About me

I am a third-year PhD student and NSF Graduate Research Fellow in the Department of Astronomy at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where my PhD advisor is Prof. Alexandra Pope. My research centers around the formation, growth, and surrounding interstellar environments of supermassive black holes (SMBHs). Before beginning my PhD thesis, I previously completed my Initial Research Project (Master's thesis equivalent) with Profs. Kate Whitaker and Sinclaire Manning. I graduated from the University of Chicago with a B.S. in Astrophysics in 2023.

I am passionate about outreach and building community and culture within astronomy. I regularly contribute to Astronomy on Tap Western Mass, and I work locally on community projects related to equity and justice.

Outside of astrophysics, I enjoy dancing, running, ice skating, other things that get me outside, and cooking. I have also recently begun growing and caring for edible plants, though I am still a novice gardener.

Research

I study supermassive black holes (SMBHs) and their role(s) in galaxy formation and evolution. I am interested both in galaxy/BH populations and in detailed studies of the underlying physics. In both cases, we typically observe SMBHs during brief but crucial periods of growth through active accretion, known as active galactic nuclei (AGN).

I am currently using JWST NIRCam + MIRI to study Compton-thick AGN, which are so heavily obscured by interstellar material that the soft X-ray emission from hot coronal gas is attenuated. Compton-thick AGN are a significant fraction of the total AGN population. As a result, while difficult to identify and characterize, they constitute a key evolutionary phase of SMBH growth on a cosmic scale.

Below are some of my recent papers, which have covered topics such as Little Red Dots and type-1 quasar host galaxies. You may find all papers I've led or co-authored in the public ADS library linked below or by searching my ORCID.

Get In Touch

I'm more than happy to talk about research, astrophysics, and community work. Feel free to reach out via email.