Credentials
A brief summary of my work life. Also see my LinkedIn and my GitHub.
Education
- PhD, Astronomy, Cornell University, 2017
- MS, Astronomy, Cornell University, 2014
- BS, Physics, Calvin University, 2011 (minors in astronomy, mathematics, and English)
Positions
- Co-founder; technical, data, and operations lead, Blanket Box, Chicago, 2024–present: wrote and maintain about 13,000 lines of production Python and JavaScript; sales rose 72% quarter over quarter with the same number of machines
- Independent consultant, data and impact analysis for nonprofits, 2024–present
- Associate Director, House of Hope Foundation, Chicago, 2024–2025: grant writing and management, payroll and bookkeeping systems, assessment systems
- Associate Director, Internship Network in the Mathematical Sciences (INMAS), and Research Assistant Professor, University of Illinois, 2021–2024: built and ran about 50 math and data science internships across 5 universities, and grew program applications by more than 50%; co-instructed two graduate data science workshops
- Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Valparaiso University, 2017–2021
- Graduate research assistant and instructor, Cornell University, 2011–2017
Research
- 23 peer-reviewed papers, 8 as lead or co-lead author (full list)
- 184 hours of national observatory time won as principal investigator: the VLA, Green Bank, and Arecibo
- Member of the ALFALFA extragalactic survey team; built the code and front end for the survey’s legacy archive
- Brought Valparaiso into a 23-institution NSF-funded research consortium; 90+ collaborators
- Supervised 30+ student researchers and observatory staff; mentored 16 student research projects and 8 senior theses
Grants
- Over $300,000 in grants written: a $248,756 R3 Illinois state grant for House of Hope, and $61,000 across three grants as principal investigator (NSF, 2019 and 2021; Indiana Space Grant, 2020)
Teaching
- Teaching and tutoring since 2007
- Seven to eight courses a year at Valparaiso for four years, physics and astronomy, on a full 18–19 credit load
- Courses in the Cornell Writing in the Majors Program, and “Astronomy and Writing” in the Cornell Prison Education Program (2017)
- Co-chair of Valparaiso’s Prison Education Committee; co-led a Second Chance Pell proposal for Westville; GED volunteer teaching at WeAreOne in Gary, Indiana
Speaking and writing
- 40+ invited and public talks at universities, libraries, astronomical societies, churches, and correctional facilities (recently: Chicago Public Library, Calumet Astronomical Society)
- Co-organizer and presenter, Banjo Astro After Dark, 2024–present
- Author, Galaxy Glasses, 2023–present
- “An Eclipse Is Evidence of Things Unseen”, Christianity Today, April 4, 2024
Data and software
- Python (10+ years: numpy, pandas, scipy, scikit-learn, statsmodels, geopandas); SQL, Git, GitHub Actions, Bash; R and JavaScript
- Statistical and predictive modeling, uncertainty quantification, geospatial visualization, automated reports and dashboards
- Performance metrics, logic models, and grant compliance reporting
- Code: github.com/lukeleisman
Civic
- West Humboldt Park Parish Collective: community organizer (pedestrian safety on Grand Ave, neighborhood events)
- Better Streets Chicago Action Fund: election committee; canvassed for Illinois transit funding
- Active Transportation Alliance: member and volunteer
- Sail Chicago: community sail coordinator; Tiller Time skipper