Education & Experience
Education & Professional Experience
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Assistant Professor, Physics Department, U.S. Naval Academy, July 2024-Present
Carnegie Postdoctoral Fellow, Carnegie Science Earth & Planets Laboratory, Sept. 2022-July 2024
VICO Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Virginia, Oct. 2019-Sept. 2022
Ph.D. in Planetary Science (2020), California Institute of Technology, Aug. 2013-Aug. 2019
B.S. in Chem. (2012), Chemistry & Interdisciplinary Physics, University of Michigan, Aug. 2008-Dec. 2012
Research Experience
Disk Chemistry Research Group at the U.S. Naval Academy, starting Aug. 2024
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Carnegie Postdoctoral Fellow, Carnegie Science Earth & Planets Laboratory, 2022-2024
Mentored by Dr. Alycia Weinberger
Astrochemical modeling, ALMA and SMA data analysis for circumstellar disks
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VICO Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Astronomy at University of Virginia, 2019-2022
Working with the VICO collaboration and Prof. Ilse Cleeves
Astrochemical modeling, ALMA and SMA data analysis for protoplanetary disks
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Ph.D. Thesis: Tracking Volatile Elements in Protoplanetary Disks and on Planetary Surfaces
Advised by Prof. Geoff Blake
ChemCam work advised by Prof. Bethany Ehlmann
NSF GRFP, awarded 2014
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Undergraduate Research at the University of Michigan, 2011-2013
Advised by Prof. Ted Bergin
Astrochemical modeling, Herschel and Spitzer data analysis
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Summer Internship at NASA Glenn Research Center, 2011
Advised by Dr. Aloysius Hepp
Transition metal catalysts, SEM and EDX analysis
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Teaching & Mentoring Experience
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Carnegie EPL SURI Program Primary Advisor, Arya Papal (2023)
Carnegie Mentoring Program (2023)
Co-advisor of UVA Graduate Student, Amina Diop (2021-2022)
VICO Summer Research Program Primary Advisor, Claire Thilenius (2021)
Part of UVA Bridge Program Mentoring Cluster, Fatimah Hussein (2020-2021)
Caltech SURF Program Co-advisor, Kayla Owens (2018-2019)
Caltech SURF Program Co-advisor, Morgaine Mandigo-Stoba (2017)
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Guest Lectures: Bucknell Our Solar System (Fall 2022, Prof. Villadsen)
UNM Planetary Astrophysics (Fall 2021, Prof. Dragomir)
UVA Intro to Sky & Solar System (Spring 2020, Prof. Cleeves)
Caltech Cosmochemistry (Fall 2017, Prof. Blake)
Caltech Atomic & Molecular Processes in Astro (Fall 2016, Prof. Blake)
Caltech Project for Effective Teaching, Certificate of Practice (2016-2019)
Caltech Cosmochemistry TA, Prof. Geoff Blake, Fall 2017
Caltech Atomic & Molecular Processes in Astro TA, Prof. Geoff Blake, Fall 2016
Caltech Intro to the Solar System (flipped classroom) TA, Prof. Mike Brown, Spring 2016
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Additional Experience & Activities
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Co-PI and Modeling Team Lead for the ALMA Disk-Exoplanet C/Onnection, Cycle 9 Large Program
Co-PI for Herbig Disk Chemistry Cycle 11 Large Program
Co-I on JWST Cycle 2 Programs GO 3034 & 3228
PI of ALMA Programs 2015.1.01199.S, 2017.1.01184.S, 2018.1.01623.S, 2019.1.01135.S, 2021.1.00914.S, 2023.1.01042.S
PI of SMA Program 2018B-S046
Bucknell University Aspiring PUI Faculty Workshop, (Oct. 2022)
PennState Summer School in Statistics for Astronomers, Virtual (2021)
Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) & ChemCam Instrument Team Member (2014-2017)
Combined Array for Research in Mm-wave Astronomy (CARMA) Summer School (2014)
