I am honored to be nominated for membership on the Astropy Coordination Committee (CoCo).
Currently, I serve as a Finance Committee member for the Astropy Project and as an LSST Discovery Alliance Catalyst Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy. Over the years, my involvement with Astropy has evolved across various roles and career stages, reflecting a commitment to the project’s long-term sustainability.
My journey with Astropy began in 2017 as a Google Summer of Code (GSoC) student, during which I implemented a significant portion of the FITS time standard in Astropy—marking a key milestone as I transitioned from an undergraduate in computer engineering to a PhD in astronomy and astrophysics. Since then, I have continued contributing code, mentored a GSoC 2021 project, and led initiatives to expand the project’s reach. This includes organising schools such as the Pan-African School for Emerging Astronomers 2022 in Zambia and the Astropy Training School 2023 in Bulgaria, with the goal of engaging diverse participants in Astropy’s open development ecosystem.
Now, as a postdoctoral fellow and Finance Committee member, I help organise funding cycles and write grants to support Astropy’s financial stability. I also work with software engineering researchers to find ways to improve contributor retention in open-source scientific software, helping build a stronger developer community (refer to paper).
My experiences in coding, mentoring, and financial planning equip me to offer valuable perspectives to the CoCo. As a committee member, I will prioritise strengthening the project’s financial framework in alignment with community needs, expanding the contributor base, and building stronger connections between software engineers and astronomers. My broad perspective, shaped by my experiences at different early career stages (with varying time commitments) and in diverse roles, will help guide my work within the CoCo.