Bio
Tyler is the first born child in a family of immigrants from the small island nation Trinidad and Tobago, in the Caribbean. In 2011, after graduating high school in Shirley, NY, he began attending Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, FL. There, he majored in Space Physics with minors in computer science and applied math. It was here that Tyler was first introduced to the endeavour of research, which became one of his largest passions. He was also introduced to the McNair Post Baccalaureate Program, a program which helps under-represented and first generation college students acquire graduate degrees. This program opened the door for him to be able to attend graduate school at Oregon State University (OSU) after graduating from Embry-Riddle in 2015.
As a physics graduate student at OSU, Tyler was under the supervision of Dr. Davide Lazzati studying the mechanism behind GRB prompt emission – the highest energy emission of these events detected in gamma-rays and X-rays. He was awarded a NASA FINESST fellowship and an NSF EAPSI fellowship for his work in understanding this emission from GRBs. While attending OSU as a graduate student, Tyler also pursued a MEng degree in Mechanical Engineering with a focus on thermal fluid sciences.
In addition to his scientific accomplishments at OSU, Tyler also co-founded the OSU Astronomy Club which served as a means to conduct outreach and inspire students to reach their highest potential in the space sciences. Under Tyler, the OSU Astronomy Club organized large outreach events where members of the public were invited to engage interactively with physcis demonstrations that showcased key astrophysical concepts. Additionally, the club hosted speakers that helped a diverse set of students gain exposure to the field of astrophysics. A number of those students have continued on to graduate schools in disciplines related to astrophysics.
In August 2021 Tyler graduated with his PhD in Physics, whereafter he began a new position as a postdoctoral researcher for the Swift Gamma Ray Burst Observatory at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. There, he continues his research on GRB prompt emission and additionally acts as a mission operations scientist for the Burst Alert Telescope (BAT), conducting operations and diagnosing issues with the instrument. Besides actively supporting the operations of the telecope, Tyler is utilizing his software development skills to construct data analysis pipelines that will help members of the science community easily analyze BAT data. Other pipelines that he is currently working on are geared towards preparing BAT for upcoming gravitational wave observations in order to maximize the time-domain and multi-messenger astrophysics outcomes of these observing runs. Additionally, Tyler continues his passion of mentoring students, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds such as his.