About Me

My name is Briley Lewis, and I'm an NSF Astronomy & Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellow at UCSB. I was previously an NSF GRFP fellow and graduate student at UCLA studying Astronomy & Astrophysics (graduated September 2024).  I grew up in Southern California, and am the first in my family to go for a PhD. ​

I graduated from Columbia University with my B.A. in Astrophysics (Class of 2018), earned my M.S. in Astronomy & Astrophysics at UCLA in 2020. I have previously worked at the American Museum of Natural History in NYC, and also at Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, MD.

My research interests focus on astronomical instrumentation—particularly polarimetry + high-contrast imaging for exoplanets and circumstellar disks—and observations of debris disks to learn how planets form and evolve! I primarily work with the W.M. Keck Observatory in Hawai'i, but also work with Subaru Telescope, Gemini Observatory, and space-based missions like JWST and Roman. See my research page for more about these projects, or my full CV.

Outside of research, I am passionate about teaching, accessibility, and science communication. I'm also currently a lecturer at UCLA, and completed my Graduate Certificate in Writing Pedagogy while teaching as graduate instructor of record for the interdisciplinary UCLA Freshman Cluster program and Collegium of University Teaching Fellows. I'm also a member of the Astrobites collaboration, and have written for Scientific American, Popular Science, Space.com, and more as a freelancer.