People of NRL: Tracy Clarke

Say hello to U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Research Astronomer, Tracy Clarke!

Title: U.S. Naval Research Laboratory Research Astronomer, Radio Astrophysics and Sensing Section (Code 7213), Radio/Infrared/Optical Sensors Branch (Code 7210), Remote Sensing Division (Code 7200)

Education: Ph.D. in Astronomy, University of Toronto, Canada (1999)

M.Sc. in Astronomy, University of Toronto (1994)

B.Sc. in Physics, University of New Brunswick, Canada (1993)

What was your career path prior to your current position: Prior to NRL, I was a Jansky Postdoctoral Fellow at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory’s Very Large Array (NRAO VLA) in New Mexico and then a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Department of Astronomy at the University of Virginia.

What inspired you to pursue your particular field: I have always loved science and developed a fascination for the mysteries of the Universe at a young age thanks to the dark skies where I grew up. As an undergraduate I explored chemistry and physics, but I was always drawn back to the big questions astronomy tackles. My career was cinched in grad school when I had the opportunity to visit and take my own thesis data with VLA, the world’s most powerful radio telescope.

How does your work impact the Navy’s mission: I use astrophysics as the foundation to develop low frequency radio interferometric tools and techniques for remote sensing. The instruments and tools we develop in the Remote Sensing Division map complex phenomena in the Earth’s ionosphere that impact communications and radar systems, track the geomagnetic impact of solar storms, and improve the stability of the Celestial Reference Frame that is critical to navigation and timing.

What’s the most promising new development you’re working on in your field: NRL has secured its place in the new era of radio astronomy through our innovative VLA Low-band Ionosphere and Transient Experiment (VLITE). I am lead scientist on this exciting system that clones the VLA by providing a separate data stream from NRL-designed receivers directly to NRL for remote sensing applications.?

How I came to be a U.S. Naval Research Laboratory employee: As a postdoc, I explored new low frequency capabilities that NRL developed on the VLA. These new data combined with new algorithms opened areas of astrophysics that I was excited to explore.?Through this research, I connected with scientists at NRL and was asked to join their team.

What I like best about working at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory: NRL provides the opportunity to work with a world-class research team to address a wide range of Navy needs. The breadth of programs underway at NRL opens many opportunities to apply your skillset to new and exciting programs.

Pivotal Career Moments/Experiences: Early in my career at NRL I was thrown into the deep end, developing the scientific case for an innovative new instrument and traveling to the desert southwest to design and build the system. Experience gained from this immersion and the guidance of the senior scientist in charge stoked my passion for instrumentation and set the path for my career at NRL.