Sachin Kotecha

About Me

Hello, and welcome to my website! I recently completed my MSc in computational astrophysics under the supervision of Dr. James Wadsley at McMaster University. Before this, I completed my BMath at the University of Waterloo in applied mathematics and physics. There, I conducted a USRA with Dr. Michel Fich looking at data from the SCUBA-2 telescope to analyze temperature profiles of cores. You can find out a bit more about my other escapades and advice as an undergrad at this profile.

My personal interests skew heavily towards outreach and education in mathematics and physics. I've had the privilege of working at the fantastic Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing as well as dipping my toes into college education at Humber College.

Outside of the classroom I also love to travel, with my current country count at 14 with hopes of climbing higher. I also have extensive event management and sport tourism experience from my time working as Events Director at an up-and-coming National Sports Organization.

I am currently teaching first year calculus (MATH137 and MATH138) at the University of Waterloo.

Research

When we look out into the cosmos, we tend to see blue, star-forming galaxies (like our own Milky Way) and red, dead galaxies (like M87, the galaxy whose central supermassive black hole was the first to be directly imaged). In general, the redder 'elliptical' galaxies tend to be found close to other ellipticals in what are known as clusters, while the bluer 'spiral' galaxies are more often found by themselves or in small groups. An open question in astronomy is how a star-forming galaxy ceases to birth new stars, also known as quenching. My research focuses on this problem, in the context of elliptical galaxies in clusters.

Specifically, I am analyzing a set of 324 cluster hydrodynamical simulations, known as The Three Hundred Project, to look at quenching in relation to the large scale filamentary structure of the Universe, which is given the exciting name 'the cosmic web'. Simulations are crucial in astrophysics as they allow us to view the evolution of an astronomical body, something that is impossible observationally due to the long timescales of development in the Universe.

The goal of my research is to gain insight into how the star formation of galaxies in clusters evolves with regards to their distance to filaments of the cosmic web. We hope to also differentiate between the factors that affect this star formation rate which are internal to a galaxy versus those that are due to a galaxy's environment.

Teaching and Outreach

University of Waterloo

• Instructor for MATH137 (Calculus 1 for Honours Mathematics)
• Instructor for MATH138 (Calculus 2 for Honours Mathematics)
• Drop-In Tutorial Centre TA for MATH137 (Calculus 1 for Honours Mathematics)
• TA for MATH217 (Calculus 3 for Chemical Engineering)
• TA for MATH227 (Calculus 3 for Honours Physics)
• TA for MATH237 (Calculus 3 for Honours Mathematics)

Selkirk College

• Instructor for MATH140 (Calculus 1 for Social Sciences)
• Instructor for MATH101 (Calculus 2)
• Instructor for MATH54 (Business and Technical Math - Advanced Level)

Mount Allison University

• Instructor for MATH1151 (Applied Calculus)

Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing

• Math Circles Instructor (Grades 6-8)
• School Visits Presenter (Grades 6-12)
• Online Courseware Reviewer (Advanced Functions, Calculus and Vectors)
• Pascal Contest Committee Member
• Contest Marker (Euclid, CSMC)
• Workshop Assistant/Presenter (Auckland Invitational, Toronto Math Camp, Summer Conference for Computer Studies Educators, Math Teachers' Conference)

Humber College/University of Guelph-Humber

• TMTH010 (Essentials of Technical Math)
• BMTH010 (Essentials of Business Math)
• STAT1112 (Statistics for Business)
• SCMA3100 (Biomechanics)

McMaster University

• TA for AST1F03 (Introduction to Astronomy and Astrophysics)
• TA for PHYS1A03 (Introductory Physics)
• TA for PHYS1AA3 (Introduction to Modern Physics)
• TA for AST2B03 (The Big Questions)
• TA for PHYS1E03 (Waves, Electricity, and Magnetic Fields)

W.J. McCallion Planetarium (at McMaster)

• AST1F03 students as part of their course
• Incoming students and their parents at various open houses
• Various Scouts and Girl Guides groups
• McMaster staff as part of their campus orientation

• The Scales of the Universe: Starting from a look at the hunk of rock that's orbiting planet Earth, this show works its way through the components of our Universe. From planets to black holes, this show highlights our tiny place in the vast cosmos, while setting a foundation for the casual observer to look up at the night sky. The show ends with a look at a modern day simulation of our Universe, starting shortly after the Big Bang all the way to present day.
• Astronomy for Muggles: This show draws connections between J.K. Rowling's famous Harry Potter series and our night sky. Showgoers learn what Harry and his friends studied in their astronomy classes, as well as the astronomical backstory behind the Black family tree. The show touches on various astronomical subjects, including planets (in and out of our own solar system), constellations, gravitational lensing, nebulae, and galaxies.

Curriculum Vitae

You can find my CV here (last updated Apr 6, 2021). You can also find relevant non-academic information on my LinkedIn profile.

Private

Just for Wadsley.

Elements

i = 0;

while (!deck.isInOrder()) {
    print 'Iteration ' + i;
    deck.shuffle();
    i++;
}

print 'It took ' + i + ' iterations to sort the deck.';