Astrophysicist
Jakob T. Faber
Studying fast radio bursts, radio transients, and signal processing — building tools for discovery in time-domain astrophysics.
About
I am a PhD student in astrophysics at Caltech and a Fulbright Scholar, working on fast radio bursts (FRBs), radio transient detection, and interstellar scintillation. My research spans the CHIME/FRB Collaboration, Breakthrough Listen at UC Berkeley, and NANOGrav, combining observational campaigns with data pipeline development and signal processing.
I hold dual B.A. degrees in Physics (Astrophysics, High Honors) and Philosophy from Oberlin College, with additional study at King's College London and research at the University of Amsterdam and Cornell. This site collects my publications, CV, talks, software, and contact information.
Curriculum Vitae Download PDF
Education
- Ph.D. Astrophysics — California Institute of Technology 2023 – 2029 (exp.)
- B.A. Physics (Astrophysics) with High Honors — Oberlin College 2017 – 2021
- B.A. Philosophy — Oberlin College 2017 – 2021
- Visiting Student — King's College London Jan. – Jun. 2020
Research experience
- Fulbright Scholar — McGill Space Institute / CHIME/FRB 2020 – present
- Research Assistant — UC Berkeley / Breakthrough Listen Jun. 2020 – present
- Research Assistant — Oberlin College / NANOGrav 2017 – 2021
- Research Assistant — University of Amsterdam / ASTRON 2018 – 2019
- Research Assistant — Cornell University / NANOGrav Jun. – Nov. 2018
Honors & awards
- Fulbright Research Scholar Award — Fulbright Program & McGill University 2021
- Robert Weinstock Prize — Outstanding Achievements in Physics, Oberlin 2020
- Dahl Philosophy Prize — Best Undergraduate Essay, Oberlin 2020
- SETI Forward Award — UC Berkeley / Breakthrough Listen / SETI Institute 2020
Teaching
- TA, Astronomical Measurements & Instrumentation — Caltech Fall 2023
- Instructor, General Relativity — Oberlin Experimental College 2020 – 2021
- TA, Introductory Astronomy & Differential Equations — Oberlin 2019 – 2020
Technical skills
- Languages: Python, C/C++, SQL
- Systems: Unix, Mathematica, LaTeX
- Tools: Git, Docker, PSRCHIVE, DSPSR, TEMPO2, PINT
Full details in the PDF version.
Talks & Presentations
| Title | Venue | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compelling Morphologies of Fast Radio Bursts with CHIME/FRB Baseband Data | FRB 2022 / CRAQ | May 2022 | |
| Multiband Detection of Repeating FRB 20180916B | AAS 237 | Jan. 2021 | |
| Applying Scintillometry Techniques to Fast Radio Bursts | Scintillometry, MPIfR Bonn | Jul. 2019 | |
| Improving Gravitational Wave Detection: Interstellar Scattering Correction | APS March Meeting | Mar. 2019 | |
| Simulating Pulsar Scintillation in the ISM: Wave Optics v. Ray Tracing | AAS 233, Seattle | Jan. 2019 |
Software
Open-source tools and libraries. Replace these cards with real repos.
-
repo-name
One-line description of the repository and what it does.
Python -
another-repo
Short description of the tool or library.
Python -
third-repo
Another placeholder for a public software project.
C
News
- 2025-XX
- Placeholder — replace with a real news item (paper accepted, talk given, award, etc.).
- 2024-XX
- Another placeholder news entry.
Contact
For collaborations, questions, or a friendly note, reach out at jfaber@caltech.edu.