{"id":1066,"date":"2021-04-12T05:26:23","date_gmt":"2021-04-12T05:26:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/benricketts.com\/?page_id=1066"},"modified":"2026-01-13T14:02:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T13:02:09","slug":"home","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/benricketts.com\/","title":{"rendered":"Home"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ben Ricketts<\/a><\/h1>\n\n\n
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I am a PhD candidate under the supervision of Dr. Daniela Huppenkothen and Dr. Phil Uttley at the Netherlands Institute for Space Research (SRON) and the University of Amsterdam’s Anton Pannekoek Institute. I study statistics in astronomy with an emphasis on black holes, particularly within the spectral-timing regime. I particularly focus on the application of machine learning to both statistical inference and emulation of numerical models. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am also the Principal investigator for the NEBULA-Xplorer mission at SRON, a small satellite concept focused on performing long-term X-ray spectral timing observations of X-ray sources such as X-ray binaries and AGN. If you are interested in learning more about NEBULA, head over to the dedicated webpage<\/a>, or contact me at b.ricketts(at)sron.nl.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I completed my Integrated Master’s in Astrophysics with a Year of Research Abroad at Southampton in 2022. My year abroad was undertaken at the Harvard & Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. My supervisors for that year were James F. Steiner and Cecilia Garraffo. My thesis was “Mapping the X-ray Variability Curves of GRS 1915+105 with machine learning”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I enjoy hiking and tabletop roleplay in my free time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I am a PhD candidate under the supervision of Dr. Daniela Huppenkothen and Dr. Phil Uttley at the Netherlands Institute for Space Research (SRON) and the University of Amsterdam’s Anton Pannekoek Institute. I study statistics in astronomy with an emphasis on black holes, particularly within the spectral-timing regime. I particularly focus on the application of …<\/p>\n

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