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Ehsan (Sam) Gharib Nezhad

Ehsan (Sam) Gharib-Nezhad

Data Scientist

Affiliation: Bay Area Environmental Research Institute / NASA Ames Research Center (Code STT)

EmailEhsan.gharibnezhad@nasa.gov

Phone: (650) 604-6676

Websites: GitHub , LinkedInTwitter

Professional Experience

Data Scientist & Research Scientist – Bay Area Environmental Research Institute / NASA ARC / Jan 2022 – Present

Postdoc Research Fellow  Universities Space Research Association / NASA ARC / Jan 2020 – Dec 2021

Research Scientist –  Bay Area Environmental Research Institute / NASA ARC / Sep 2019 – Dec 2021

Research Assistant  –  Arizona State University / Jan 2014 – Aug 2019

Research Summary

Dr. Ehsan (Sam) Gharib-Nezhad has a diverse background from building atmospheric models to creating spectroscopic datasets. Sam collaborated with different teams during the past decade and received multiple grants/awards to leverage the analysis of observational telescope data. He joined NASA Ames in 2019 to advance the knowledge of extrasolar atmospheres and contribute to NASA space missions such as HST and JWST by contributing to the creation of the astronomical database. Over the past few years, he has been working extensively on building rigorously vetted machine learning models and deep neural networks as well as providing user-friendly packages and thorough tutorials to predict and explore telescope datasets. In summary:

  • Data scientist and Research Scientist at NASA with 5+ years of experience in generating data-driven insights.
  • Raised > $1.1 million to implement advanced analytics and generate spectroscopic datasets to leverage the interpretation of telescope data from US space missions.
  • Led multiple projects to generate design, develop and deploy end-to-end machine learning modeling workflows.
  • Collaborate with 10+ scientists across the US to generate opacity data administrated by NASA to leverage the understanding of space and ground-based telescopes. Link  

Education

M.S. in Physical chemistry (focus on molecular spectroscopy) at University of Tehran / May 2011 – Jul 2013

Data Science and Data Analytics Bootcamps, General Assembly / Jun 2021 – Dec 2021
Ph.D. in Physical chemistry (focus on extrasolar planets) at Arizona State University / Jan 2014 – Aug 2019

M.S. in Physical chemistry (focus on molecular spectroscopy) at University of Tehran / May 2011 – Jul 2013

Grants/Awards

NASA Exoplanets Research Program –  Science PI, NASA / 2021 – Present

Received $680,000 grant from NASA Exoplanets Research Program to lead a team of 7 scientists
Title: Towards High Metallicity: Integrated Composition-Dependent Molecular Opacities for Modeling Super-Earth to Neptunian Atmospheres.

Hubble Space Telescope Research  Grant – Co-I, Space Telescope Science Institute / 2021 – 2023 

Title: A New Comprehensive Self-Consistent Radiative-Convective Model Grid for Exoplanet Atmospheres.

NASA Postdoc Fellowship Award –  PI / 2019 –2021
Received $168,000 funding award from Universities Space Research Association / NASA
Title: EXOPLINES Opacity Database: Bridging the Laboratory Pressure-Broadening Data to Exoplanet/Brown-Dwarf Spectroscopy

Hubble Space Telescope Research  Grant –  PI, Space Telescope Science Institute / 2019 – 2021
Received $120k grant from Space Telescope Science Institute to support the interpretation and analysis of Hubble Space Telescope datasets.
Title: Composition Dependent Molecular Opacity Database for High-Metallicity Exoplanet Atmospheres.

