About Me
I am a fifth-year PhD Candidate in Astrophysics at Caltech, working with Prof. Phil Hopkins on understanding the role of magnetic fields and cosmic rays in galaxy formation and evolution. I’m particularly interested in leveraging theory, often through the use of high-resolution, cosmological simulations of galaxy formation, to make detailed predictions of a wide swath of observables across the electromagnetic spectrum. My methodology has 1) physically interpreted highly indirect and formalistic observational inferences and 2) constrained highly uncertain non-thermal physics from the smallest scales in the interstellar medium to the largest expanses of intergalactic space. My interest in magnetic fields and cosmic rays and galaxies is broad; ranging from questions of how they can alter the the halos of galaxies to understanding amplification mechanisms of the magnetic fields over cosmological time.
I grew up in the city of Montego Bay, Jamaica, before moving to the United States, where I lived in the states of New York and Iowa. I did my undergraduate degrees in Physics, Astronomy, and Mathematics at the University of Iowa, where I worked with Prof. Phil Kaaret and Prof. Hai Fu on studying metallicity effects on high-mass X-ray binary populations, and understanding cool gas accretion in a high redshift galaxy. During my undergraduate studies, I had the fortunate opportunity to spend a semester and a summer in Scotland, where I attended the University of Edinburgh. While there, I worked with Prof. Sadegh Khochfar, Prof. Jose Onorbe, and Prof. Britton Smith on studying Local Group analogs in large volume cosmological simulations.
Throughout my training as a scientist, I have been involved in several efforts to advance a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive academy. These have ranged from extensively participating in public outreach efforts focused on science communication and engagement and University-sponsored student advocacy, to deep involvement with community and labor union organizing to improve living and working conditions which non-linearly affect those who have been most historically marginalized. I am proud to champion these causes, and believe that an Academy which materially reckons with the intersections of deep-rooted socioeconomic issues with its own intrinsic shortcomings is the only path to a truly equitable Academy.