Contact Information
Overview
Natalia Guerrero is an astronomer, artist, and science communicator pursuing a PhD in astronomy and a Masters of Fine Art in studio art at UF.
Before graduate school, she worked on NASA's TESS mission in several roles: technical assistant for the pre-flight testing of the TESS cameras; science communication lead for TESS social media and press; and the TESS Objects of Interest manager in the TESS Science Office at MIT. Prior to joining the TESS mission, she worked on a time-projection chamber experiment to detect dark matter at MIT and Royal Holloway University of London. She studied physics and writing at MIT and graduated in 2014 with an SB in Physics. As a student, she worked at SNOLAB on MiniCLEAN, a liquid-argon dark matter detection experiment.
Natalia is a public speaker on exoplanets and astronomy, and has given talks to public libraries, planetariums, and high school summer programs. She also serves as an honorary advisory board member for the non-profit organization, Women in the Arts, Inc. She produced the AVANT podcast for Women in the Arts and while living in Boston, she was a radio host, producer, and engineer for several years on MIT's radio station, WMBR. She grew up in central Florida.
Education
- B.Sc., Physics, MIT, 2014
- MS, Astronomy, UF, 2023
Research
Natalia brings together simulation, theory, and data from space- and ground-based telescopes to study the the orbits and rotation of M dwarf exoplanets and the impact of a day-night cycle on a planet’s capacity to sustain life. In her artistic practice, she uses text, performance, and installation to investigate scientific intuition and identity.
Selected Publications
Guerrero, N. M., Ballard, S. A. & Su, Y. Plausibility of Capture into High-obliquity States for Exoplanets in the M Dwarf Habitable Zone. The Astrophysical Journal 975, 256 (2024). https://arxiv.org/abs/2310.02332
Guerrero, N. M. et al. The TESS Objects of Interest Catalog from the TESS Prime Mission. The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series 254, 39 (2021). https://arxiv.org/abs/2103.12538
Areas of Study
- Exoplanets