A little about me…

I didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grew up until I was 25 years old. When I was 18, I decided to do an undergrad in software engineering, thinking I’d make a killing in the tech industry. But what I didn’t know about myself at that point, was how mentally unstimulating coding for 8 hours a day would be for me. So, after a couple years working in my early twenties, I moved to Berlin on a whim. Something about the German culture (and the beer) really attracted me. Somewhere in that year abroad, having met and conversed with so many people from around the world, I became enthralled with astronomy.

When I returned to Canada, at age 25, I started an undergrad in astronomy at UBC. From there, I discovered astrobiology and was awarded funding to do an undergrad theory research project on amino acids synthesis in asteroid interiors with Dr. Pudritz, who is part of the Origins Institute at McMaster University. I loved that research experience so much, that I continued on with my MSc and PhD in astrobiology at McMaster.

During my graduate studies, I always wished I could have combined experiments with the theory I was working on. So, I decided to be bold and I applied for some funding to pursue postdoctoral research in experimental astrobiology. I must be the luckiest son-of-a-gun, because I got that funding, and became a postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University in the lab of Dr. Sarah Hörst.

After three years working as a postdoc, I was hired as an Assistant Professor in the Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences Department at Purdue University: my dream job.

I’m now in my late 30’s, and I feel like I am thriving in my career and personal life. I'm extremely grateful for the privileges and opportunities that allowed me to pursue this career and ultimately got me to where I am today. If you are lucky enough to get an opportunity to pursue your dreams - do not waste it! When I’m not at work, you can find me in the gym lifting heavy, on the trails running with a podcast on, or at the crag or local climbing gym working on a project.