I’m Conor MacBride, a PhD student at Queen’s University Belfast. My research is focused on energy dissipation in the atmosphere of the Sun. This involves designing numerical simulations, and processing and analysing large data sets to extract novel insights.
For my doctoral research, I created an open source Python package, MCALF, which extracts velocity measurements from observations of the Sun. By utilising machine learning techniques, the method adapts to the physics present in each region of the Sun.
I actively contribute to open source projects, including SunPy and AstroPy.
While my effort primarily involves Python development, I also work on integrating DevOps into open source projects to increase the quality of software and make it easier for new contributors to get involved.
I achieve this through the development of Matplotlib’s pytest-mpl
plugin and CI/CD pipeline templates, as well as working with open source projects directly.
I am an MPhys Mathematics and Theoretical Physics (first-class honours) graduate of the University of St Andrews. During my time at St Andrews, I co-founded an award-winning science podcast, insight.