Nina Bonaventura, Ph. D.
Processing signals from space for scientific discovery and prediction at the intersection of image analysis, machine learning, and space-based observing.
Experience
As an observational astrophysicist, the bulk of my professional experience and expertise lies in the development and utilization of data processing pipelines that translate raw, mutliwavelength satellite images and spectra into publication-ready, scientific data products. I have worked in support of two NASA space missions, the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), developing formal data processing and analysis software and associated public documentation for the user community, inventing novel algorithms for complex space-based observing programs, and publishing and reviewing galaxy science research in top astrophysics journals. From the physics classroom to the JWST Flight Control Room, my interest in and commitment to high-tech, high-impact scientific and technical advancements in physics and astronomy has remained strong.
Most recently, I have sought out projects to gain expertise in the burgeoning field of Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to complement my research and grow as a data scientist. Given the significant amount of time I have devoted to the development of data analysis software, scientific algorithms, and user interfaces for space telescopes, my skills directly transfer to roles 'closer to home' in space defense and exploration that involve remote sensing, signal processing, space domain awareness, algorithm engineering, and machine learning for scientific and intelligence data analysis.
Roles
Physics & STEM Expert
Frontier Development Lab (FDL) Heliolab
December 2022- October 2025
Led a two-part study that exploited the unprecedentedly sensitive and resolved JWST Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) imagery of 400+ galaxies to reveal a theoretically and empirically unexpected evolutionary mechanism in active galaxies (Bonaventura et al. 2024; Bonaventura et al. 2026) through pixel-level image analysis techniques including object detection, classification, feature extraction, and statistical characterization.
JWST/NIRSpec Expert, Post-doctoral Researcher, & European Space Agency (ESA) Contractor for NIRSpec Commissioning
Cosmic Dawn Center, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen
December 2007 - December 2012
Steward Observatory, University of Arizona
November 2025 - present
Research Scientist III
Machine Learning Researcher
Mercor Intelligence
June 2025 - present
Selected from competition to participate in the Heliolab 2025 research challenge, helping develop novel, physics-informed ML models that push the frontier of AI in space weather forecasting as part of a joint venture of NASA, Google Cloud, and Nvidia.
Providing doctoral-level subject matter expertise in physics and STEM to improve the models of the world's leading AI labs.
Developed a novel, universally optimal algorithm in multi-object spectroscopy that guided the complex NIRSpec observation strategy for one of the most ambitious galaxy science programs ever conceived, the JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey (JADES), leading to numerous ground-breaking discoveries within the first year of JWST science operations.
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) X-ray Data Specialist
December 2017 - December 2022
Chandra X-ray Center (CXC), Science Data Systems, High-Energy Astrophysics Division, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
Formally developed, tested, and documented the Chandra Interactive Analysis of Observations (CIAO) imaging, spectroscopic, and timing analysis software; and served as primary writer of the technical documentation for the CXC Chandra Source Catalog (award-winning), the extensive scientific “threads” (tutorials) for the CXC Sherpa spectral fitting package, and the Virtual Astronomical Observatory Iris SED analysis tool.
Education
Ph. D., Physics McGill University
M.A., Astronomy Boston University
B.A., Physics University of Pennsylvania
Contact Me
Reach out via LinkedIn for resume requests and to discuss collaborations or opportunities.
Currently based in Phoenix, Arizona.
