I am a physicist!
I defended my PhD in experimental nuclear physics in 2016 from Michigan State University. Since completing my PhD I’ve worked in the field of physics education research (PER) at the University of Colorado Boulder.
I am currently employed as the Director of Education and Workforce Development for the QSEnSE NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institute, where I help set strategic educational and workforce development priorities and oversee the implementation of QSEnSE’s EWD initiatives.
Some of My Work
QSEnSE’s two flagship programs are the Quantum Forge, a quantum capstone course for CU Boulder undergraduates, and the Quantum Research Exchange, a quantum-focused professional development program implemented in partnership with a number of non-R1 colleges around the state of Colorado. Each of these projects is highly collaborative; in addition to collaborating with faculty colleagues in the Colleges of Arts and Sciences and Engineering and Applied Sciences, I also work frequently with leaders in the Research and Innovation Office and a number of off-campus parties from industry, academia, and government. I am very lucky to be able to travel as part of my job, and have been very flattered to speak on quantum education in a number of contexts.
QSEnSE’s two flagship programs are the Quantum Forge, a quantum capstone course for CU Boulder undergraduates, and the Quantum Research Exchange, a quantum-focused professional development program implemented in partnership with a number of non-R1 colleges around the state of Colorado. Each of these projects is highly collaborative; in addition to collaborating with faculty colleagues in the Colleges of Arts and Sciences and Engineering and Applied Sciences, I also work frequently with leaders in the Research and Innovation Office and a number of off-campus parties from industry, academia, and government. I am very lucky to be able to travel as part of my job, and have been very flattered to speak on quantum education in a number of contexts.
What Do I Care About?
As a physicist and an educator, my passion is to facilitate pathways to participation in science broadly and in physics specifically, especially for the growing quantum field. Many studies on quantum workforce-building have articulated the need for a quantum workforce composed not only of specialists such as PhD physicists, typically trained at R1s, but of engineers, technicians, and non-STEM workers. This means that programs like those I oversee for QSEnSE, which serve students more likely to enter the workforce straight from schooling, are important for ensuring that higher education meets the needs of the quantum industry. In 2024, I helped publish a quantum workforce roadmap for Colorado which emphasizes the need to empower “quantum-conversant” workers in addition to quantum experts. I am active in leadership within my professional society, the American Physical Society, and work hard to ensure that APS activity serves its members.
Prior to my position with QSEnSE, I worked as a practitioner and researcher in informal physics education as part of the JILA NSF Physics Frontier Center. Informal learning is the primary way that most members of the public engage with science, and public engagement serves not only the public but also the scientists and scientific institutions that engage in facilitating informal learning. Working with other leaders in informal physics education, I have published a few book chapters on informal physics learning, public engagement, and assessment and research techniques.
“Wow, You Seem ‘Cool!’ But Do You Do Anything Except Work?”
I’m a well-rounded human, I promise! When I’m not working, I am a huge craft cocktail fan and love to explore both new cocktail bars (RIP Green Russell) and local distilleries (shout out to Spirit Hound!). I love to tell stories and recently completed a five-year stint as Dungeon Master for my Dungeons & Dragons group — D&D also helps me scratch the musical theatre itch that I haven’t found a full substitute for since graduating college, although Friday-night karaoke helps too. I also enjoy climbing and have recently gotten into weight lifting, which helps me make sure that I’m not doing the kind of “weight-lifting” that happens when I don’t exercise.
