Dr. Ryan F

Research Mentor

Ryan supports the research students he mentors through cutting-edge active learning methodologies. Ryan’s students develop an impressive set of computational skills through his mentorship, including Python for data analysis, C/C++/FORTRAN for simulation source code, git for version control, and LaTeX for writing manuscripts. These skills are useful for medical practitioners, a wide variety of scientific fields, and beyond!

Location:
San Francisco, California

Education:
Ph.D. Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of Michigan
B.A. Physics, Mathematics, Wheaton College

Bio:
Dr. Ryan Jeffrey Farber is an Adjunct Professor of Physics at Purdue University Fort Wayne. Previously, Dr. Farber worked as a postdoctoral researcher in the Multiphase Gas Group at the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics. Dr. Farber earned his Ph.D. in Astronomy & Astrophysics at the University of Michigan. During his PhD, Dr. Farber won numerous competitive awards, including being selected as a Visiting Scholar for the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton University’s Prospects in Theoretical Physics program and as a Graduate Research Fellow for the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics at UC Santa Barbara. Furthermore, Dr. Farber is the Founder & CEO of a cybersecurity firm, specializing in quantum-resistant encryption applications.

Dr. Farber is a world-renowned expert in computational astrophysics, particularly in the context of galaxy formation & evolution. He has been awarded over 100 million CPU-hours on the world’s most powerful supercomputers and is a co-investigator on a James Webb Space Telescope proposal accepted for Cycle 4. Dr. Farber has instructed over a thousand students in introductory physics and astronomy courses. His previous research students (many of whom began with zero previous coding experience) have published in professional astrophysics journals, won top awards at ISEF fairs, and been accepted both to leading undergraduate programs across the globe, including Oxford & Cambridge, as well as top-notch PhD programs.

Dr. Farber’s students have covered diverse topics, including developing bleeding-edge prototypes to advance robotic exploration of Mars, studying the evolution of supernova blast waves in the interstellar medium, researching the accretion of gas by black holes, investigating the evolution of star-forming fuel in galaxies, etc. Dr. Farber is an experienced research mentor, who knows how to effectively supervise students towards publication. He has mentored students from ages 11-77, including Google engineers.

Research Focus:   

  • Black Holes, Supernovae, Cosmic Rays
  • Galaxy Formation & Evolution
  • Computational Fluid Dynamics, (Magneto) hydrodynamics
  • AI/ML & Quantum Computing
  • Encryption & Cybersecurity

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