Background:

Mr. Muhammad Zeeshan is a Fulbright Ph.D. Scholar in Astrophysics at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), USA, currently in the final year of his doctoral studies under the supervision of Prof. Richard O'Shaughnessy. His research focuses on the population inference of eccentric binary black holes using hierarchical Bayesian methods and gravitational-wave data analysis.

He conceived and led the development of GWKokab, a JAX-based computational framework for efficient and flexible population inference of compact binary systems. While the code was primarily implemented by one of his students in Pakistan, he supervised every stage of its creation—from conceptual design and mathematical formulation to statistical modeling, implementation strategy, and validation. This collaboration not only advanced his research but also provided meaningful mentorship in computational astrophysics and Bayesian inference, empowering emerging researchers in Pakistan.

He has authored several peer-reviewed publications and contributed to multiple collaborative papers as part of the LIGO Scientific Collaboration. His areas of expertise include Gravitational-Wave Astrophysics, General Relativity, and Population Inference.

He has presented his work at major international conferences and workshops, including meetings of the American Physical Society (APS), American Astronomical Society (AAS), LIGO–Virgo–KAGRA (LVK) Collaboration, and the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS). He also attended a fully funded Summer School on Cosmology at the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Italy.

Before starting his Ph.D., he served as a Lecturer at the University of Central Punjab and as a Research Assistant at COMSATS University Islamabad, Lahore Campus, under an HEC-approved project on alternative theories of gravity.

His long-term goal is to advance astrophysics and data-driven research in Pakistan through teaching, mentorship, and international collaboration.

Research papers:

https://journals.aps.org/prd/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevD.110.063009

https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.13638

Software:

https://github.com/gwkokab/gwkokab