Since 2020, I've served as a graduate student researcher in the HEDP Group in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at UC San Diego, where I am pursuing a Ph.D. in Engineering Physics with a concentration in Applied Plasma Physics. I've had the good fortune to work on various magnetized HED projects that are relevant to both laboratory astrophysics and inertial confinement fusion. In these projects, I assisted with experimental execution as well as analysis of data from a number of different experimental diagnostics including: Rowland (Yaakobi) x-ray spectrometer, proton radiography, polarimetry, angular filter refractory, magnetic spectrometers, Thomson Parabolas, and Filter Stack Spectrometers. Collaborations with UCLA have helped me run numerical studies on OSIRIS, a fully relativistic, massively parallel particle-in-cell (PIC) code. Recently, I had the opportunity to join a project at LANL focused on developing laser-based MeV x-ray sources. The role included assisting with target alignment, scanning image plates, and vacuum system operation.
I received a BA in Physics and a minor in Computer Science in my hometown at The University of Chicago. During my time there, I worked at the Flash Center for Computational Science under the mentorship of Petros Tzeferacos, where I executed simulations and developed scientific tools to study astrophysical process mediated by magnetic fields in laser-driven experiments. During the summers I had the opportunity to intern at national labs such as FermiLab and LLNL.
Alongside my coursework and scholarly research, I have made pursuing opportunities that promote equity in STEM a priority. I served as the community outreach coordinator for CompileHer, an organization dedicated to closing the gender gap in the tech industry by exposing middle school girls to programming principles and spotlighting successful women in the industry. I have also held mentor positions for undergraduate and incoming graduate students in STEM, where I experienced first-hand the positive impact of a well-engaged community. From these personal experiences, I can attest that small investments into one's comfort, such as peer bonding and mentorship, can lead to resounding effects on one’s sense of belonging, in turn bettering performance. These experiences have not only been personally rewarding but also a motivating force to be highly engaged in my communities.
I am a first-generation Ethiopian-American and I enjoy hip hop, manga, MMA, history, and comedy.
Download my curriculum vitae (CV) [.pdf]
A platform to investigate the effects of an external magnetic field on laser-plasma instabilities
M. Bailly-Grandvaux, B. J. Winjum, M. J.-E. Manuel, S. Bolaños, C. A. Walsh, J. Saret, A. Bogale, R. Lee, F. Tsung, W. Mori, D. Froula, T. Filkins, F. N. Beg(submitted)
Sloan Scholar
asbogale@ucsd.edu
