At the intersection of Space and Data science. The story of Ph.D. student Mher Khachatryan

Billions of years ago, as a result of the Big Bang, the Universe, which includes countless galaxies and is still completely undiscovered and mysterious, appeared. Over the millennia, people have woven thousands of myths related to celestial bodies, believed in them, worshiped the planets, and even thought that if you dream of a falling star, it will surely come true.

Mher’s story is a unique "guide" to success, which will also allow an understanding the path of a young scientist who chooses the field of astronomy.

At an early age, Mher read the astronomy textbooks of his older brothers and admired what was written there, realized that just dreaming is not enough to get knowledge about the stars, and started to find alternative ways to get new information about the field. His childhood interest turned into a goal when he started attending A. Shahinyan School of Physics, and then, participated in the group's 2-year course, learning about the cosmology group under the leadership of astronomer Avetik Grigoryan. Striving to deepen his knowledge related to the field, he entered Yerevan State University. From the very first year, he actively participated in the activities of the Student Scientific Society.

Already in his third year as the chair of the Faculty's SSS, Mher has set a clear goal, which is to involve students in scientific projects that will increase their desire to do science in the future.

"During the years of joining SSS, I also acquired an important skill: to form a united team, set a clear goal and, leading them, succeed in a number of projects", assures Mher and adds, "Thanks to my leadership skills, I later started an initiative called "SpaceShop42". It is aimed at the popularization of general amateur astronomy in Armenia and the development of STEM directions. The set goal is being realized today also thanks to my like-minded friends whom I met at the SSS."

"YSU has a healthy competitive atmosphere, which is an important prerequisite for the development of fair and equal educational conditions. It encourages the student to play a role in the professional field of his choice. My goal is to carry out activities aimed at the development of the STEM direction in Armenia, which is realized thanks to university education..." Mher notes.

According to him, the university also became the platform where his love for science grew even more. Mher's research deals with studies of blazars, a subclass of active galactic nuclei, as well as the specifics of using machine learning to classify blazars.

Having high progress, scientific activity, and meeting the other requirements of the "YSU’s Best Student -2023" contest, Mher decided to apply and won.

Speaking about his interests related to astrophysics and machine learning, he notes that he managed to combine them when he was admitted to the "Applied Statistics and Data Science" Master's program of the Faculty of Mathematics and Mechanics of YSU. According to him, thanks to the knowledge gained within the program, it becomes possible to work effectively with large-scale data and find internal patterns.

"This Master's program is best suited to the field of machine learning, as it has a curriculum in line with modern developments in the field, with specific assignments for each course. In addition, the best specialists in the labor market are lecturing there. By imparting their practical knowledge, they help us, the students, to become competitive not only in the academic environment but also in the industry,” says the best student.

It is noteworthy that in the academic environment, Mher, as a student, has already managed to achieve success, becoming the best student in the field of science, as well as the winner of the "annual educational award for the best students in the field of IT" competition. Now, being a graduate student of YSU, his main goal is to contribute to the development of astronomy in our country.