Research
Research in Science Education
I study how university instructors teach science, and how we can best support instructors in developing teaching skills. I also study how students learn astronomy and physics.
Supporting instructors' agency and creativity in teaching
I conduct research on instructors' teaching practices, motivation, collaboration, and agency around teaching.
Articles published in Phys. Rev. - Physics Education Research, Journal of College Science Teaching, Proceedings of the Physics Education Research Conference (PERC). See my publications
Research in Astrophysics
The Tidal Disruption of Stars
My Ph.D. (U.C. Berkeley) and Postdoctoral research at the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics (CITA) was in astrophysics. My research focus was how massive black holes in the centers of galaxies rip apart stars, with additional projects related to planet formation and galaxy evolution.
The beautiful Whirlpool Galaxy M51: By NASA and European Space Agency - http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap050428.html