Connecting nuclear theory and experiment, machine learning, and astrophysics to understand how the heaviest elements are made.
I am a nuclear astrophysicist working at the interface of nuclear structure, nuclear decays and reactions, and astrophysical modeling. My research aims at a quantitative picture of heavy-element production by combining theoretical models, experimental constraints, and modern computational methods.
As an NP3M Fellow, I work across FRIB, the University of Notre Dame, and the University of Tennessee Knoxville on theoretical and computational methods for r-process studies, DFT-based nuclear data, emulators, Bayesian inference, and nucleosynthesis simulations.
Nuclear theory
DFT, β-decay, fission, and uncertainty-aware nuclear inputs for heavy-element synthesis.
ML and AI
Emulators, surrogate models, and Bayesian workflows for fast, interpretable physics inference.
r-process nucleosynthesis
Nucleosynthesis simulations connecting nuclear constraints to the astrophysical origin of heavy elements.
Current focus
I study r-process nucleosynthesis, β-decay, nuclear heating, and the emulation of expensive calculations, with particular interest in how theory, experiment, and statistical inference can be combined to produce uncertainty-quantified nuclear input.
Selected work
- Large-Scale Calculations of β-Decay Rates and Implications for r-Process Nucleosynthesis
- Effect of Finite-Temperature β-Decay Rates on the Rapid Neutron Capture Process
- Emulation of the Final r-Process Abundance Pattern with a Neural Network
- Uncertainty Quantification of Mass Models Using Ensemble Bayesian Model Averaging
Current position
I am an NP3M Fellow based at FRIB with collaborating appointments at the University of Notre Dame and the University of Tennessee Knoxville. My current program connects nuclear density functional theory, beta-decay systematics, and uncertainty-aware astrophysical modeling for the r-process.
Selected highlights
- 2023–24 CAP DNP PhD Thesis Prize
- FRIB Theory Alliance Fellow shortlist
- Invited talks across FRIB, Notre Dame, Ohio University, and CAP Congress
Teaching and mentoring
I aim to help train the next generation of scientists by sharing knowledge, practical skills, and a collaborative approach to research. My teaching includes a substitute lecture at Notre Dame in 2024, several years as a teaching assistant for undergraduate physics at UBC, and leadership roles as both Head TA and Head TA Coordinator. I have mentored graduate and undergraduate researchers across Notre Dame, FRIB, TRIUMF, and UBC on projects spanning r-process nuclear data, nuclear heating, deep learning for ALPHA-g, nuclear structure, and radioactive-waste transmutation.