About Me
I was born and raised in Portland, Oregon, where various after-school programs (MESA, Model United Nations, etc.) occupied the hours not filled by remarkably uncompetitive basketball games with my friends.I left for Carleton College expecting to major in the social sciences, but quickly found myself drawn to physics and astronomy. A series of summer internships allowed me to explore various areas of astrophysical research and led me to pursue a career in the field. I completed my PhD in astronomy at the University of Washington, advised by Suzanne Hawley (UW) and Thomas Greene (NASA-Ames). I then conducted research for three years as a Spitzer Fellow at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, and am now supported by a Hubble Fellowship at Cornell University.
Outside of work, I enjoy bicycling, traveling, cooking, and reading. Most of all, I love spending time with my wife, Sarah, and friends and family (including my brother Brian, pictured above).
Media
- Gaia Workshop Interview (May 2011) (local mp4 file)
- Cornell 'Ask an Astronomer' Podcast (June 2011) (local mp3 file)
- LSST e-news profile (July 2010)
- Expert opinion in Toronto Star (& elsewhere): Astronomer seeing stars in recount of universe (Dec. 2010)
- Univ. of Washington Perspectives: A Jump Start for Science Students (Winter 2006)
- Co-Authored Spectrum Article: 'Not B': Our Experience at the National Society of Black Physicists Meeting (June 2004)