I am a fourth-year graduate student and NSF fellow in the Astronomy Department at the University of California, Berkeley. I work with Eliot Quataert studying the deaths of massive stars in weak or failed supernovae in order to model the electromagnetic signatures of black hole birth.
I earned my B.S. in Physics (Astrophysics) in 2018 from the University of California, Santa Cruz where I was a Regents Scholar and a 2017 Barry Goldwater Scholar. At UCSC, I worked with Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz and Morgan MacLeod studying the common envelope phase in the formation of close binaries as well as the general problem of the accretion and drag experienced by binary systems interacting with gaseous environments.
Before transferring to UCSC, I earned associates degrees in math and physics at West Valley Community College. Along my non-traditional path to graduate studies, I was mentored by an incredible network of people who believed in me and who showed me the way to a career in science. I am a coordinator for POWER-Bay Area, a mentoring program and workshop series for Bay Area community college students. Talk to me if you’d like to get involved!
Outside of astronomy, I love birdwatching and reading novels.
Office: 461 Campbell Hall
Mail: acantni [at] gmail [dot] com
Pronouns: she/her