I have been working in sPHENIX since the summer of 2022 as a graduate student at the University of Michigan.

What is the focus of your work on the sPHENIX experiment?

I have been mostly focused on preparation for spin physics and cold QCD. This has included development of the spin database and online monitoring, and commissioning of the ZDC/SMD/local polarimeter. More recently, I have also been helping the tracking team characterize TPC performance.

Where were you born and what is your educational background before your current position?

I was born in Watsonville, California but grew up in a small town northeast of Sacramento. I attended Western Kentucky University as an undergraduate before going to graduate school at the University of Michigan.

What is the title of your Ph.D. or tentative title? Awards or biggest talk highlight?

A tentative title for my Ph.D. is “Eta meson cross sections and spin asymmetries at PHENIX”. I was very fortunate to give a talk this year at DIS2024 in Grenoble, France.

How did you decide to go into heavy ion or spin research?

When looking at graduate schools, I knew that I wanted to pursue something in particle physics and was initially leaning towards research in CP violating electric dipole moments. I was convinced to go into cold QCD and spin physics instead after meeting with my now advisor, Christine Aidala. I think what I found most fascinating was how clever QCD practitioners have been to overcome nature's hurdle of making the fundamental particles of the theory undetectable.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I like camping or doing anything on a river or lake in the summertime. In the winter, I like going to the mountains and skiing. I can find enjoyment in most things if it means spending time with family and friends.

Fun fact?

I grew up only a couple of towns over from where gold was first discovered during California’s gold rush.