I grew up outside of Boston and attended Yale University, studying blazars with Meg Urry. I then taught high school physics, astronomy, and chemistry for two years at the American School of Kuwait. While in Kuwait, I developed a minor addiction to collecting carpets. I returned to the US and to graduate school in 2008; I completed my Ph.D. in 2013 under Ed Turner. I was a postdoc at the Institute for Advanced Study until 2017, when I moved to UCSB.

I love food (both cooking and eating) and coffee and enjoy traveling. I have extensive collaborations with researchers in Japan and often travel to Tokyo. While commuting to graduate school, I started to read the literature I had largely neglected as a student. I have less free time now but still enjoy reading on long flights and train rides.