Howdy! I'm from Kansas City, MO but I obtained my undergraduate degree in 'Astronomy and Astrophysics' and 'Physics' from THE Ohio State University in 2021. I completed an Undergraduate Honors Thesis studying the dynamics of circumbinary planets (planets orbiting binary stars).
After I graduated, I took a gap year and worked as a Night Sky / Scientist in the Park intern at the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area in Los Angeles, CA. Following that, I returned to Ohio State as a post-baccalaureate research assistant with Dr. David V. Martin to turn my undergraduate thesis into my first, first-author paper.
I began my Ph.D. at Penn State University in 2022 working with Dr. Suvrath Mahadevan. Currently in my 4th year, I work with high resolution spectrographs like NEID and the Habitable-zone Planet Finder (HPF) to develop novel methodology to discover Earth-like exoplanets and to study other astronomical objects like the recurrent nova T Coronae Borealis.
I'm currently an officer for the Science Policy Society at Penn State. I've enjoyed developing my understanding of the United States federal funding system and learning how to advocate on behalf of science and use science to advocate for pertinent policy development.
The banner picture and selfie above were both taken by me while hiking the John Muir Trail in California, USA. I love going on backpacking trips, as well as watching/playing sports, reading Sci-Fi classics, and watching their movie/TV adaptations!
Open CV