Curriculum vitae
Introduction
I am a postdoctoral researcher in high-energy particle physics with over a decade of research experience spanning cosmology, mathematical quantum field theory, experimental high energy physics, and detector operation and design. I also have a passion for teaching and knowledge transfer, having taught undergraduate physics courses and led advanced data-analysis workshops within the CMS collaboration. With the conclusion of LHC Run 3 in 2026, I am now looking to apply my scientific background in new settings, especially in roles with a communication focus that allow me to interface with others from a broader range of specialties.
Postdoctoral research experience
| Fellow at Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Hamburg | 2022–2026 |
Work with the CMS experiment (Large Hadron Collider, CERN):
- Luminosity measurement via silicon-diode-based detector, including operational work for the BCM1F luminometer, data acquisition code maintenance, and end-of-year data reprocessing for precision luminosity estimates
- Data analysis with a focus on top quark physics, including a lead role in the first physics publication of LHC Run 3 (top quark pair production cross section at 13.6 TeV)
Work with the LUXE planned strong-field QED experiment (DESY):
- Simulation of a novel segmented Cherenkov detector for high-rate electron detection and spectrometry, including detailed detector simulation in Geant4 and radiation level studies in FLUKA
- Validation of detector prototypes with electron beams at the ARES linear accelerator (DESY) and at the FACET-II facility (SLAC, in coordination with the E320 experiment)
| Research Associate with Prof. Arie Bodek, University of Rochester | 2020–2022 |
- Developing new methods using machine learning to identify photons and electrons traversing the forward region of the CMS electromagnetic and hadronic calorimeters
- Precision measurements of the electroweak mixing angle at the CMS experiment
Coordination roles
| Convener of BCM1F luminometer detector operations and online measurement until decommissioning in Summer 2026 | 2024–2026 |
| Convener of CMS single top quark analysis group | 2024–2025 |
| Organizer & chair of CMS-DESY TOP physics group meetings | 2023–2024 |
Education
| MA, PhD in Physics, University of Rochester (under Prof. R. Demina and Prof. S.G. Rajeev) • Thesis: High energy physics: from quantum field theory to Higgs coupling measurement |
2015, 2020 |
|---|---|
| BA in Physics and Mathematics, Colorado College • Summa cum Laude, with Distinction in Mathematics | 2012 |
Computing skills
Scientific computing and programming
- Proficient in: Python, C++, ROOT, CMS Combine Tool, Git, Gitlab CI, Mathematica, batch computing via HTCondor
- Experience with: GEANT4, FLUKA, TensorFlow, Docker, Sherpa MC, Pythia, Maple, Matlab, Java, Ruby
Media creation:
- Audio mixing and editing (Audacity, Ableton & others)
- Video editing (DaVinci Resolve, Canva, Shotcut)
- Basic graphic design (GIMP, inkscape)
- Designing websites deployed from a github/gitlab repo like this one (using Jekyll, mkdocs, html, css)
Previous research experience
| Graduate Research with Prof. Regina Demina, University of Rochester Measurement of the top quark Yukawa coupling with the CMS experiment, including: • Developing novel statistical methods to extract Yukawa coupling information from kinematic distributions of tt̄ decay products • Among the first researchers to analyze the full dataset (137 fb⁻¹ integrated luminosity) collected during LHC Run 2 |
2017–2020 |
|---|---|
| Graduate Research with Prof. S.G. Rajeev, University of Rochester Studying mathematical physics and quantum field theory, including: • Applying results from mathematical analysis and probability theory across disciplines to quantum fields • Using geometric tools to interpret physical theories of strongly-coupled fields in new ways |
2013–2016 |
| Undergraduate Research with Prof. P. Singh, Louisiana State University Studying the inflationary behavior of certain scalar fields within the context of loop quantum cosmology, using primarily numerical simulation |
2011–2012 |
| Undergraduate Research with Prof. Kristine Lang, Colorado College Performing Auger electron spectroscopy on metal samples in ultra-high vacuum. Preliminary work with new equipment, which I adapted to an advanced lab exercise for students |
2010 |
Teaching experience
| Facilitator at annual CMS data analysis schools taking place at CERN and DESY Co-designed and led a multi-day exercise for new students (masters to PhD level) as a mock physics measurement at CMS, teaching fundamentals of data analysis and CMS practices |
2023, 2024, 2025 |
|---|---|
| Co-Instructor for undergraduate Introductory Physics I, Colorado College Co-taught with instructor Phillip Cervantes with a focus on labs, after-class workshops, and exam preparation + grading |
2017 |
| Instructor for undergraduate Introductory Physics I, University of Rochester Primary instructor for summer undergraduate course, taught in an experimental “self-paced” methodology designed to increase interaction with students. Managed 2 teaching assistants |
2014 |
| Teaching Assistant for Introductory Physics II and Modern Physics, University of Rochester Received the department’s annual AAPT Teaching Prize for work as a teaching assistant |
2013–2014 |
