About
My speciality is the physics of the everyday. Whether it's the culinary chemistry that fills our bellies, the material properties that built our world, or the engineering marvels that fuel our transportation, I love revealing the science and technology that underpin our modern lives.
I graduated from Harvard University in 2024 with a PhD in theoretical soft matter physics. My dissertation is at the intersection of soft condensed matter physics and materials science; I've built simulations of thin materials in order to study how paper crumples! As a PhD candidate and freelance educator, I have taught science to middle schoolers through graduate students in a variety of formal and informal settings, and developed research talks from 2 to 90 minutes long for audiences from general to technical.
I am dedicated to making STEM an equitable, inclusive, and accessible space for people from all backgrounds. To this end, I co-founded and am President of A World of Women in STEM, an online learning space dedicated to celebrating past, present, and future women+ in STEM fields.
Science Communication
I am a researcher turned science communicator, intent on telling stories that center the human process of discovery. Drawing inspiration from history and the natural world, I use humor and compassion to demystify science. Video is my favorite medium, but I also work in written and audio formats.
Physics Research
My graduate work at Harvard University was at the intersection of soft condensed matter physics and material science, exploring deformations of thin sheets. Specifically, I studied how paper crumples and ribbons wrinkle!
I built simulations in C++ to model thin materials, and used Python to visualize the results of our simulations.
As an undergraduate at the University of Cincinnati, I studied theoretical cosmology, focusing on dark matter candidates such as the axion and other axion-like particles. I used pencil and paper (and a LOT of chalk) to calculate the gravitational stability of structures that these hypothetical particles might form.
Papers related to these topics can be found on my publications tab.
Fellowships & Awards
2024 Harvard Physics Excellence in Teaching Prize