Juliana Cherston

Juliana Cherston received a B.A. in Physics from Harvard University, followed by a doctoral degree at the MIT Media Lab. Her Ph.D. on interstellar dust metrology turns spacecraft thermal blankets into large field-of-view cosmic dust detectors. By measuring the momentum, and eventually the composition, of incident dust, these sensors might enable searches for exotic dust populations of scientific intrigue. Relevant targets include remnant grains from a near-Earth Supernova explosion, or grains that shed light on the propagation of life through the galaxy. Featuring system design using R&D-stage fiber sensors and ground calibration at dust accelerator facilities, Cherston’s Ph.D. work culminated in the launch of an active sensor payload to the exterior walls of the International Space Station, and first prize in the Tech Briefs design competition for aerospace systems. During the term of her Brinson Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Harvard CfA, Cherston is delving into quantum sensors and their potential to further enrich space-based measurements of astrophysical interest, with potential for collaboration across multiple institutes. This new chapter will feed her expertise in bridging advanced, and sometimes unconventional, technology into fundamental science.