| Paraprofessional, Dept. of Mathematics & Computer Science at Colorado College Served as teaching assistant for numerous courses, organized department activities, and created challenge problems for students |
2012–2013 |
| Lab Teaching Assistant, for Introductory Modern Physics at Colorado College Designed and administered an advanced lab project involving Auger electron spectroscopy |
2011 |
Selected publications
| Design and performance of the Fast Beam Condition Monitor for luminosity and background measurement at the CMS Experiment in LHC Run 3 With the CMS BRIL group, preprint (submitted to journal) [arXiv:2608.27264] |
2026 |
|---|---|
| A High-Flux Electron Detector System to Measure Non-linear Compton Scattering at LUXE With A. Athanassiadis et al., Nucl. Instrum. Meth. A 1080, 170777 (proceedings) [arXiv:2505.14720] |
2025 |
| Technical Design Report for the LUXE Experiment, Section 7: Cherenkov Detector With members of the LUXE collaboration, Eur. Phys. J. ST 233, 10 [arXiv:2308.00515] |
2024 |
| Measurement of the effective leptonic electroweak mixing angle and Drell–Yan forward-backward asymmetry using pp collisions at √s = 13 TeV With the CMS collaboration, Phys. Lett. B 866, 139526 [arXiv:2408.07622] |
2024 |
| First measurement of the top quark pair production cross section in proton-proton collisions at √s = 13.6 TeV With the CMS collaboration, JHEP 2308, 204 [arXiv:2303.10680] |
2023 |
| Measurement of the top quark Yukawa coupling from tt̄ kinematic distributions in the dilepton final state in proton-proton collisions at √s = 13 TeV With the CMS collaboration, Phys. Rev. D 102, 092013 [arXiv:2009.07123] |
2020 |
| Highly nonlinear wave solutions in a dual to the chiral model With S.G. Rajeev, Phys. Rev. D 93, 105016 [arXiv:1603.08256] |
2016 |
| Continuity of scalar fields with logarithmic correlations With S.G. Rajeev, Phys. Rev. D 92, 045021 [arXiv:1508.04655] |
2015 |
| Nonsingular power-law and assisted inflation in loop quantum cosmology With P. Singh, Phys. Rev. D 85, 104002 [arXiv:1203.3449] |
2012 |
Selected Presentations
| Towards the channel combination precision measurement of top quark pair production at 13 TeV CMS TOP group workshop, Oviedo (Talk, CMS internal) |
2026 |
|---|---|
| Getting started with an analysis in the CMS top quark physics group CMS TOP group workshop, Ghent (Talk, CMS internal) |
2025 |
| A sampler plate of recent top quark cross section measurements at CMS SLAC Fundamental Physics Directorate seminar (Talk) |
2024 |
| CMS early Run 3 measurement of the tt̄ cross-section DESY Particle Physics Seminar (Talk) |
2024 |
| Recent results on inclusive and differential top-quark pair production at CMS ICHEP 2024 Prague (Talk) |
2024 |
| TOP tools: analysis tools in the CMS top quark physics analysis group CMS TOP group workshop (Talk, CMS internal) |
2024 |
| LUXE: a new experiment to study non-perturbative QED and search for new particles in e-laser and γ-laser collisions EPS-HEP 2023 Hamburg (Talk) |
2023 |
| Measurement of the tt̄ cross-section and tt̄/Z cross-section ratio in pp collisions at √s = 13.6 TeV with the ATLAS and CMS experiments EPS-HEP 2023 Hamburg (Talk) |
2023 |
| Top pair cross section at √s = 13.6 TeV: technical challenges & lessons from early Run 3 CMS TOP group workshop (Talk, CMS internal) |
2022 |
| The first physics measurement of LHC Run 3: top quark pair production cross section at √s = 13.6 TeV FSP CMS Germany colloquium (Talk, CMS internal) |
2022 |
| Outlook/first results for Run-3 in CMS: measurement of σ(tt̄) at √s = 13.6 TeV 15th International Workshop on Top-Quark Physics, IPPP Durham (Talk) |
2022 |
| Measuring the top quark Yukawa coupling using tt̄ dilepton events at CMS 13th International Workshop on Top-Quark Physics, IPPP Durham (Talk, virtual) |
2020 |
| Top Yukawa coupling from tt̄ kinematic distributions (Run 2) CMS top physics workshop, DESY Hamburg (Talk, CMS internal) |
2019 |
| Reconstructing neutrino momenta in dilepton tt̄ decays European School for High Energy Physics, Evora (Poster) |
2017 |
| Highly nonlinear wave solutions in the pseudodual to the chiral model Miami 2016 conference on elementary particles, astrophysics, and cosmology (Talk) |
2016 |
| Sub-Riemannian Geometry and Strongly Coupled Physics Frontiers in Mathematical Physics, Montreal (Poster) |
2016 |
| Power law inflation in loop quantum cosmology Pacific Coast Gravity Meeting, Santa Barbara (Talk) |
2012 |
Scholarships, Honors, and Miscellaneous
| Frederick Lobkowicz Prize for outstanding research and dissertation by a student in the University of Rochester department of Physics & Astronomy | 2021 |
|---|---|
| NSF Graduate Research Fellowship | 2015–2020 |
| Three Minute Thesis presentation competition finalist | 2016 |
| Co-created the Graduate Student Research Meeting, an annual mock-conference designed to foster research communication between research groups in the University of Rochester Dept. of Physics & Astronomy | 2016 |
| AAPT Teaching Prize for outstanding performance as a teaching assistant | 2014 |
| Recipient of the University of Rochester Sproull Fellowship | 2013–2015 |
| Cowperthwaite Award for excellence in physics (Colorado College) | 2012 |
| Florian Cajori Award for excellence in mathematics (Colorado College) | 2012 |
| Rawles mathematics competition 1st place (Colorado College) | 2011, 2012 |
Last updated: Aug 2026