Christopher works on estimating the distances to galaxies via photometric redshifts.
We asked Christopher a few more questions — here’s what he had to say:
When did you know you wanted to be a scientist?
As far as I can remember I always wanted to be an astronaut. From there my interest in space and the universe grew and I eventually became an astronomer. (I skipped a few steps there as you might have noticed.)
What is your favorite book, movie, and/or TV show?
Currently I’m into Rick and Morty (TV show) and Narcos. Most books I read these these days are non-fiction, I’m currently enjoying The Emperor of All Maladies – it’s about the history of cancer research.
If you weren’t a scientist, what would your dream job be?
An astronaut, although many of them are scientists, so not sure if that counts. Maybe a penguin trainer like my friend Anuj.
What is your secret talent?
I know more useless facts than you can wave a stick at.
Do you have kids? Do they want to be scientists too?
No, but as I always say: you can only be young once but immature forever! So I’m basically a big kid who is a scientist.
Any advice for aspiring scientists?
Be curious and explore!