About Me
I am a Planetary Scientist and Systems Engineer in the Science Planning Group at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. I am currently the Science Operations Team Chief for the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover mission. As Team Chief, I oversee science operations for our 500 person science team in operating the Perserverance rover to collect data and samples that will help answer fundamental questions about Mars and its habitability.
I also conduct research on Mars' surface composition and geology using both orbital and rover datasets. My work focuses on searching for evidence of past water and assessing implications for Mars' ancient habitability. My expertise is in visible-near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy and planetary geologic mapping. I received my Ph.D in Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences from Brown University and received my B.S. in Planetary Science from the California Institute of Technology.
In my spare time I enjoy cooking and baking, and dabbling in arts and crafts like knitting, cross-stitch, and drawing. I love to eat and try new foods, especially sushi and matcha-flavored sweets. I am a huge NFL football and figure skating fan. I currently live in Southern California but grew up on the east coast in central New Jersey. I love to travel and hope to try all the different cuisines of the world (and one day, visit every NFL stadium).
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