About Me

I’m a PhD student in Astronomy & Astrophysics at Harvard University. I primarily work with Professor Charlie Conroy as a part of the broader Sloan Digital Sky Survey and H3 Survey collaborations. During the summer, I work with Hans-Walter Rix at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy on understanding the formation of the Milky Way. Since 2023, I’ve spent most of my time working as the Deputy Project Scientist for the Via Project, designing and building the next-generation ViaSpec instrument.

Previously, I was an undergraduate at the Johns Hopkins University, where I spent the vast majority of my time doing astrophysical research with Professor Nadia Zakamska and Hsiang-Chih Hwang. I was also a co-investigator at the Johns Hopkins Human Spaceflight Lab, where we ran human trials to evaluate the effects of long-term spaceflight. From 2020-2021, I was employed part-time at the Space Telescope Science Institute, where I developed tools to study star formation in nearby galaxies using the James Webb Space Telescope.

Research

I’m interested in a wide range of research topics spanning observations, theory, and instrumentation. A few key questions guide my work. What is the evolutionary history of our home galaxy, the Milky Way? What is the nature of the ‘dark matter’ that binds and shapes all galaxies? In practical terms, I seek answers to these questions by designing, executing, and analyzing large stellar spectroscopic surveys. You can find an overview of my work on my research page.

Publications

A compilation of all my publications is available on NASA ADS or Google Scholar.

Curriculum Vitae

Latest PDF of my CV. Some additional details are scattered around my LinkedIn page.

Contact Me

vedant.chandra [at] cfa.harvard.edu
Twitter: @vedantchandra
LinkedIn: vedant-chandra
ORCID: ORCID iD icon 0000-0002-0572-8012