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STScI Spring Symposium SOC Member (2023)
Carnegie EPL Astronomy Journal Club Co-organizer (2023-2024)
DEI Committee, Postdoc Representative, UVA Astronomy (2021-2022)
Co-organizer of new UVA AstroPods mentoring program (2021-2022)
UVA Astronomy Journal Club and X-Formation Group Meeting Co-organizer (2019-2022)
Co-organizer of JWST Proposal Preparation Workshop at UVA/NRAO (2020)
NASA Proposal Review Executive Secretary & Panelist
Reviewer for ApJ, A&A, MNRAS, and Nature Astronomy
Caltech Planetary Science Seminar Co-organizer (2015-2016)
U of M American Chemical Society (ACS) Student Chapter President (2010-2012)
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Guest Presenter for the Northern Virginia Astronomy Club (2024)
Guest Presenter for the National Capital Astronomers (2023)
Letters to a Pre-Scientist Pen Pal (2020-2023)
Science in Your Backyard Volunteer (2023)
Caltech Y Rise Program Tutor (2016-2017)
Areteem's STEM Festival Volunteer (2017)
Middle School Science Fair Judge (2016)
Pasadena LEARNs Volunteer (2015-2016)
U of M ACS Student Chapter: Demos & Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum Volunteer (2010-2012)
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Publications
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See my publications page
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Presentations
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New Heights in Planet Formation, ESO, Germany, 2024 (Talk)
Chesapeake Bay Area Exoplanet Meeting (CHEXO) #11, STScI, 2024 (Talk)
Core2disk III Workshop, Paris, France, 2023 (Talk)
GMT Community Meeting, Sept. 2023, Washington, D.C. (Talk)
ALMA DECO Team Meeting, May 2023, Charlottesville, VA (Talk)
Carnegie EPL Seminar, Feb. 2023, Washington, D.C.
Bucknell University Physics & Astronomy Seminar, Oct. 2022, Lewisburg, PA
Penn State Center for Exoplanets and Habitable Worlds (CEHW) Seminar, April 2022, Virtual
University of Wisconsin-Madison Dept. of Astronomy Monday Science Seminar, Feb. 2022, Virtual
VICO Workshops, 2020-2022, Charlottesville, VA/Virtual (Talks)
NRAO Postdoc Symposium 2021-2022, Virtual/Charlottesville, VA (Talks)
Astrochemical Frontiers 2021, Virtual (Talk)
RAS/RSC Astrochemistry Group Meeting: Astrochemistry in the JWST era (2021), Virtual (Talk)
AAS National Meeting January 2021, Virtual (Talk)
AAS National Meeting June 2020, Virtual (Talk)
Caltech Project for Effective Teaching (CPET): Teaching Tidbits Showcase, 2019 (Talk)
AAS National Meeting 2019, Seattle, WA (Dissertation Talk)
Caltech Planetary Science Seminar 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019
Astrochemistry Past, Present, & Future (2018), Pasadena, CA (Talk + 3rd place Poster Prize :) )
DPS/EPSC 2016, Pasadena, CA (Talk)
AAS National Meeting 2016, Kissimmee, FL (Talk)
MSL ChemCam Instrument Team Meetings 2014-2016, Pasadena, CA - Orsay, France - Flagstaff, AZ (Talks)
Caltech Yuk Lunch Seminar
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Kavli-IAU Astrochemistry VIII (2023), Traverse City, MI (Poster)
Origins of Solar Systems GRC/GRS 2023, Mt. Holyoke College, MA (Poster)
Origins of Solar Systems GRC/GRS 2019, Mt. Holyoke College, MA (Poster)
The Origin of Galaxies, Stars, and Planets in the Era of ALMA (2017), Pasadena, CA (Poster)
The Origins of Volatiles in Habitable Planets (2017), Ann Arbor, MI (Poster)
Origins of Solar Systems GRC/GRS 2017, Mt. Holyoke College, MA (Poster)
IAU Astrochemistry VII (2017), Puerto Varas, Chile (Poster)
Linking Exoplanet and Disk Compositions Workshop (2016), Baltimore, MD (Poster)
LPSC 2016, The Woodlands, TX (Poster)
Origins of Solar Systems GRC 2015, Mt. Holyoke College, MA (Poster)
LPSC 2015, The Woodlands, TX (Poster)
Caltech Graduate Research Spotlight 2017, 2018 (Posters)