Field
Location (during time of takeover)
School/Institution
| Undergrad | University of the Philippines Diliman Physics |
|---|---|
| Masters | University of the Philippines Diliman Physics |
| Teaching | University of the Philippines Diliman Classical Mechanics, Electromagnetism, Physical Electronics, Computational Physics |
| Masters | University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Physics |
| PhD | University of Maryland, College Park Astronomy |
Featured on April 21, 2024
This week, we have our sights set on the stars with Mark Ivan Ugalino, a PhD researcher in Astronomy at the University of Maryland, College Park.
Mark graduated with a Bachelor’s and Masters degree in Physics at the University of the Philippines Diliman. He then taught classical mechanics, electromagnetism, physical electronics and computational physics at his alma mater. While teaching, he received several awards, including the Gawad Director para sa Natatanging Discussion Teacher and Gawad Director para sa Natatanging Bagong Guro.
Mark also completed a Masters degree in Physics from the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth before proceeding with his PhD. For his current project, Mark is exploring how magnetic fields grow in Milky Way-type galaxies and investigating its effect on stellar formation, galaxy morphology and cosmic ray transport.
Mark’s research interests in astrophysics include galaxies, astrophysical dynamos, type Ia supernovae and cosmology. In mathematics, his research interests include partial differential equations, adaptive mesh refinement and adaptive time stepping.
Here are three fun facts about Mark:
- He wanted to become a doctor, a biologist, a geologist, a lawyer, a data scientist, a priest, and an astronomer at different points of his academic career. Needless to say, he wishes to pursue what strongly drives him to learn more!
- He comes from a family of STEM trained professionals whose names start with Mar— Mario, Mary Jane, Mark and Mario Jr. They could have started a band!
- He religiously drinks coffee. If you see him not drinking coffee for an entire day— start a search, that Mark’s an impostor! (Also, he physically could not skip his coffee routine. His codes don’t work without him having a cup!)
