I am a 3rd Year PhD Student studying Lattice Quantum Chromodynamics (LQCD) at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill with Amy Nicholson’s team. Currently, I am working on two particle scattering, recently switching from computational black hole research.
LQCD takes the smallest particles in the universe and examines their interactions in an enclosed “box” — the lattice. By studying how two particles (such as neutrons, pions, hyperons) scatter off each other, we can gain information about the fundamentals of physics.
What drew my interest to both subjects were the role spacetime plays. Within LQCD, it was the lattice calculations and how QCD is needed to illuminate the interior nature of neutron stars. Within black holes, it was how spacetime is pushed to its most extreme limits.
During summer 2023, I joined the University of Florida’s Gravitational Physics International Research Experience for Undergrads (IREU) where I represented the program at the University of Pisa and INFN-Pisa. There, I researched stochastic noise filter techniques for the Virgo Gravitational Wave Interferometer with Giancarlo Cella. These processes eliminate ground-based noise sources (like a car driving down the road near the detector) and make the detector more sensitive. I used a statistical technique called kurtosis which accounted for the same signal being picked up by multiple ground-focused sensors that focus on monitoring the local environments rather than how gravitational waves are bending and stretching spacetime around us. I also studied how these same techniques could be used for the Stochastic Gravitational Wave Background, especially for uncovering the primordial gravitational wave background underneath it.
At Ursinus College, I researched a biomaterial called bioactive glass in the form of small beads under Casey Schwarz. These small glass spheres are the size of a pinprick (so ~80 microns) were porous, could hold solutions, naturally anti-bacterial, and bonded well to organic material. The goal of my research was to develop a characterization method using spectroscopy to quantify how much a liquid was being both absorbed, held, and dispersed by the bioactive glass bead, specifically with the goal of turning this into a medicinal patch.
I published my senior thesis with distinguished honors and a first author paper on this work. Additionally, I contributed to a collaborator’s paper from the University of Central Florida.
Graduate Coursework, Teaching, and Leadership
I have taken the following at the graduate level: Quantum Mechanics I, Statistical Mechanics, General Relativity, Stellar Physics, Classical Mechanics, Math Methods, Observational Astrophysical Data, and Astrodynamics. Quantum Field Theory I and II will be taken over autumn 2026 and spring 2027.
In addition to these, I have audited a Nuclear Physics course as well as a Cosmology seminar.
I also have taken Advanced Creative Nonfiction 404/396 —Experiments in the Essay, with a Directed Study in Science Communication.
Teaching-wise, I have taught Phys-114 and 115 studios seven times over the course of four semesters, the majority of which I lead or co-lead. These are our algebra-based physics for the life science courses which have “studios” consisting of labwork or problem solving sessions occuring twice a week for two hours each.
Outreach-wise, I have volunteered in UNC children’s outreach events, like Astronomy Days at the North Carolina Museum of Natural History and Science is Awesome, where I showed physics demos and explained concepts like magnetism and the conservation of energy.
I have been the co-chair for the Open Doors physics graduate committee for a year now, and I served as the Women and Gender Minorities in Physics co-chair last year as well. Open Doors is dedicated to bridging the gap between PhD students and whatever their background is, connecting students to various resources and broader identity communities on campus. I also mentor the first year PhD students within this and have conducted a climate survey.
