I'm a PhD student in Physics at Caltech with a background in astronomical instrumentation, observational astrophysics, and space systems. My previous research focused on developing and supporting space-based and balloon-borne instruments to study ionized gas in and around galaxies.

 

I earned my bachelor's degree in Astronomy with a minor in Physics from the University of Arizona, where I became a member of the Hamden UV/VIS Lab. Though I worked on various NASA missions, I began my journey by supporting EMCCD detector characterization to advance and develop detector technologies for space missions and Stratospheric Balloon-borne suborbital observatories. I helped build test setups and assisted with quantum efficiency testing using a monochromator. I gained experience in vacuum systems, purging procedures, and running experimental pipelines for detector calibration.

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This foundation led to my involvement in FIREBall-2, a NASA and CNES stratospheric balloon telescope targeting diffuse UV emission from the circumgalactic medium. My work on FIREBall-2 included co-building the first in-flight capable calibration system (second author paper, published in JATIS), optical alignment and bonding, and participating in flight campaigns in 2022 and 2023 at NASA's Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility.

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I was also a part of the optical alignment, calibration, and flight hardware assembly teams for Aspera, a NASA Pioneers SmallSat mission designed to map the warm-hot phase of the circumgalactic medium in nearby galaxy halos.

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I was also part of the science and observing team for CHαS (Circumgalactic Hα Spectrograph), an NSF-funded Integral Field Spectrograph deployed at the MDM Observatory on Kitt Peak. I supported observing runs, commissioning, and data analysis, which led to my first-author paper on the ionized gas kinematics of NGC 7331.

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Throughout these projects, I gained hands-on experience with UV-optical instrumentation, detector systems, optomechanical integration and design, and end-to-end testing and calibration.

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As a first-generation student with international roots, I care deeply about accessibility and inclusion in science. I enjoy mentoring, collaborating, and building tools that expand how we explore the universe.​

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