Kaylie Hausknecht

Kaylie Hausknecht hopes to make novel contributions to research at the intersection of physics and machine learning by developing new computational tools for building simulations and analyzing data in the physical sciences.

She is currently a senior at Harvard University studying physics and astrophysics. She will start her doctoral program in physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in fall 2024.

In her previous research projects, she has developed new machine learning techniques to solve problems across a variety of fields, including condensed matter physics, astrophysics and computational fluid dynamics.

As an undergraduate, Hausknecht completed five internships at NASA, where she contributed to the discovery of 301 new exoplanets in archival data from the Kepler Space Telescope. At Harvard, Hausknecht was awarded the Hoopes Prize for her senior thesis in physics, was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa as a junior, and received two major writing awards, the Bowdoin Prize in the Natural Sciences and the Sosland Prize in Expository Writing. She is deeply committed to teaching and scientific outreach. Hausknecht serves as the co-president of Harvard’s chapter of Science Club for Girls, an organization that aims to encourage young girls from underrepresented backgrounds to pursue STEM.

Originally from Long Island, New York, Hausknecht has always enjoyed cooking with her family and playing musical instruments. Growing up, she played piano, marimba and even sang at Carnegie Hall.