Hello! I am an Assistant Professor in Physics at Colorado College. Prior to moving back to Colorado I was a W. J. McDonald Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Texas at Austin. I received my Ph.D. in Astronomy with a minor in Physics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in August of 2014, after receiving an M.S. in Astronomy in 2010. I graduated cum laude from Colorado College in 2008 with a B.A. in Physics.
My research focuses on understanding the stories of binary stars. I use data from both space-based and ground-based telescopes to study stars in binary systems that have been fundamentally changed by the presence of their companion. With the help of my research collaborators I have studied data from the Hubble Space Telescope, Chandra X-ray Observatory, the WIYN 3.5m Telescope, the McDonald Observatory 2.7m, and Gemini South.
I also am a co-creator of The Gift – an installation theater piece that activates my research on blue straggler stars created together with Janani Balasubramanian and Andrew Kircher. We aim to cross typical disciplinary boundaries to create art-science pieces that re-inscribe outer space as feminist space. For more information on our project please visit thegift.space.
Please visit my Research page for a low-key explanation of my science interests and my CV page to learn more about my experience and background. Please visit my Contact page if you would like to know how to reach me.