James Davenport

About

I am a Research Assistant Professor and Faculty Director for Outreach in the University of Washington's Department of Astronomy, and as of 2025 am Director of the DiRAC Institute. My research program focuses on studying time domain, large survey astronomy, with an emphasis on studying magnetically active stars and searching for technosignatures in surveys like Kepler, TESS, and LSST.

Research topics

• Astronomy
• Physics
• Astrophysics
• Geography
• Computer Science
• Data Mining
• Computer Security
• Data science
• Geology
• Cartography

Selected publications

• The effect of stellar contamination on low-resolution transmission spectroscopy: needs identified by NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program Study Analysis Group 21

  RAS Techniques and Instruments · 2023 · 84 citations

  Abstract Study Analysis Group 21 (SAG21) of NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program Analysis Group was organized to study the effect of stellar contamination on space-based transmission spectroscopy, a method for studying exoplanetary atmospheres by measuring the wavelength-dependent radius of a planet as it transits its star. Transmission spectroscopy relies on a precise understanding of the spectrum of the star being occulted. However, stars are not homogeneous, constant light sources but have te…

  DOI

• Flares in open clusters with K2

  Astronomy and Astrophysics · 2020 · 71 citations

  Context. Magnetic fields are a key component in the main sequence evolution of low mass stars. Flares, energetic eruptions on the surfaces of stars, are an unmistakable manifestation of magnetically driven emission. The occurrence rates and energy distributions of flares trace stellar characteristics such as mass and age. However, before flares can be used to constrain stellar properties, the flaring-age-mass relation requires proper calibration. Aims. This work sets out to quantify the flaring…

  DOI

• A Pilot Search for Gravitational Self-Lensing Binaries with the Zwicky Transient Facility

  The Open Journal of Astrophysics · 2024-08-09 · 6 citations

  articleOpen access

  Binary systems containing a compact object may exhibit periodic brightening episodes due to gravitational lensing as the compact object transits the companion star. Such “self-lensing” signatures have been detected before for white dwarf binaries. We attempt to use these signatures to identify detached stellar-mass neutron star and black hole binaries using data from the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF). We present a systematic search for self-lensing signals in Galactic binaries from a subset of…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Searching for Stellar Activity Cycles Using Flares: The Short- and Long-timescale Activity Variations of TIC-272272592

  The Astronomical Journal · 2024-11-01 · 5 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract We examine 4 yr of Kepler 30 minutes data, and five sectors of Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite 2 minutes data for the dM3 star KIC-8507979/TIC-272272592. This rapidly rotating ( P = 1.2 day) star has previously been identified as flare active, with a possible long-term decline in its flare output. Such slow changes in surface magnetic activity are potential indicators of solar-like activity cycles, which can yield important information about the structure of the stellar dynamo. We…

  PublisherDOI

• Tidal Synchronization of TESS Eclipsing Binaries

  The Astrophysical Journal · 2025-09-03 · 4 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Tidal synchronization plays a fundamental role in the evolution of binary star systems. However, key details such as the timescale of synchronization, efficiency of tidal dissipation, rotation period, and dependence on stellar mass are not well constrained. We present a catalog of rotation periods, orbital periods, and eccentricities from eclipsing binaries (EBs) that can be used to study the role of tides in the rotational evolution of low-mass dwarf (FGKM spectral type) binaries. This…

  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• Measuring the Ages of Stars in the Era of Big Data Time-Domain Astronomy

  NSF · $278k · 2015–2018

Frequent coauthors

• Suzanne L. Hawley

  91 shared

• Sarah J. Schmidt

  42 shared

• Adam F. Kowalski

  Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics

  35 shared

• Yuta Notsu

  Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency

  30 shared

• É. Aubourg

  Laboratoire AstroParticule et Cosmologie

  29 shared

• Kevin R. Covey

  27 shared

• Nicolás G. Busca

  26 shared

• John J. Bochanski

  26 shared

Labs

• DiRACPI

Similar researchers at University of Washington

• Daniela Rosnerh-35
• Eric Klavinsh-34
• Daniela Huppenkothenh-33