Astrophysics

Astronomy Biography

Laura-May’s fascination with astronomy began in childhood after her mother showed her Comet Hale–Bopp crossing the night sky in 1997. The experience sparked a lifelong passion for astronomy, astrophysics, and science that would later shape both her academic career and public outreach work.
Over more than a decade, she attended conferences throughout France and the UK before completing astronomy and astrobiology courses with distinction through the University of Rochester and University of Edinburgh. She later enrolled at the Paris Observatory (OBSPM), first obtaining the university diploma DU ECU and completing an internship at the Haute-Provence Observatory (OHP), home to the discovery of the first exoplanet orbiting a Sun-like star. There, she developed practical experience in observational astronomy, astrophotography, instrumentation, and advanced astronomical software through work with large research telescopes. Following this, she obtained a DU SU diploma in astronomy and astrophysics with highest honours in 2016. As part of her studies, she produced a 70-page research memoir on the demographics of exoplanetary systems under the supervision of Dr. Alain Doressoundiram.

After graduating, Laura-May consulted and wrote astronomy content for a major science application based in Spain. She moved to Los Angeles in 2017 to pursue a career in science communication and founded the Inspired Science Women Los Angeles group the following year, creating a community dedicated to science outreach, networking, and public engagement for women in STEM. In 2019, she received an honorable mention in the Joan and Arnold Seidel Science Writing Contest and was subsequently published by the Griffith Observatory. That same year, she was hired by Urban Elective to teach an introductory astronomy course. She also appeared as a guest astrophysics expert on the television show Brother in 2018 and 2019.

In 2020, Laura-May served as a writer for astrophysics- and climate-related episodes of Generation Genius before becoming the lead writer and host of One Step, a climate, technology, and sustainability series produced by Ballard & Tighe. In March 2021, she was invited to speak for Caltech Astronomy on Tap and subsequently launched the astrophysics-focused YouTube and TikTok channels CelestialMachines and CelestialMachinesFR.
She has also consulted on science and technology projects, including an atmospheric balloon campaign in the California desert in 2021 that successfully sent a basketball into the stratosphere. In addition, she has advised design firms such as Fluidity Design Consultants and consulted for science-fiction writers and creative productions requiring scientific accuracy.

Since joining Griffith Observatory in 2022, Laura-May has regularly delivered public science presentations on celestial mechanics, solar physics, pendulum dynamics, and observational astronomy. She helps operate the observatory’s historic triple-beam coelostat solar telescope, has taught on its school program and leads the guide team. Since August 2024, she has been the co-host and co-producer of All Space Considered, Griffith Observatory’s monthly science program, where she presents recent discoveries, astrophotography, space news, and scientific papers while hosting discussions with leading scientists, including Nobel Prize-winning astrophysicist Andrea Ghez.

Laura-May has been actively involved in astronomical research collaborations since 2024, working with Dr. Bryce Bolin on observational studies of asteroids, minor planets, and interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS. Her work has also included observations related to mini-moon PT5 and asteroid YR4, one of the most closely monitored potentially hazardous near-Earth objects identified during its observation period. She travels annually to Mauna Kea Observatory to participate in observing campaigns using the W. M. Keck Observatory and the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF).

In 2024, she was selected to serve as a 2025 Astronomer in Residence at Grand Canyon National Park, where she later lived and worked, leading public astronomy programs, conducting a solar observing campaign, and participating in science outreach activities for visitors under some of the darkest skies in North America. In 2025, she also became an ACEAP Astronomy Ambassador to Chile, visiting many of the world’s leading observatories, including the newly completed Vera C. Rubin Observatory and the summit facilities of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA).
Later that year, Laura-May was elected to the board of the Los Angeles Astronomical Society, the largest society of its kind in the United States, and became Vice President in 2025. She also serves as head of the society’s Centennial Committee and spearheaded the “100 Telescopes for 100 Years” star party held at Griffith Observatory on April 25, 2026. The event brought together 100 telescopes on the Observatory lawn, featured official proclamations from the City of Los Angeles, and culminated in the presentation of a commemorative plaque now permanently displayed in the Wilder Hall of the Eye. She is also a frequent volunteer at public star parties, often conducting solar outreach using a double-stacked H-alpha telescope and a Vaonis Vespera.

A frequent public speaker, Laura-May has delivered astronomy presentations for institutions and events including UCLA’s Explore Your Universe, the French Consulate’s Night of Ideas, Caltech Astronomy on Tap, the Grand Canyon National, the University of Washington, Nerd Night, SPEC LA, Pint of Science, PUSD Science Fest, the Columbia Memorial Space Center, the Adventurers Club and more. She regularly participates in UC Santa Cruz's Shadow the Scientist Program, helping create immersive science experiences.
In 2026, she participated in the American Astronomical Society Congressional Visit Days in Washington DC, meeting with representatives and senators including Zoe Lofgren and Salud Carbajal to advocate for science and astronomy funding.

Alongside her scientific work, Laura-May is a multidisciplinary artist exploring astrophysical and cosmological concepts through painting, music, photography, and mixed media. Her work has been exhibited internationally and featured by NASA, Spaceweather.com, New Scientist Live and Exoplanet day. She was a featured artist as part of the Hubble Space telescope’s 30th anniversary celebrations. Her art has appeared on the covers of scientific publications and educational review books and has been showcased by galleries and institutions internationally.
She has been aurora-chasing for fifteen years and will soon celebrate a decade of tornado-chasing with Québec Vortex. Her storm images have been featured by CBS, GirlsWhoChase and more.