Biswajit Jana | MSc Astrophysicist — Instrumentation & Scientific Computing

At a glance

Academic snapshot

A concise view of my research profile, outputs, and current direction.

Research contribution

MSc research contribution

Supervised spectrograph feedback-control work involving instrumentation, sensing, experimental logging, and control-system analysis.

Publications

Peer-reviewed publications

Engineering and instrumentation-related publications, including visible-light communication and embedded-system work.

Scientific computing

Browser-based astronomy tools, numerical simulations, and interactive data-visualisation platforms.

Science communication

Science writing

Paper notes, systematic explainers, visual science posts, and research logging.

Current objective

Open to PhD and research opportunities in astronomical instrumentation, exoplanets, and scientific computing.

About

Between physics, engineering, and measurement

I sit where the hardware ends and the data begins — and I like problems that need both halves to be right.

I hold an MSc in Astrophysics with Advanced Research from the University of Hertfordshire and a BTech in Electronics and Communication Engineering. The electronics background gives me practical grounding in hardware, sensors, embedded systems, signal handling, and experimental setups; the astrophysics background gives me training in measurement problems, data analysis, physical interpretation, and astronomical systems.

My interest is in building bridges between instruments, data acquisition, control systems, and scientific interpretation. Alongside research, I develop unified astronomical dashboards and interactive open-science tools to make scientific workflows more visual and inspectable.

Explore my full CVEducation, research history, placements, and training are recorded together in the CV.

Capabilities

From the instrument to the insight

Explore the tools behind my laboratory work, astronomical analysis, and research software. Open a panel for tools, methods, and the projects where I use them.

01SenseOptics & detectors
02StabiliseFeedback & telemetry
03InterpretModels & uncertainty
04ShareCode & visual tools

01 / LAB

Instrumentation & optics

From light to measurement

Applied in EXOhSPEC, detector studies, and observatory practical work.

Laser interferometry
IDS3010 displacement sensing
RV spectrograph stabilisation
Optical alignment
Adaptive-optics correction
CCD calibration & photometry
Image acquisition & guiding
Spectroscopic reduction
Microbolometer performance
Detector link budgets

02 / FEEDBACK

Control & telemetry

Keep the experiment inspectable

Sensor integration, environmental monitoring, and closed-loop workflows.

PID / closed-loop control
Meerstetter TEC control
BME environmental sensors
MaxIm DL centroid tracking
Serial · RS-232 / RS-485
Sensor fusion
Real-time logging
Grafana
InfluxDB
Simulink

03 / DATA

Astronomy & numerical analysis

Survey data, signals, and inference

Experience spans coursework, supervised projects, and independent research software.

NumPy · SciPy · pandas
Matplotlib · Astropy
lightkurve · DACE
FITS workflows
Time-series & RV analysis
Transit modelling
Injection–recovery tests
Monte Carlo uncertainty propagation
Image stacking · Binapprox
VISTA · DES · WISE
Gaia catalogue analysis
PICASO / petitRADTRANS workshop training

04 / CODE

Programming & research software

Reproducible tools and visual interfaces

From Python acquisition pipelines to browser-based astronomy laboratories.

Python
JavaScript
MATLAB
C / C++
SQL · Bash
HTML / CSS
WebGL / Three.js
Jupyter
Git / GitHub
LaTeX / Overleaf
Large-CSV handling
Parquet research products
Browser rendering & data export

05 / BUILD

Electronics & embedded systems

Prototypes grounded in hardware

Electronics engineering, internship projects, and published undergraduate work.

Arduino
Raspberry Pi
NodeMCU ESP8266
PSoC 5LP
IoT systems
Visible-light communication
High-frequency detection circuits
Drone calibration / synchronisation
PSpice
PSoC Creator
QCA Designer

06 / CONTEXT

Scientific domains & practice

Where the tools are applied

Research experience and training—not a claim of equal expertise in every domain.

Exoplanets & precision RV
Brown dwarfs / substellar populations
Satellite laser ranging
Atmospheric transmission
Optical / radio catalogue cross-matching
Two-element radio interferometry
Survey-scale cosmology software
Science communication

Full CV and experience context →

Selected research highlights

Research, placements & hands-on training

From spectrograph control to survey astronomy and electronics. Browse left or right; each panel distinguishes research, internships, coursework, and training.

Conceptual illustration of a high-resolution spectrograph

MSc research · Supervised

EXOhSPEC closed-loop stabilisation

As part of my MSc research at the University of Hertfordshire, I contributed to supervised work on closed-loop feedback control for the EXOhSPEC high-resolution spectrograph project, with emphasis on instrumentation, sensing, experimental logging, and control-system analysis.

Supervised by Prof. Hugh Jones and Prof. Bill Martin.

Instrumentation
Feedback control
Astrophysics
Scientific computing

View related work

Conceptual illustration of brown dwarf and substellar research

Jun–Jul 2023 · UoH summer research

Halo T-dwarf candidate research

Analysed VISTA, DES and WISE data for halo T-dwarf candidates with Prof. David Pinfield and Berenice Laurent. Contributed to candidate assessment and a successful Magellan/FIRE follow-up proposal. The collaboration’s benchmark T-dwarf manuscript was submitted to MNRAS in 2026; it is not yet peer reviewed.

