'', Theoretical Astrophysics Center Talk, UC Berkeley, October 2006

  23. ``CfA Optical Observations of Type Ib/c Supernovae'', Compact Objects and Their Explosive Origins, Cefalu, Italy, June 2006

  24. ``Spectra of Type Ia, Ib/c Supernovae'', American Astronomical Society Meeting, Minneapolis, June 2005

  25. ``Probing the Magnetic Field at Sub-Parsec Radii in the Accretion Disk of NGC 4258'', Growing Black Holes: Accretion in a Cosmological Context, Garching, Germany, July 2004

  26. ``Lick Observatory Supernova Search'', Optical & IR Lunch Talk, Harvard-Smithsonian CfA, January 2001

REFERENCES

     
Prof. Robert P. Kirshner   Prof. Jim M. Moran
Harvard University   Harvard University
Department of Astronomy   Department of Astronomy
60 Garden St., MS 19   60 Garden St., MS 42
Cambridge, MA 02138   Cambridge, MA 02138
Tel: (617) 495-7519   Tel: (617) 495-7477
email: rkirshner@cfa.harvard.edu   email: jmoran@cfa.harvard.edu
     
     
     
Prof. Kris Stanek    
The Ohio State University    
Department of Astronomy    
40 W. 18th Avenue    
Columbus, OH 43210-1173    
Tel: (614) 292-1773    
email: kstanek@astronomy.ohio-state.edu    

   



Maryam Modjaz 2008-11-03