Research Interests

Kerr Black Holes & Dark Matter Density Spikes

Investigating how orbital parameters of Kerr black holes shape the radiation profiles emitted from surrounding dark matter density spikes. The problem lives at the intersection of general relativity and dark matter physics: how does a spinning black hole — described by the Kerr metric — alter the density distribution of dark matter halos, and what does that imply for the radiation we might eventually detect?

Supported by the Robert C. Dynes and Ann Parode Dynes Research Scholarship for Physics. School of Physical Sciences, UC San Diego. Summer 2026.

Beyond-Standard-Model Physics

Theoretical and computational work probing physics beyond the Standard Model in collaboration with Prof. G.M. Fuller at UCSD. Focused on dark matter constraints, the nature of the dark sector, and what high-precision cosmological observations imply for BSM candidates.

Neutrino Physics & Oscillations

Neutrino behavior in extreme astrophysical environments: core-collapse supernovae, neutron star mergers, and the role of flavor oscillations in cosmic nucleosynthesis. The neutrino is the particle that goes everywhere and tells you nothing — which is exactly what makes it interesting.

Binary Star Mergers

Modeling relativistic compact binaries and gravitational wave sources through rigorous mathematical frameworks. Contributing to multi-messenger astrophysics by understanding the r-process nucleosynthesis pathways triggered in neutron star merger environments.

CUWiP 2025 — Organizer

Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics, hosted at UC San Diego in 2025. Contributed to organizing and branding: designed the conference logo, created graphics and print materials, and helped run logistics for a multi-institution undergraduate physics conference. CUWiP is a national APS initiative bringing together hundreds of undergraduate women and gender-minority physicists each year.

The Astronomy Club @ UCSD

Active member of the UCSD astronomy club — organizing stargazing sessions, general body meetings, and outreach events. A community of undergrads who believe that looking up at the sky is reason enough to stay up until 3am.

SPS Cohort — Peer Mentor

Society of Physics Students peer mentorship program — mentoring incoming physics students through their first year at UCSD. Helping them navigate the transition into upper-division coursework, research, and a department that can feel enormous when you first arrive.

AWIS — San Diego Chapter

Member of the Association for Women in Science, San Diego chapter. A network of scientists across career stages advocating for equity in STEM — seminars, mentorship, and community for women doing science in this city.

Dark Matter Literature Review

Research internship with Lumiere Education, working with a graduate student mentor from Yale University. Produced a literature review research paper on dark matter — surveying theoretical candidates, detection methods, and cosmological constraints.

Learned LaTeX and Overleaf for scientific typesetting. Developed skills in dissecting primary research, analyzing papers across subdisciplines, and citing sources correctly in the physical sciences.

Graduate Cosmology

The standard cosmological model, inflation, CMB physics, structure formation, and observational constraints on dark energy and dark matter.

String Theory

Special topics for graduate students. Bosonic string theory, superstrings, D-branes, and the landscape — and why the smartest people in the room disagree about whether any of it is physics.