About
My name is Oscar and I am a final-semester undergraduate Physics student at Universidad del Valle de Guatemala. I have a strong interest in astronomy and astrophysics, particularly in developing and applying methods to discover and characterize exoplanets and search for a potential "second Earth". I am currently a research intern at the Department of Physics & Astronomy at the University of Delaware working with Prof. Sally Dodson-Robinson.
I plan to pursue a graduate degree in astronomy or astrophysics, with the goal of contributing to the discovery and characterization of new planetary systems and the search for potentially Earth-like worlds.
Outside of academics, I am a sports enthusiast. I train for triathlon, play soccer as a goalkeeper, and enjoy doing calisthenics. I recently completed an Ironman 70.3, and previously played professional soccer, where I became a two-time national scholar champion.
Check out a newspaper feature from 2019 (in Spanish):
In my free time, I enjoy watching soccer - especially going to the stadium to support my favorite team, CSD Municipal - as well as learning languages and studying history. I have also been dedicated to researching my ancestry and building my family tree, a project I have been developing for the past eight years.
In my senior year of high school (2020), I was a finalist in the National Mathematics Olympiad.
Research
My research interests include exoplanet detection and characterization, planet formation and evolution, and the application of machine learning and statistical methods to astronomical time-series and spectral data.
I am currently working as a research intern at the University of Delaware with Prof. Sally Dodson-Robinson on analyzing and developing mathematical methods to distinguish genuine exoplanet discoveries from stellar noise. This research focuses on improving the reliability of planet detections in radial velocity (RV) data affected by stellar variability, helping to ensure that candidate signals correspond to genuine planets rather than artifacts of stellar activity or instrumental effects.
I am currently working on two projects:
Barnard's Star Planetary System
This project is a follow-up analysis of the confirmed four-planet system around Barnard's Star, using frequency-domain techniques, Gaussian Process (GP) modeling, exploration of different orbital configurations, and dynamical stability analysis to understand the system's architecture better.
Check out my poster presented at the Sagan Summer Workshop:
ESSP IV – Extreme Stellar Signals Project IV
I am participating in ESSP IV, an international collaboration and friendly competition among teams developing methods to distinguish true exoplanet signals from stellar variability and instrumental noise.
Previous Research:
Detection and Characterization of Exoplanets with TESS
I worked with Prof. Eduardo Rubio-Herrera in the generation and analysis of transit data to detect and characterize exoplanets. This includes developing an algorithm using TESS data to generate light curves and identify planetary signals.
Teaching
Tutoring
I enjoy sharing knowledge through teaching. Over the past few years, I have dedicated over 280 hours to tutoring more than 30 students in physics and mathematics at high school and college levels. The courses I have tutored include:
- Physics I, II, and III
- Differential Equations I
- Calculus I, II, and for Business
- Precalculus
Undergraduate Teaching Assistant
Universidad del Valle de Guatemala
Over my last two years of undergraduate studies, I was consistently entrusted by the physics department to serve as a TA. Ultimately, I was concurrently responsible for three separate course sections in a single semester. In total, I have held seven distinct TA appointments:
- Physics II: Held three TA appointments.
- Physics I: Held two TA appointments.
- Mechanics I: Held one TA appointment.
- Physics III: Held one TA appointment.
My key responsibilities and accomplishments included:
- Leading weekly lab sessions, demonstrating experimental setups, and clarifying theoretical concepts for over 240 students in total.
- Grading weekly lab reports and assignments, providing detailed written feedback to improve both their scientific writing and their conceptual understanding of the material.
- Taking the initiative to propose, write, and implement a new, comprehensive laboratory guide for Physics II.
Outreach
Educational Resources
Designed and authored a Physics laboratory guide that is now widely used by students and instructors at Universidad del Valle de Guatemala. To make the material more accessible, I also created a YouTube tutorial video, along with other videos on physics problems and simulations (in Spanish), which together have over 1,100 views.
Science Communication
Founded and managed a popular educational Instagram account on geography and linguistics, reaching 15,000+ followers and accumulating over 5 million views.
Leadership
Lead Organizer, 'Physics Week 2025': Led a multi-day event featuring expert talks and workshops on diverse topics in physics.
Workshop Developer & Instructor: Designed and taught the "How to Write an Academic CV" workshop, providing foundational career guidance for first-year physics students.
Member, Physics Students Association: Contributed to organizing university science talks and led STEM outreach initiatives for high school and college students.
Vice-President, Student Council: Proposed and implemented student-led projects designed to enhance the academic and extracurricular experience.
CV
You can view a full preview of my CV below.
Preview
Contact
Feel free to reach out.
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