About me

Professionally

I am currently a postdoctoral researcher within the Climate, Ocean, and Sea-ice Modeling (COSIM) Team at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). I work primarily with Dr. Mat Maltrud, Dr. Luke van Roekel, and a group of physical and biological oceanographers on developing new capabilities within the physical and biogeochemical ocean components of the DOE’s Earth system model, E3SM, to improve its performance and accuracy. Additionally, as a part of the Interdisciplinary Research For Arctic Coastal Environments project I am running and analyzing Arctic focused Large Eddy Simulations (LES) to better understand the impacts of sea-ice loss on mixing and stratification in the Arctic Ocean and validate new higher-order mixing parameterizations, as well as, running and analyzing Arctic focused climate simulations to better understand the impacts of climate change on the food security/sovereignty of Arctic communities.

Prior to working at LANL, I was a postdoctoral research associate within the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physcis (DAMTP) at the University of Cambridge, UK working with Dr. John Taylor and a group of computational, experimental, and theoretical scientists on developing a better understanding of stratified turbulence as a part of the Mathematical Underpinnings of Stratified Turbulence (MUST) project.

I completed my PhD in August 2017 within the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Colorado, Boulder with Dr. Peter Hamlington as my advisor. My thesis, titled Effects of Submesoscale Turbulence on Reactive Tracers in the Upper Ocean, focused on understanding non-linear interactions between upper ocean, small-scale turbulent processes, such as submesoscale currents and wave-driven Langmuir circulations, and climate cycle relevant, reactive biogeochemical tracers, such as carbon dioxide, phytoplankton, and nutrients. I like to say I ‘‘grew-up’’ within a turbulent combustion research group, the Turbulence and Energy Systems Lab (TESLa) and thus have a unique perspective, within the oceanographic community, on turbulent reacting system.

Before attending grad school I was at the Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory working on developing code and running simulations of geothermal reservoirs. It was here that I really became enamored with complex environmental fluid flows, their interactions with reacting systems, and using computational methods to explore such mysteries.

Personally

I was born and raised in the foothills of Eastern San Diego, spent my undergraduate years in the Bay Area, and my graduate years in Colorado. As a result, I love physical activity, especially if its outdoors. Whether its trail running, climbing, biking, skiing, backpacking, mountaineering, or any number of other activities, and whether its in the mountains, the desert, the forest, or near/in a body of water, I will most likely be stoked about it. Not surprisingly, I am also quite taken with eating food.

Abbreviated CV

Employment

• 2019–present: Postdoctoral Research Associate, Los Alamos National Laboratory
• 2017–2019: Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
• 2013–2017: Graduate Research Assistant, University of Colorado, Boulder
• 2014–2016: CU Science Discovery Instructor: Fluids & Flow Visualization, LEGO Robotics
• 2013–2014: Graduate Teaching Assistant, University of Colorado, Boulder
• 2012–2013: Research and Design Scientist I (Thermal Fluid Scientist), Idaho National Laboratory

Teaching

• Summer 2016: Instructor, Fluids & Flow Visualization
• Summer 2014/15: Instructor, Lego Robotics
• Spring 2014: Teaching Assistant, Engineering Measurments II Lab
• Fall 2013: Teaching Assistant, System Dynamics

Education

• PhD, University of Colorado, Boulder (2017)
• MS, University of Colorado, Boulder (2015)
• BS, San Francisco State University, Cum Laude (2012)

Awards

• CU Graduate School Summer Fellowship (2017)
• Achievements Rewards for College Scientists Scholarship (ARCS) (2016–2017)
• CU Science Communication Fellowship (2015)
• Outstanding Mechanical Engineering Research Potential Fellowship (2013–2014)
• CU Mechanical Engineering Dean’s Fellowship (2013–2014)
• National Science Foundation Scholarship (2011–2012)