I am a fourth-year PhD student working with Dr. Catherine C. Espaillat to study disks of gas and dust (called protoplanetary disks) around young stars. Currently, I am using HST NUV data as part of the ODYSSEUS collaboration to study the accretion of disk material onto T Tauri stars. Examining how accretion-produced heating affects the surrounding disk will help characterize the environment in which protoplanets form. I also use data from the James Webb Space Telescope, SOFIA, and ground-based observatories.
In addition to research, I am passionate about science communication, science policy, and outreach. Eventually, I hope to combine research and public engagement through becoming an astronaut. I am an NSF Graduate Research Fellow.
Header image credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), S. Andrews et al.; NRAO/AUI/NSF, S. Dagnello