Nininger Award –  Center for Meteorite Studies, Arizona State University / 2016

Graduate Research Support Program & JumpStart Grant –  Arizona State University / 2016

Summer Fellowship –  Arizona State University / 2014

Master Entrance Exam – Ranked 89 out of 10,000+ exam takers (top 1%) / 2011

Selected Publications

  1. Iyer, A. R.; Line, M. R.; Muirhead, P. S., Fortney, J. J., Gharib-Nezhad, E. “The SPHINX M-dwarf Spectral Grid. I. Benchmarking New Model Atmospheres to Derive Fundamental M-Dwarf Properties” Link
  2. Gharib-Nezhad, E., Marley, M., et al. “Following the Lithium: Tracing Li-bearing Molecules Across Age, Mass, and Gravity in Brown Dwarfs”, ApJ Link 2021
  3. Gharib-Nezhad E., Iyer, A.R., st al., “EXOPLINES: Molecular Absorption Cross-Section Database for Brown Dwarf and Giant Exoplanet Atmospheres”, 2021, ApJS, 254 34 Link 2021
  4. Mansfield, M., Line, M. […] Gharib-Nezhad, E. et al. “A hot Jupiter spectral sequence with evidence for compositional diversity”, Nature Astronomy Link 2021
  5. Wardenier, J.P., Parmentier, V., […] Gharib-Nezhad, E. “Decomposing the Iron Cross-Correlation Signal of the Ultra-Hot Jupiter WASP-76b in Transmission using 3D Monte-Carlo Radiative Transfer”,MNRAS 1258 Link 2021
  6. Gharib-Nezhad, E., Heays, A.N., et al. “H2-Induced Pressure Broadening and Pressure Shift in the P-Branch of the v3 Band of CH­4 from 300 to 655 K”, JQSRT, 239, 106649 Link 2019
  7. Gharib-Nezhad, E., M. R. Line “The Influence of H2O Pressure Broadening in High-Metallicity Exoplanet Atmospheres”, ApJ, 872, 27 Link 2019
  8. Lyons, J. R., Gharib-Nezhad, E., et al. “Carbon isotope composition of the solar photosphere” Nature Communication 9, 908 Link 2018
  9. Apai, D., Banzatti, A., […] Gharib-Nezhad, E. et al. “Planetary Habitability Informed by Planet Formation and Exoplanet Demographics”, BAAS, 51, 475 (2019) Link 2019
  10. J. Fortney, T.D. Robinson, […] Gharib-Nezhad, E. et al. “The Need for Laboratory Measurements and Ab Initio Studies to Aid Understanding of Exoplanetary Atmospheres.” Link 2019
  11. Shayesteh, A., Alavi, S. F., Rahman, M., Gharib-Nezhad, E. (2017) “Ab initio transition dipole moments and potentialenergy curves for the low-lying electronic states of CaH”, Chem. Phys. Lett., 667, 345 Link 2017
  12. GharibNezhad, E., Shayesteh, A., & Bernath, P. F., “Einstein A coefficients for rovibronic lines of the A X and  X transitions of MgH” (2013) MNRAS, 432, 2043 Link 2013
  13. GharibNezhad, E., Shayesteh, A., & Bernath, P. F., “Fourier transform emission spectra of the A X and B X transitions of CaD” (2012) J. Molec. Spec., 281, 47 Link 2012

Products/Datasets for Astronomy Community

  1. NASA Ames Opacity Database, MAESTRO Link
  2. Mukherjee  Sagnick, Fortney  Jonathan J. et al. [+Ehsan Gharib-Nezhad] (2022). Probing the Extent of Vertical Mixing in Brown Dwarf Atmospheres with Disequilibrium Chemistry [Data set]. In The Astrophysical Journal. Zenodo Link
  3. Gharib-Nezhad, E., Line. M. R. (2018). The Influence of H2O Pressure Broadening in High Metallicity Exoplanet Atmospheres: Absorption Cross-section dataset [Data set].  Link
  4. Gharib-Nezhad, E., Marley, M., Batalha, N., & Visscher, C. (2021). Follow the Lithium: The Correlation Between Li-bearing Molecules with Age, Mass, and Gravity in Brown Dwarfs. [Data set]. Link
  5. Lupu, R, Freedman, R., Gharib-Nezhad, E., et al. (2022). High resolution opacities for H2/He atmospheres [Data set] Link
  6. Batalha B., Freedman R., Gharib-Nezhad E., et al. (2020). Resampled Opacity Database for PICASO (2.0) [Data set] Link