Dr. Eliot Halley Vrijmoet

   VRY-MOOT   (he/him)

Education/Research Postdoc Fellow
of the Five College Astronomy Department

Department of Astronomy
Smith College
Northampton, MA 01063

Office: McConnell 410A

*New* e-mail: evrijmoet@smith.edu      Twitter logo @eliotVRIJ

Eliot standing outside with coffee. Eliot standing next to a tall building, with coffee.
Photo by Leonardo Paredes

  (updated 8 March 2024)
  ORCID logoORCiD
  ADS logoMy work on ADS   ADS logo(refereed list)


Bio

I grew up in western Oregon in a tight-knit, DIY-focused family. At our house, there were constantly projects underway. It was always chaotic and always encouraging.

At Reed College I made friends and learned how to do physics --- or be a physics student, anyway. The freshman Hum 110 curriculum was still the classic one that began with the Iliad and progressed through Greek and later European literature. I appreciated it, but not nearly as much as I would if I took it again today.

Reed physics covered very little astronomy, but what did come up was enough to grab my attention. Astro has so many good stories embedded in it, and honestly my favorite part of physics is when it is happening in space.

After graduating, I spent a year working, then two years in San Diego doing graduate coursework and research intended toward a master's degree. I moved from SD to Atlanta when I got the opportunity to begin PhD studies at Georgia State.

Eliot Halley at Cerro Tololo observatory
At CTIO, October 2019
Eleanor Roosevelt the cat, sitting in the fridge
Eleanor R., October 2019

I came out as transgender in 2013, during my last Reed semester. I have resolved to be as "out" as possible ever since. The academic road is rocky, but it does (seemingly magically) get a little smoother when you know a few people who share your struggles. Being out thus seems like the least I could do to help other underrepresented individuals in our field stay engaged and keep doing good science.

I try to stay in touch with other trans* people in astronomy, and am willing to help others make those connections as well. My contact information is at the top of this page. (e-mail me!)

In my free time I'm usually running, reading, starting knitting projects, drinking coffee, playing/singing/listening to folk music, and being outside as much as possible. I also enjoy cooking with my husband and trying to communicate with Eleanor Roosevelt, our cat.




AstroPAL

At Georgia State I was a mentor (and sometimes president) of AstroPAL (Astronomy Peer Advising Leaders), a peer-led mentorship program for GSU astronomy grad students.

AstroPAL pairs first- and second-year grads with senior grad mentors to help them navigate the grad school experience. Mentees have monthly one-on-one meetings with their mentors, and mentors are given training on conflict management and campus resources from GSU as well as senior AstroPALs.

AstroPAL also acts as conduit between the grads and the faculty, helping these groups communicate with each other as needed. This is especially useful for the new grads that are typically intimidated at the prospect of speaking to faculty.

We found AstroPAL to be very helpful for building a supportive community among the GSU astro grads and astro department!

Additional Life Resources

REsources for RECONS