Nikko (Supakorn) Juengsophonvitavas FRAS

About

I am a final-year integrated master's in astrophysics student from Thailand currently studying in Scotland. I am interested in pursuing a PhD in high-energy transient astronomy to study phenomena like Fast Radio Bursts and astrophysical objects like Pulsars. I find the observational and computational side of Astrophysics to be the most fascinating, and I have spent numerous hours in my studies and research on both aspects. For the full list of what I have done, make sure to check out my experience and how to contact me.

As part of my Laidlaw Scholarship, I conducted an extensive search of the Northern Ecliptic Pole using archival data to find active galactic nuclei candidates in preparation for the soon-to-launch SPHEREx mission. I am excited that the Las Cumbres Observatory has accepted those candidates for further study.

On the observational front, I am proficient in both AZ and Equatorial mounts for manual and electronic refractor and reflector telescopes. I have been a part of the University of St Andrews Astronomical Society for the past 4 years, having acted as both the President and the Senior Observing Director. I worked on the newly installed robotic telescope at the university's observatory over the summer.

Apart from working on Astrophysics, I am also keen on performing magic as a form of performance art. I have travelled the world and attended numerous Magic conventions, as well as some competitions. Imagine the Olympics, but it's for magic! I normally perform card magic, but I do have some parlour tricks up my sleeves, and I would be excited to share them with you

Dissertation

This project aims to investigate the variability of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) by simulating data from the upcoming Vera C. Rubin Observatory, formerly known as the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), which will have its first light in 2025. With an expected 20TB/night of data, an effective strategy must be devised early to study the AGNs. In addition to the variability, the intrinsic luminosity of the AGN provides information on its physical properties, allowing us to constrain our AGN models further. The goal is to determine the feasibility of studying AGNs with different properties at varying redshifts throughout the 10-year Legacy Survey of Space and Time mission. To achieve this, we will simulate light curves from AGNs with various properties and distances. To ensure the validity of our simulations, we will compare our results with AGNs from existing deep drilling fields, which will be comparable to the depth achieved by the end of the LSST mission. Using the LSST Photon Simulator (PhoSim), we can realistically assess the quality of the variability measurements, and observation time is required to determine the AGN’s intrinsic luminosity. This will allow us to determine suitable AGNs to study at different periods of the LSST mission. With the addition of the LSST Operation Simulator (OpSim), we can extrapolate our results across the entire field observed by the LSST.

To access the generated synthetic data and data processing pipeline, please look at my Github

Experience

Leadership & Position
2023 - 2024 AstroSoc Committee President
2023 - 2024 SISCO Lead Organiser
2022 - 2023 AstroSoc Committee Senior Observing Director
2021 - 2022 AstroSoc Committee Events Convenor
2021 - 2022 SISCO Co-founder
2021 - 2022 ThaiSoc Committee Event Officer
2020 – 2021 First-Year Astro Class Representative
2020 – 2021 AstroSoc Committee Fresher’s Representative
2019 – 2020 Senior Prefect, Chaired the Student Academic Leadership Team
2018 – 2019 House Captain
2017 - 2018 Co-Leader of SR5
2015 Prep School Leader

Research
2022 Laidlaw Research Scholarship: Identifying active galactic nuclei for the SPHEREx space observatory
2024 Summer Internship: St Andrews Robotic Telescope Alignment
2024 Summer Internship: 3D Printing Microfluidic Chips
2025 Dissertation: Investigating AGN variability in the LSST

Work Experience
Galaxies Group, University of St Andrews
National Astronomical Institution of Thailand
King Mongkut's Institution of Technology Ladkrabang

Tutoring I am currently tutoring with @phupha_tutor (Instagram) for mainly high school students in both Mathematics and Physics at IGCSE or A-Levels, as well as Astronomy GCSE. As part of my service, I am also happy to provide basic advice for those who are interested in applying to university both in the USA and UK. Qualification: 3 A* (Physics, Mathematics, and Chemistry) and 1 (Further Mathematics) A at A-levels. I am open to teaching other qualifications with overlapping content; however, I may not be able to provide the same level of guidance.

Other
University of St Andrews: Physics and Astronomy Thinkathon
ThaiPass 2 - Astronomy Data Handling
Advance Engineering Workshop - Narit
Prometheus Society's Deputy Director
Harrow International School Bangkok's Science Society Founder
MUN delegate and deputy GS

Contact

You can contact me via my university email sj91@st-andrews.ac.uk or reach me via any of the platform below. A general version of my CV is attached here.

• Linkedin
• Facebook
• Instagram
• GitHub

Elements

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