Nitesh Kumar | Astrophysicist


Welcome to My Academic Homepage

I am Dr. Nitesh Kumar, an Assistant Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES), Dehradun. My research lies at the intersection of astronomy and machine learning, with a particular emphasis on the study of variable stars such as RR Lyrae.

Previously, I served as a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Delhi, where I developed machine learning pipelines for analyzing light curves, stellar spectra, and time series data.


🔬 Current Research Areas

  • Machine learning-based generation of RR Lyrae star light curves
  • Supervised classification of variable stars
  • Stellar model interpolation using artificial neural networks
  • Searching for globular clusters in Gaia DR3

Featured Projects


📚 Recent Publications

  1. Nitesh Kumar et al., "Multiwavelength photometric study of RR Lyrae variables in the globular cluster NGC 5272 (Messier 3)", MNRAS, May 2024. [DOI]
  2. Nitesh Kumar et al., "Predicting light curves of RR Lyrae variables using artificial neural network based interpolation of a grid of pulsation models", MNRAS, March 2023. [DOI]

See the full list on my NASA ADS profile.


🧠 Research Interests

  • Machine Learning in Astronomy
  • Variable Stars: RR Lyrae, Cepheids
  • Stellar Evolution and Pulsation Models
  • Time Series Analysis & Data Mining
  • Photometric and Spectroscopic Classification

🎓 Teaching & Mentorship

At UPES, I teach courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, including:

  • Python, C++, and Fortran Programming
  • Computational and Numerical Methods
  • Astrophysics and Planetary Science
  • Machine Learning in Astronomy
  • Observational Astronomy Labs

View detailed teaching resources and syllabi »


✍️ Recent Blog

Computational Astrophysics in INDIA: Exploring the Cosmos with Computational Power


📬 Connect with Me

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