About Me

I am a Postdoctoral Researcher in the eScience Institute at the University of Washington, working to bridge the gap between my domain science - astronomy - and the tools of data science. My research spans from the very large (cosmology, the universe as a whole) to the small but deadly (detecting killer asteroids with LSST).

I grew up in the small ski town of Girdwood, Alaska. Outdoor activities and especially snowsports were always a big part of my life. I spent several years following the snow to various spots around the Northwest, and loving life, as a sponsored competitive snowboarder. Fresh powder remains an important part of my work life balance today.

I did my ungrad at the University of Nevada - Reno, while living and snowboarding up at Lake Tahoe, and completed my PhD at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, while enjoying Whistler and the north shore mountains. In Fall 2015 I finished my PhD and started my current postdoctoral position in Seattle.

I enjoy traveling and experiencing new places, and being generally active and outside as much as possible. In my spare time I enjoy all kinds of adventures, from hiking and skateboarding to surfing on Vancouver Island. On weekends during the winter you can find me at Stevens Pass, Whistler-Blackcomb, or exploring the BC backcountry on my splitboard.

I find teaching and outreach incredibly rewarding. Since joining the University of Washington, I have gotten involved with teaching Software Carpentry, a two day course on computing skills for scientists. I have also designed a number of classroom activities based on dark matter and lensing, as well the physics of extreme sports, music, and other topics. When research gets frustrating, I am reminded how amazing it all is by talking to kids about space!

Before I Was An Astrophysicist...

I spent my life in the mountains, pushing the limits of what I was physically and mentally capable of.

I competed in almost every event from banked slalom and boardercross, to rail jams and slopestyle (my favorite). After leaving Alaska, I spent some time in Bozeman, Montana, followed by about 6 years in Lake Tahoe, California, where I honed my skills and picked up my first major sponsors.

When I did return to university to study Physics, I managed to continue snowboarding competitively throughout my undergraduate education, in addition to working a night job to support myself. The University of Nevada wrote an article on my unconventional yet successful path to my BSc degree.

During these years I learned a lot more than just how to snowboard really well. I learned how to work extremely hard at something I was passionate about. I learned how to really visualize a goal, and commit to make it a reality. I learned discipline and how to balance an extremely packed schedule. I learned how to win and lose with dignity. I also had a lot of fun, a lot of powder, and made a lot of great friends along the way.

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