Hello!
I am Ryan Nowicki (she/they), a Ph.D. Candidate in Astrophysics at Vanderbilt University currently studying black holes and gravitational waves.
Studying Black Holes
and Gravitational Waves
My research interests include the formation channels of intermediate-mass black hole binaries as well as gravitational waveform modeling. My work aims to understand how well future gravitational wave experiments like the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) and Laser Interferometer Lunar Antenna (LILA) can measure and identify key black hole parameters (such as black hole spin) that help us identify their formation and evolutionary histories. I also work to understand the signatures of black hole spin precession on the gravitational waves these systems emit using post-Newtonian and numerical relativity simulations.
Poetry and
Short Fiction
Outside of my academic work, I am an avid writer of poetry and short science-fiction. As part of my undergraduate education at UT Austin, I completed an honors thesis in creative writing, published a few poems with university affiliated journals, and was a runner-up for the university's Parker Poetry Prize in 2022. Since graduating, I have continued my writing journey. In 2024, I had several poems published in the anthology 11 Austin Poets, published by Udumbara Press.