Benjamin Cavallari

I am a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, undergraduate researcher, and licensed California real estate agent pursuing a B.S. in Physics with minors in Mathematics and Computer Science at the University of San Diego. As a McNair Scholar, I am completing my second summer of research on black hole X-ray binaries, developing Python tools to analyze simulation data, investigate elemental ionization states, and modernize legacy Fortran code. My research interests include black hole physics, computational astrophysics, and gravitational-wave astronomy. Before returning to school, I served nearly a decade in the Marine Corps as an F/A-18 airframes and hydraulics mechanic and Quality Assurance Representative, holding a supervisory role in the Corps' largest fixed-wing airframes division. My long-term goal is to earn a Ph.D. in astrophysics and contribute to advancing our understanding of compact objects and the fundamental physics governing the universe.