Daniela Yano

Hi, I’m Daniela—a computational physicist, coder, and table tennis enthusiast!
I’m currently pursuing my PhD in Physics at Rice University, where I dive into the world of high-energy collisions and big data, searching for new insights in the subatomic universe.

When I’m not analyzing particle collisions or writing code, you’ll probably find me on the table tennis court. I’m passionate about the sport and serve as the president of the Rice Table Tennis Club, where I love building community and sharing the joy of the game.

I thrive at the intersection of physics and computation, using programming as a tool to explore, model, and visualize complex phenomena. Whether it’s simulating trajectories, building interactive projects, or tackling research challenges, I’m always excited to blend creativity, logic, and curiosity.

Let’s connect—whether you want to talk science, code, or table tennis!


🔬 Research experience

  • Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS)

    2023 – Present Rice University, Houston, TX

    Analyzing collision data from the CMS experiment at the LHC, with a focus on ultraperipheral collisions and charmonium detection. Heavy use of C++ and ROOT for data analysis, event selection, and statistical modeling.
    Learn more about the Li Lab

  • VERITAS

    2021 – 2023 Columbia University / Barnard College, New York, NY

    Processed and analyzed blazar data from the VERITAS telescope, under Prof. Mukherjee. Used Python extensively for data wrangling, statistical analysis, and creating publication-quality plots.
    VERITAS | My research story

  • LIGO SURF

    Summer 2022 Caltech, Pasadena, CA

    Developed a Python package to analyze and visualize the sensitivity of the LIGO gravitational wave detectors.
    Read my final report


  • 🛠️ Coding Projects

    Outside of research, I love building creative coding projects that blend physics, engineering, and art. Here are a few of my favorite hands-on explorations—ranging from scientific simulations to interactive devices and generative art. Click any project to learn more or see the code!

    🏓 Table tennis aerodynamics

    A project that uses the Euler mid-point method to model the trajectory of table tennis balls and the spin effects.

    🎨 Generative Art Project

    A generative art project using an ESP32 TTGO T-Display.

    🤖 Interactive device

    A project using a ESP32 TTGO T-Display connected through a wire to a joystick/button.

    💻 Be(A)Real

    A project using a ESP32-Cam to create a device to help you study.


    📝 Blog Posts

  • How a Club Sport Helped My Transition to Rice

    Student Life — Rice University

    Reflections on how joining the table tennis club shaped my graduate experience, built community, and helped me thrive at Rice.

    Read post
  • Fazendo Ph.D. em Rice University

    Vida de Pós-Graduação — Rice University (em português)

    Um relato sobre o processo seletivo, adaptação, e a vida como estudante brasileira de doutorado em Física na Rice University, em Houston, Texas.

    Leia o post