About me

Born and raised in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., I developed a passion for understanding all things living and space through the Smithsonian Institution. I later moved to Tokyo to study the origin of life on our planet and the prospect of life elsewhere in our solar system, particularly ocean worlds and Mars. 

My undergraduate studies were conducted at Virginia Tech, majoring in Biochemistry with a minor in Chemistry where I studied abroad for four months in Riva san Vitale, CH. There, I conducted an independent research project on the proliferation of private space companies in the US and Europe. After my time abroad, I interned at NASA Goddard as part of the Undergraduate Research Associates in Astrobiology. At Goddard, I worked with several Curiosity MSL team members on detecting oxalate salts in Martian analogous material, partly inspiring my current line of research. 

After graduating amid the COVID-19 pandemic, I spent a year as a US high school advanced placement (AP) Chemistry, Biology, and Calculus tutor before moving to Science Tokyo's Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI) to work with my current advisor, Dr. Yasuhito Sekine. As a graduate student, I am passionate about developing collaborative projects and thinking outside the box in our quest to answer humanity's most fundamental questions, "Where did we come from?" and "Are we alone in the universe?"

As a passionate cook, weightlifter, and gamer, I enjoy trying new recipes, workouts, and have a deep passion for all things sci-fi and fantasy. I love to travel and actively try to visit new parks every weekend. I additionally dabble with a green thumb and take care of many houseplants.