Kate Napier

Welcome!  I am a PhD Candidate in Astronomy at the University of Michigan.  My research focuses on strong gravitational lensing, a phenomenon in which the gravitational field of a massive structure bends light from objects behind it, allowing it to act as a cosmic telescope.  I am advised by Dr. Keren Sharon, and I will defend in June 2024.  

In addition to my research, I am interested in space systems engineering and am taking courses in the Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering at U of M.  I participated in the Planetary Science Summer School, a mission design program at NASA JPL, in 2022.   

I have been a Graduate Student Instructor for three semesters, helping to teach Introduction to Astrophysics, Stars, Galaxies and the Universe, and The Solar System and the Search for a New Earth.  

Please feel free to contact me at kanapier@umich.edu.