Student · Astrophysics & Computer Science

Malhar
Nalawade

Astrophysics  •  Astronomy  •  Computer Science

I'm a student from India drawn to the universe — how it works, what we can measure about it, and what it takes to actually find that out. I explore astronomy and astrophysics through independent research, alongside computer science, entrepreneurship, and a handful of things that have nothing to do with either.

Malhar Nalawade
MN
SCROLL
About

Currently completing Class 12
in Maharashtra, India.

Astronomy and astrophysics are where my curiosity runs deepest — exoplanets, stellar systems, and the kind of questions that don't have tidy answers yet. Computer science is the toolkit I lean on to actually chase those questions, and it's also my intended field of study.

My current focus is an independent research project analyzing radial-velocity data associated with the exoplanet TOI-2049 b — but that sits alongside a much wider set of interests, from music and sport to running a small community and volunteering locally. More on that below.

Astrophysics Astronomy Exoplanets Space Exploration Computer Science Computational Analysis Technology Entrepreneurship
91.4%
Class 10 · CBSE
97%
Class 11 · Rank #1
95%
Class 12 · Pre-board
INTENDED DIRECTION
Computer Science
with a strong interest in Astronomy / Astrophysics
Research

Independent Exoplanet Research

Featured Project

TOI-2049 b — Radial-Velocity Analysis

● In progress · Preliminary

An independent research project investigating archival radial-velocity observations associated with the exoplanet TOI-2049 b. The project explores how periodic stellar motion can be analyzed to study planetary signals — from raw measurements to an orbital model.

TOI-2049 b · radial velocity preliminary
observed RV
model fit
  • Worked with a dataset of 49 radial-velocity observations
  • Organized and validated measurements and uncertainties
  • Built radial-velocity vs. time visualizations
  • Ran an independent search for periodicity
  • Recovered a candidate period of ≈ 5.304 days
  • Phase-folded the observations
  • Performed a weighted sinusoidal RV fit
  • Obtained a preliminary semi-amplitude of ≈ 132 m/s
  • Tested a Keplerian orbital model
  • Compared sinusoidal vs. Keplerian models
  • Began residual and outlier analysis
  • Working toward a formal research manuscript
Candidate Period
5.304 days
Semi-Amplitude (K)
≈ 132 m/s
Observations
49 RV points

These values are preliminary and independently derived — not final published parameters.

Illustrative sinusoidal model fit to phase-folded radial velocities — actual figure to be added from the analysis.
Literature
Data
Period Search
Phase Folding
Orbital Modeling
Residual Analysis
Manuscript

Figures & documents

RV vs. time graphTo be added
PeriodogramTo be added
Phase-folded RV graphTo be added
Sinusoidal fitTo be added
Keplerian fitTo be added
Residual plotTo be added
Research manuscriptComing soon
What I'm learning
01Astronomical data analysis
02Statistical modeling
03Scientific writing
04Handling uncertainty
05Reproducible research
Astronomy

A long-standing personal interest,
not just a research topic.

Long before the TOI-2049 b project, astronomy was something I did for its own sake — watching the sky, tracking events, and reading about the universe out of curiosity rather than obligation. It's the reason the research exists in the first place, not the other way around.

Projects

Research, code, and observation.

TOI-2049 b — RV Analysis

In progress

Independent radial-velocity analysis of an exoplanet system — period search, phase folding, and orbital modeling. Full write-up in the Research section above.

PythonTime-series analysisStatistical fitting

Future project

Planned

A future computer science project will be documented here — code, methods, and outcomes.

TBD

Future project

Planned

This slot is reserved for the next software or computational project.

TBD

Future project

Planned

A future observational or computational astronomy project will be added here.

TBD

Future project

Planned

This slot is reserved for the next astronomy-focused project.

TBD
Leadership & Activities

Outside the lab and the classroom.

Leadership

Cultural Head

Student leadership role at a school of 1,000+ students, organizing and managing major school events for audiences of the same scale.

Community

Chess Community

Founded and helped manage an online chess community built around a Grandmaster.

Service

Miyawaki Plantation Drive

Took part in a 12-hour plantation drive, helping plant 500+ saplings as part of a Guinness World Record attempt.

Volunteering

NGO Volunteer

Volunteer with two local community-service organizations.

Sports

Cricket & Badminton

Core team member of both the school Cricket and Badminton teams.

Music

Classical Singing & Guitar

Completed three levels of Indian classical singing examinations and learned guitar independently.

Culinary

Gourmet Club

Event coordinator for the school's culinary and gourmet club.

Education

Academic timeline.

Grade 10

CBSE

91.4%
Grade 11

School Examinations

97% · Rank #1, Valedictorian
Grade 12

Maharashtra HSC

95% (pre-board)
CURRENT ACADEMIC INTERESTS
Computer Science
Astronomy / Astrophysics
Writing

Research papers & technical writing.

✦ — ✦

Coming soon — research and technical writing. This space will hold research papers, astronomy articles, technical write-ups, research notes, and science explanations as they're completed.

Contact