About me
Hello! I am an Assistant Professor of Physics at the University of Mary with interests in theoretical astrophysics, acoustics, and physics education. I also regularly perform music (I'm a keyboardist) at public concerts, church services, and more. Check out the tabs above to learn more!
My academic journey
In 2018 I received BAs in both Physics and Music from CWRU in Cleveland, Ohio, my home state. I studied cosmic topology with Dr. Glenn Starkman, piano performance at CIM with Gerardo Teissonnière, and harpsichord and organ with Dr. Peter Bennett.
I received a PhD in Physics from CU Boulder in 2024, after receiving an MS in Physics in 2020. My thesis, titled "Quantum effects inside rotating, accreting black holes" (PDF here, defense here), was overseen by Dr. Andrew Hamilton.
Beginning in 2024, I became an Assistant Professor of Physics at the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota, where I currently teach and do research. My faculty profile can be found here.
Research interests
I am interested in studying quantum gravity from a bottom-up perspective (most notably, semiclassical gravity). Quantum mechanics and Einstein's theory of general relativity each make remarkably well-tested predictions about things that are tiny or massive, respectively, but when we try to combine these theories, they fail spectacularly. Usually we don't need both theories simultaneously, but one place in the Universe where quantum gravity's true colors begin to shine is the region around and inside a black hole. For my PhD, I studied the effects of quantum fields on various models of black hole interiors to better understand the mass inflation phenomenon near the inner horizon. To learn more, visit the Black Holes page or view my Publications.
If you're curious about the banner images at the top of the pages on this site, they are all visualizations of the interior of a Schwarzschild black hole that I produced from the Black Holes Flight Simulator, a real-time general-relativistic ray-tracing code written by my PhD advisor Prof. Andrew Hamilton. We are hoping eventually to open-source the code and extend it to include the full Kerr-Newman spacetime geometry (currently it only works for charged black holes).
Personal interests
- When not studying physics, I can often be found playing piano, organ, or harpsichord—check out more over at the Music page!
- I play racquetball and also enjoy trail running, hiking, and cycling.
- I'm a Protestant Christian with a strong eye towards ecumenism among Catholic communities, and I'm always keen to discuss theology and apologetics.
- My favorite movie genre is the time loop film—here's a plot of them.