Hello! Thanks for visiting my website. My name is Guadalupe Tovar Mendoza.
I am a NSF MPS-Ascend postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University. I earned a dual-title PhD from the University of Washington in August of 2024. Explore CV.
I am braodly interested in the relationship between stars and their planets.
In particular, I use space-based observations to study stellar magnetic activity on low mass stars and its impacts on the ability to both detect and characterize exoplanets. Explore research.
On a personal note, I am a first generation college student who grew up in Washington state and I am the proud daughter of Mexican immigrants. Growing up my family and I worked in the agricultural fields of eastern Washington where I learned many lessons about caring for the land and the people around us.
My lived experiences are my fuel to continue creating and investing in more equitable and inclusive spaces within academia and the spaces I occupy.
Research
My current research broadly lies at the intersection of stellar variability and its impact on planet detection and characterization.
Specifically, I have used Kepler, TESS, and Gaia data to study the morphology of flares and their energetics. Recently, I developed a publicly available flare template, Llamaradas Estelares, that models the morphology of stellar flares and can be used to model the shapes of flare from various datasets and at various cadences.
Throughout my career I have worked on a number of research projects that have spanned various astronomical subfields including but not limited to: exoplanet atmospheric modeling, time series photometry, and archeoastronomy.
Teaching & Mentorship:
During my time as a graudate student, I was a graduate student teaching assistant for a total of 6 quarters [1 quarter = 10 weeks]. I led sections for both "Intro to Astronomy" [Astro 101] and "The Planets" [Astro 150].
In addition, I was a research mentor for a total of 4 undergraduate students through the Pre-MAP program.
First Generation Graduate Student Advisory Board:
From 2018-2024, I was a member of the First Generation Graduate Student Advisory Board (FGSAB). As a board member for FGSAB, I played a critical advisory role in finding solutions to the hurdles faced by first generation students. In particular, I organized and led a university-wide event called ‘Bridging Family, Culture, and Graduate School’,
where a moderated panel of first generation graduate students shared their lived experiences. The event received universally positive reviews, as indicated by a post-event evaluation
Outreach
STEM Tutoring for Incarcerated Youth:
As an NSF MPS-Ascend postdoc, I am partnering with the Prison Tutorial Project at JHU to provide weekly STEM tutoring to incarcerated youth at a local juvenile detention center in Baltimore, MD.
Raising e-STEAM:
From 2021-2024, I was a volunteer and tutor at Echo Glen Youth Detention Center. Together with my astrobiology colleagues, we started a program "Raising e-STEAM" to support incarcerated youth in WA state, by providing weekly tutoring and summer school STEM labs.
Learn more about our work hereLetters to a Pre-Scientist:
During my time as a graduate student I was a pen pal to 4 different students across the USA.
Learn more about then program here
Media
Check out a few of my recorded talks, panels and posters below!
William H. Miller III Department of Physics & Astronomy
Johns Hopkins University
Bloomberg Center for Physics and Astronomy, Room 366
3400 N. Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21218
Link to Flare Template
