I grew up in Pittsford, NY, a quaint suburb outside of Rochester, where people are encouraged to look up because the skies are clear. I first fell in love with astronomy as a hobby when I was forced to chart the phases of the Moon from my driveway for an 8th grade science project. I fell in love with astronomy as a career because I had exceptional early mentors in the field (Prof. Eric Blackman at the Univ. of Rochester, Prof. Julia Lee at Harvard-CfA and Prof. Jim Elliot at MIT). I graduated from MIT in 2008 with a double degree in Physics and Biology. I earned my PhD in April 2014 with Prof. Edo Berger at Harvard University, where I fell in love, perhaps permanently, with observational astronomy. I currently have my dream job as a post-doctorate in Tucson, Arizona, where there are several observatories within driving distance.

One of the best pieces of advice I received as a graduate student was to keep my identity outside of graduate school. To this end, I've cultivated and maintained many hobbies besides astronomy. So when I am not at the office or at a telescope, I like to travel/hike around the globe, perfect my landscape photography, play softball and tennis, learn the banjo, take on challenges in the kitchen, read random non-fiction, and tend to my outdoor desert garden!