About Me
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I'm an Assistant Professor of Astrobiology in the
Department of Earth and Planetary
Sciences at the University of California at Riverside (UCR). I was previously
a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Georgia Institute of Technology (2019-2020) and a
NASA Postdoctoral Program Fellow at
UCR (2016-2019). I received my PhD in 2016 at the University of Washington with
dual titles in astronomy and
astrobiology.
I completed my undergraduate degrees in astronomy and physics at the
Florida Institute of Technology.
I also spent two lovely summers researching and observing comets as an undergraduate
at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, AZ.
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| My research interests and activities include observations of Earth
as an exoplanet; climate, photochemical, and radiative transfer
modeling of terrestrial planet atmospheres; and generating synthetic
spectra of model exoplanets. I'm particularly interested in work that can inform our
ability to characterize Earth-sized planets in the
habitable zones
of their host stars, especially in search of remotely-detectable
biosignatures. I'm also interested in exploring the
nuances of planetary habitability, such as the differences between planetary
environments that suitable for microorganisms and those that may be more amenable for
advanced life like animals on Earth. You can find out more about my research on my
research page.
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| When I was a graduate student at UW, I enjoyed being involved with various activities
around campus. I served as a senator on an eclectic set of committees in the
Graduate and Professional Student Senate for five years, including as an
Executive Senator. I was also a community events organizer for the
Pre-Major
in Astronomy Program, which provides support and mentoring to underrepresented students
in astronomy and the sciences. I enjoy public outreach and have taught K12 and undergraduate students
about astronomy at UW's on-campus
planetarium. Recently I have enjoyed giving public science lectures as part of the
"Are We Alone?" lecture series at UCR's Palm Desert campus.
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