About Me

Hello! I am originally from the United States and was born in New York, although most of my childhood was spent in New Jersey with my parents and two younger sisters, Cassandra and Sydney, all of whom are now financial planners. Growing up I played the piano competitively for over a decade, before surprising everyone and deciding to study astronomy instead. I was very inspired by the Carl Sagan's Cosmos series and popular science books, which led me into the astrophysics program at the College of Charleston in South Carolina, and later into the astronomy PhD program at Cornell University in upstate New York.

As a graduate student I worked as counselor for Cornell's student mental health counseling program, EARS, and enjoyed being one of the trainers for new counselors for 5 semesters. I also facilatated the university's depression support group, and occasionally gave talks about how to listen and empathize better with others across campus at teaching and diversity conferences. Along with my work as a counselor, I also was very involved in the push to improve mental health services at Cornell by sharing my own story of mental health struggles, in an effort led by Cornell Graduate Students United. While access to these services has started to improve, there is still a lot of work to be done!

Inline with my original passion for playing the piano, music is still very much an important part of my life with dancing! I studied Turkish and Egyptian dance for 3 years in Ithaca, and had the pleasure of being able to perform with Ithaca's Chandani Dance Troupe.

Along with researching planetary habitability, I believe it's very important to take action to keep our own planet habitable. I have done work with both the Ithaca chapters of the Sunrise Movement and the Extinction Rebellion, and briefly ran a write-in campaign for Ithaca's city council to help push for greener policies. I also worked with the student-run organization Climate Justice Cornell to push for Cornell University to divest from fossil fuels (now they are!) and I am now a member of the relatively new organization Astronomers for Planet Earth, which I would urge all my fellow astronomers to join. Although it's true that I'm looking for another Earth-like planet with my research, even if we find one there's no possibility of traveling there in the near future! As Carl Sagan said, "Like it or not, for the moment, the Earth is where we make our stand."

I believe that if you are lucky enough to be financially comfortable, that it is important (and rewarding!) give to those who are not as lucky. Therefore I have pledged to give at least 10% of my post-tax income to effective charities in collaboration with Giving What We Can, which is an organization which identifies high-impact charities. Acts of altruism like these have been shown to increase your own happiness, so I'd recommend everyone consider it!

In my free time I'm often reading, doing yoga, meditating, playing video games, or knitting/crocheting different projects to varying levels of success. I also sometimes do acrylic pour painting and stop motion videos. I am only a beginner at both, but I have a lot of fun doing them! I have ideas for several sci-fi short stories that I've jotted down a bunch of notes for, and hopefully one day I'll actually write them up!

Pictures of animal friends

As many of those who know me well, I am also incredibly fond of animals, and was a volunteer at the SPCA in Ithaca, which was the first ever no-kill animal shelter in the United States! See below for some pictures of my pet friends!

Cleo is one of the bright lights of my life! Originally a street cat, she is now a spoiled princess who loves blankets and cuddles. Hundreds of photos of Cleo are available upon request.

Charlie (the white and black English Pointer) was the most energetic dog I have ever met, and trained as a hunting dog and took frequent hunting trips with my dad. She was also afraid of many things (e.g., lightning, new people, humming, keys, pavement) but found great comfort in being wrapped in blankets. Zoey (the yellow lab with Charlie) was a bit more reserved, but very smart and caring. Zoey always knew the importance of alone time when her social battery was drained, especially on vacations with the family. Charlie aboslutely loved Zoey, and I think deep down Zoey loved Charlie, too!

Hallie (a yellow lab) is the most loving dog I know, and now she is even certified as a therapy dog who visits hospital patients with my mom. The world would definitely be a better place if everyone got the chance to be comforted by Hallie.

Stella (a black lab) is full of energy and always wants to play and be pet. She also loves to spend time with Hallie the yellow lab (Hallie does not feel the same).

Mochi lives in the Granada Diamond Way Buddhist Center and is loved by all in the Granada sangha. She is a talented actress, with her most iconic role being "starving cat".

Taimana is a lovely cat whose name comes from the Maori word for diamond. She is an expert at cuddling and fun at parties.

Misto (a tuxedo cat) is precious and playful, and the only cat I know that enjoys playing fetch.