August Muller
Fulbright research fellow in the Astrophysical and Cosmological Relativity department
What is your current position at our institute?
I am a Fulbright research fellow in the Astrophysical and Cosmological Relativity department at the AEI in Potsdam, working with Dr. Elisa Maggio.
What is your academic education?
- NSF Post-baccalaureate Astronomy Research Fellow at the Maria Mitchell Observatory (Nantucket USA; 2023-2024)
- BSc in Physics from Haverford College (Philadelphia USA; 2019-2023)
How and when did you choose to do physics?
I decided to study physics in my final year of high school, around the time I was applying to universities. Prior to that point I had planned to study engineering, but I took an internship supervised by a physicist who inspired me to learn about the mechanics of our world at a more fundamental level. I also got involved with a particle physics competition around that time, which piqued interest in contemporary physics research more specifically.
What would you recommend to a young woman wanting to start a career in physics?
My advice would be to identify your advocates in the physics community. It is very helpful to have an idea of the mentors, colleagues, and friends who you can count on to support you as a physicist. Even if these people aren't in exactly the field or position that you are interested in, it is important to know who can give you advice and support as you progress through your career.
Can you please describe your research?
I am investigating how the upcoming LISA gravitational-wave observatory can be used to test General Relativity (GR). LISA will see the first gravitational-wave signals from merging supermassive black holes, including the ringdown phase of the signal which is produced after the two black holes have already merged. My research investigates how this ringdown signal may differ if the two black holes merge into an exotic object rather than a GR black hole, in order to determine how well LISA will be able to distinguish these post-merger objects.