My research group is primarily working on the design and development of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), and its application to research in fundamental cosmology. LSST is a large-aperture, wide-field ground-based telescope that will survey the entire visible sky every few nights. At SLAC, we are leading the development of the LSST camera, which will be the largest digital camera every constructed. The camera presents a number of interesting design challenges, including the need to package a large number of CCD sensors and their associated electronics into a compact enclosure, and to align the sensors to very tight mechanical tolerances. We are also studying the use of LSST for precision cosmological measurements using weak gravitational lensing. Of particular importance is the quantification of potential systematics due to residual shear errors and photometric redshift errors. We are using data from existing telescope facilities to constrain these effects and to develop new analysis techniques to minimize them.

Rotations students joining my group can help to develop laboratory prototypes of key LSST subsystems, and/or participate in simulation and data analysis efforts in the study of weak lensing systematics. There are a number of thesis opportunities in these areas.

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