Substellar
Survey data
Astrophysics

Watch talk Proposal

Conceptual illustration of satellite laser ranging

Aug–Sep 2024 · LUMI SPACE / SEPnet

Satellite laser ranging detector study

Studied detector performance for satellite laser ranging, including microbolometer feasibility, atmospheric transmission and link-budget analysis.

Detectors
Optics
Link budget

Placement details Request poster

BTech project · Published

Visible light communication system

A dimming-controlled visible light communication system on Raspberry Pi with optical and electronic hardware — undergraduate engineering work, published in Optical and Quantum Electronics.

Electronics
Communications
Hardware

Publication

2023 · Caltech / NASA Exoplanet Science Institute

Carl Sagan Exoplanet Summer Workshop

Hands-on workshop training in exoplanet atmospheric modelling and brown-dwarf atmosphere interpretation, including PICASO and petitRADTRANS. A training programme, distinct from a research appointment.

Atmospheres
Radiative transfer
Workshop

Programme in CV

Feb–May 2022 · Gauribidanur / RRI / Naxxatra

Radio astronomy summer school

Demonstrated a two-element radio interferometer and observed solar transits, with practical exposure to instrumentation and interferometry. Supervised by Dr. Ramesh Balasubramanyam.

Radio astronomy
Interferometry
Summer school

Programme in CV

Oct–Nov 2020 · SSERD · Online

Galaxy catalogue cross-matching

Cross-matched optical and radio catalogues and explored machine-learning-based elliptical-galaxy classification using multi-wavelength astronomical data. Supervised by Sundar M. N.

Catalogue analysis
Classification
Research programme

Experience in CV

Dec 2019–Jan 2020 · IIT Kharagpur

High-frequency circuits & drone systems

Winter internship with Prof. Sudip Misra, working on low-cost high-frequency detecting circuits and the calibration and synchronisation of multiple drones.

Circuits
Calibration
Internship

Internship in CV

2022–2024 · University of Hertfordshire

Bayfordbury observing practicals

CCD calibration, photometry, image acquisition, guiding, and spectroscopic data reduction using Meade telescopes. Also participated in planetarium demonstrations and public telescope sessions.

Observing
CCD workflows
Practical experience

Practical work in CV

Sep–Dec 2022 · MSc coursework · UoH

Case studies in astrophysics

Used DACE, Python and lightkurve for transit and radial-velocity analysis; interpreted brown-dwarf spectra and investigated Gaia close-encounter candidates. Coursework analysis, not an independent discovery claim.

Exoplanets
Gaia
Coursework

Case studies in CV

University of Hertfordshire · Analysis project

Pulsar-search image stacking

Applied the Binapprox algorithm for efficient median estimation across 9,587 astronomical FITS images. Developed stacking and median-combination workflows to improve faint-source detectability in pulsar-search-style datasets.

FITS
Image stacking
Numerical methods

Project in CV

Illustrations and animated motifs are conceptual—not photographs or measured results. Full dates, supervisors, and project context are in my CV.

Research portfolio

Work, records, and source material

Publications, code, thesis material, talks, and the supporting record behind the work.

CVPDF & page Publicationspeer-reviewed Thesis materialsAvailable upon request Seminars & postersAvailable upon request GitHubrepositories Research blogscience writing Paper notesreading log Methods & evidencevalidation, data, and releases

Research software

Data pipelines and scientific interfaces

A curated set of reproducible astronomy projects. Each card states the dataset or validation scale behind the interface and links directly to the live work.

LiveExoplanet populations

Finding Earth 2.0

Archive-scale population analysis with measurement provenance, uncertainty propagation, and a strict small-and-temperate candidate screen.

164,209source records consolidated into 6,354 planets

Open project Source

LiveGalaxy surveys

NĀSADĪYA LIGHTCONE

Survey-native exploration of DESI DR1 large-scale structure and the local 2MRS layer, backed by a provenance-first data build.

6.09Maccepted DESI rows across 4,205 tiles

Open project Source

LiveTransit photometry

ExoLight Transit Lab

Physical transit forward models, correlated-noise diagnostics, and explicit separation between measured light curves and simulations.

4,000seeded injection–recovery trials

Open project Source

LiveRadial velocity

Jana’s RV Doppler Observatory

Keplerian modelling, NASA Exoplanet Archive context, period-search diagnostics, and instrument-aware RV interpretation.

EPRVmodels, diagnostics, and observatory workflow

Open project Source

LiveSupernova cosmology

Supernova Hubble Diagram Lab

An explanatory Hubble-diagram workflow using anchored Pantheon+ light curves, parameter controls, residuals, and selection context.

180anchored Pantheon+ light curves

Open project Source

LiveAtmospheres

Exoplanet Atmosphere Signal

Transmission-spectroscopy signal reasoning across molecular opacity, stellar context, observational geometry, and uncertainty.

Multi-systemcomparative atmosphere reports

Open project Source

Research atlas

Selected GitHub work, mapped by connection.

A curated view of exoplanet reports, detection methods, interactive labs, and research platforms—linked by the instruments, methods, and evidence they share.