Vanderbilt Initiative for Probes of Extreme Relativity

The Vanderbilt Initiative for Probes of Extreme Relativity (VIPER) group, led by Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy Stephen Taylor, harnesses gravity to reveal new insights about the universe. The team studies gravitational waves at low (nanoHertz - nHz) to mid (milliHertz - mHz) frequencies to answer unique astrophysical questions about populations of stellar binaries, neutron stars, and black holes (BH).

VIPER members serve as integral members of the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav), the International Pulsar Timing Array (IPTA), and the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission, contributing critical analyses and research. This work utilizes cutting-edge astrostatistics methods, Bayesian parameter estimation and model selection, and novel artificial intelligence solutions.

Committed to a welcoming and inclusive research environment, VIPER is an intensely collaborative group excited about the dawn of gravitational-wave astrophysics and committed to expanding the horizons of discovery.