Casey Daniel McGrath
(Postdoctoral Researcher)
| Email: | casey.d.mcgrath@nasa.gov |
| Phone: | 301.614.6138 |
| Org Code: | 663 |
| Address: |
NASA/GSFC Mail Code 663 Greenbelt, MD 20771 |
| Employer: | UMBC Univ. of MD, Baltimore County |
Brief Bio
I am a gravitational wave astrophysicist. I primarily work on the joint ESA/NASA mission LISA ("Laser Interferometer Space Antenna"), an upcoming space-based interferometer to search for gravitational wave sources such as black hole and ultra compact binaries. In this effort I contribute to data analysis and pipeline development.
I also study pulsar timing, which uses pulsars across our galaxy to search for the signatures of gravitational waves coming from sources such as supermassive black hole binaries. There I have mostly contributed to waveform modeling.
I am also interested in mission concept development for future space-based gravitational wave detectors beyond LISA. Especially methods in the "micro-Hertz" gravitational wave band, the portion of the gravitational wave spectrum between space-based interferometers like LISA and pulsar timing arrays.
Research Interests
LISA Gravitational Wave Research
Astrophysics: Gravitational WavesI currently work on data analysis methods for the LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) mission.
Gravitational Waves and Pulsar Timing
Astrophysics: Gravitational WavesI am a member of the NANOGrav collaboration (North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves), and study the effects of gravitational waves on pulsar timing experiments.
Positions/Employment
Postdoctoral Research Associate (CRESST II)
University of Maryland, Baltimore County - NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
April 2022 - Present
Teaching Experience
- Lecturer, "Survey of Astronomy" (Astronomy 103) - Spring 2020 - University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
- Instructor, "The Art & Science of Teaching Physics" (Physics 610G) - Fall 2018, Fall 2019 - University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Education
PhD in Physics - University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (2021)
BS in Physics / BS in Mathematics - University of Redlands (2014)
Selected Publications
Refereed
2024. "MAUVE: An Ultraviolet Astrophysics Probe Mission Concept.", Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 136 (10): 105002 [10.1088/1538-3873/ad77f3] [Journal Article/Letter]
2023. "Multi-messenger Approaches to Supermassive Black Hole Binary Detection and Parameter Estimation. II. Optimal Strategies for a Pulsar Timing Array.", The Astrophysical Journal, 945 (1): 78 [10.3847/1538-4357/acb492] [Journal Article/Letter]
2022. "Measuring the Hubble constant with double gravitational wave sources in pulsar timing.", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 517 (1): 1242-1263 [10.1093/mnras/stac2593] [Journal Article/Letter]
2021. "Fresnel models for gravitational wave effects on pulsar timing.", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 505 (3): 4531-4554 [10.1093/mnras/stab1417] [Journal Article/Letter]
Selected Public Outreach
CoffeeShop Astrophysics
December 2015 - December 2021
Public/community science outreach and education group run by grad students and postdocs in the Center for Gravitation, Cosmology, and Astrophysics at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.