about rishika

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Now a rising sophomore at Princeton University studying Astrophysics with intended minors in Statistics & Machine Learning and Engineering Physics, Rishika is an aspiring experimentalist and loves the intersection of heliophysics, laboratory astrophysics, and space plasma instrumentation. 

This summer, Rishika is engaged in dual research positions. At the Princeton Space Physics Laboratory, she is leading NASA-funded investigations comparing graphene and amorphous carbon foils for use in Electrostatic Analyzers (ESAs), aiming to optimize angular scattering and beam transmission properties in heliospheric particle detection. In parallel, at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, she is contributing to the redesign of a hemispherical Electron Energy Analyzer for the FLARE experiment, refining energy resolution and detector integration for reconnection-driven plasma diagnostics. Her work combines vacuum system control, LabVIEW DAQ, beamline testing, CAD modeling, and materials evaluation to push the limits of what we can detect in extreme plasma environments.

Previously, she developed Kolmogorov turbulence models of the interstellar medium with Harvard’s Heller Group, quantified gravitational wave signatures in pulsar timing at the Max Planck Institute, and led filamentary turbulence studies of the IC 5146 molecular cloud using JCMT and Herschel data at Princeton. Her research has also tackled environmental data science and planetary mission leadership analysis for NASA Headquarters and USAID.

Rishika is a recipient of the USAID Science Champion Award, a CERN BL4S Global Finalist, and an Honorable Mention awardee for the AAS Chambliss Astronomy Achievement Award. 

Looking ahead, Rishika aspires to pursue a Ph.D. in Astrophysics and lead instrumentation development for heliophysics and astrophysical plasma missions. She hopes to combine laboratory precision with space-based exploration to better understand the energetic particles, turbulent fields, and dynamic processes that shape our solar system and beyond.