Dr. Vera Delfavero (she/her/hers)

Gravitational Wave Astrophysicist
Gravitational Astrophysics Laboratory (663)

What is one space mission that you are particularly excited about, and why?

I am excited about the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission, because it will listen to the gravitational waves of sources we have never before been able to observe. For most of recorded history, astronomers observed the Universe through primarily electromagnetic radiation (various wavelengths of light). Gravitational waves are a new messenger predicted by Einstein's theory of general relativity, through which we can hear the motion of massive bodies as they move closely past each other.

It's an amazing feat that ground-based gravitational wave instruments, such as the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) Hanford and Livingston observatories, have observed the first detections of gravitational waves. Their observations of merging black holes and neutron stars already demonstrate new support for general relativity, and they have shaped our understanding of binary stellar evolution for massive binaries. These ground-based instruments consist of massive vacuum chambers and detectors which must be cryogenically cooled while filtering out sound, vibrations, tectonic plate activity, and much more.

A space-based gravitational wave observatory subverts many sources of noise that Earth-based observatories struggle with. Rather than a long vacuum chamber, LISA will be a constellation of emitters and detectors in orbit around the Sun behind the Earth. The LISA mission will observe supermassive black hole mergers at the centers of galaxies and use their gravitational wave emission to learn more about how these objects get close enough to ultimately merge. It will also observe white dwarf star binaries in our Milky Way Galaxy, shedding a figurative light on binary stellar evolution for less massive stars, which is inaccessible to modern ground-based instruments.

In graduate school, I attended the La Serena School for Data Science in Chile. While there, we were able to visit a number of observatories in the mountains of Chile. This photograph is of the Tololo Observatory.
Credit: Vera Delfavero

What inspired you to pursue a career in gravitational wave astrophysics?

A few of the people I met along the way inspired me to pursue a career in astrophysics within academia.

I entered my Physics undergraduate program with a strong urge towards research, but without a clear direction. There was an older student who helped me get started in computational physics by teaching me the basics of Linux and Python. I found excitement and identity as I grew in independence finding and solving computational problems. After working in granular physics and detectors, I was able to get involved in the gravitational wave astrophysics group at my university.

As I have matured, the people who inspire me now are those with a healthy work-life balance, who have the patience and stability to build a research group and accomplish tasks which require many people and a long time to see through. I look forward to the next stages of my career where I aim to guide others and form a research group as a professor at a university.

I did my undergraduate and graduate education at the Rochester Institute of Technology. This view of Global Village from the third floor of the College of Science building greeted me every day for many years.
Credit: Vera Delfavero

What is one of your favorite moments in your career so far?

I presented my research at my first in-person conference very late in my graduate education, as I began my program shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic started. I was struggling to advocate for my research with an elevator speech, and I was struggling with imposter syndrome. I had taken a break from trying to network and was working on my computer when I laughed at a bug I found in my code. Some of the researchers I was sitting with asked me what I was laughing at, but to understand the bug, they needed to understand my project. It wasn't until after I responded that I realized I had just summarized my entire research project and tailored my response to my audience of fellow conference goers.

This is the Berczy Park Dog Fountain in Toronto, Canada. I really like the lighting in this photograph. Each tiny droplet of water seems to glow in the photo as if it were frozen in place.
Credit: Vera Delfavero

What do you enjoy the most about your job?

As a neurodivergent adult with ADHD, I have found that a career in academic research is well suited to my needs. I have been able to find a work/life balance which is healthy for me, even if it is different from what many other people need. When I hyperfixate on a topic I am interested in, I can often pursue a challenging research problem through to completion. Meanwhile, I have space to rest and meet my other needs in the times when I can't focus. This allows me to make the most of my time and energy.

I also very much enjoy the places I get to visit during my work-related travels. I have had the opportunity to visit Chile, Italy, Australia, and many other places. The things I have learned and the people I have met along the way have shaped me as a scientist.

What research accomplishment are you most proud of? / Tell us about one project (of yours) that has been particularly impactful in your field.

In 2023, I published a paper in the Physical Review D. using previously published gravitational wave observations of compact binaries. By simulating hundreds of synthetic universes full of binary systems, we were able to find statistical support for a preferred set of model assumptions. Our method could be used to interpret observed gravitational wave observations in order to better understand how massive stellar binaries grow and evolve. While binary evolution models are constantly evolving, and we are not close to claiming that any one model is truly correct, this method allows us to study a wide range of formation assumptions together in one statistical inference.

I was proud to be invited as a panelist at a conference for my specific sub-field, to discuss this work. The conference was What's Next in Gravitational Wave Populations, held by the Italian Society for General Relativity in Milan, Italy. I was included so I could discuss methods of interpolating compact binary population model likelihoods within the context of population synthesis for the formation channels of compact binary gravitational wave observations.

I really love dogs, and this husky belonged to someone I stayed with in Scotland for about a week. This little guy is tuckered out from a long day of playtime, and this image captures the softness and floof of his fur.
Credit: Vera Delfavero

Tell us about the research projects you are currently working on.

My current primary task explores the astrophysical assumptions that LISA may be able to uncover from the underlying population of galactic double white dwarf binaries. There are many ongoing studies about the efficiency of mass transfer processes between two stars in a binary system. By simulating double white dwarf binary populations under various assumptions, we can predict the impact of those assumptions on the population of LISA galactic double white dwarf binary detections by comparing the number and properties of predicted observations. I just submitted a study (preprint: 2409.15230) to The Astrophysical Journal this October!

My other tasks attempt to account for the LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA compact binary merger observations by studying the isolated evolution of massive stellar binaries and dynamic encounters in Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) disks. I aim to rein in some of our assumptions about these formation channels by updating stellar astrophysics models in binary evolution and working together with experts in AGN compact binary models. Our hope is to better understand where these compact binaries form and how they evolve. I have also submitted a study of AGN disk formation (preprint: 2410.18815) to The Astrophysical Journal during October!

What do you like to do in your free time?

One of my favorite hobbies is tabletop role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons, where I can either take the role of a fictional character in an adventuring party or construct a story for players to explore as a game master. I also very much enjoy sewing both costumes and clothes that I might wear professionally. I enjoy getting exercise by playing Just Dance games on my Nintendo Switch.

Photography is one of the hobbies I have engaged with for the longest, and my professional travels enable me to see and photograph places all over the world. I hope you enjoy some of the photographs I have included in this highlight, as I have taken them myself!

Growing up in Annapolis, Maryland, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge has been around all my life. Apart from the sunset and the angle, what stands out to me in this image is the curvature of the bridge, near the focal point, and how it blends together with the coastline.
Credit: Vera Delfavero