Riya Riya

Graduate Student, Physics & Astronomy

What are you are studying/what you are interested in studying and/or researching while at Purdue? If you have done internships or other applicable experiences, feel free to include them here.

I am a PhD student under Professor Rafael Lang. I work on dark matter detection in XENON collaboration. I did my bachelor's in mechanical engineering from IIT Bombay, where I was a member of the Student Satellite Program. Currently, I am also vice chair of the community team of Purdue Graduate Student Government.

What made you want to join the Leading Women Toward Space Careers program?

I have always been interested in space science. This program provides an excellent opportunity to network with experienced professionals who can offer guidance based on their own journeys in the field of space science. I will become acquainted with the work culture and gain insight into what skills, knowledge, and experience are expected from a graduate student joining the space work force.

What area would you like to work in after graduation? (What career path, interests, opportunities, etc., would you like to accomplish? What field are you interested in?)

I want to work in the field of astroparticle physics. I am looking for Postdoc or research scientist opportunities. I am still deciding which project excites me most. NASA’s Astroparticle Physics Laboratory is one of the career paths I am interested in which conducts research in cosmic ray and gamma ray high-energy astrophysics. No matter where I end up, I want to continue working on instrumentation and analysis to expand the horizon of physics.