Curriculum vitae

Computational astrophysicist working on galaxy formation. Download the PDF version.

Positions

2027 – 2032

ERC Principal Investigator, SPROUTINAF Trieste, Italy

2024 – 2027

Research Fellow & JWST Theory GranteeInstitute for Astronomy, University of Hawai'i

2022 – 2024

NASA Hubble FellowInstitute for Astronomy, University of Hawai'i

2021 – 2022

NASA Hubble Fellow & Lyman Spitzer Jr. FellowPrinceton University

2018 – 2021

MPA Independent Research FellowMax Planck Institute for Astrophysics, Garching

2018

Postdoctoral associateMax Planck Institute for Astronomy, Heidelberg

2014

Scientific employeeLandessternwarte Heidelberg. Image slicer design for an echelle spectrograph

2012

Research experience in spectrograph designYale University

Education

2014 – 2018

PhD in Astrophysics, magna cum laudeMax Planck Institute for Astronomy, Heidelberg. Advisor: Andrea Macciò

2012 – 2014

MSc in PhysicsUniversity of Heidelberg & MPIA. Advisor: Andrea Macciò

2008 – 2012

BSc in PhysicsUniversity of Heidelberg. Advisors: Andreas Quirrenbach and Christian Schwab

Grants & fellowships

2026

ERC Starting Grant, SPROUTAbout €1.6 million. European Research Council

2026 – 2027

JWST Theory Grant$140,000. University of Hawai'i

2024 – 2026

Lyman Spitzer Jr. FellowshipPrinceton University (declined)

2022 – 2023

Princeton Scientific Writing FellowshipIncludes one semester of salary. Princeton Writing Program

2021 – 2024

NASA Hubble FellowshipPrinceton University

2021 – 2023

Computing time for the LYRA suite40 million CPU hours on SuperMUC-NG (over $1.6 million equivalent). Leibniz Supercomputing Centre

2018 – 2021

MPA Research FellowshipMax Planck Institute for Astrophysics

2018 – 2021

MPCDF computing time20 million CPU hours (over $800,000 equivalent). Max Planck Computing and Data Facility

2017

DAAD RISE Germany grantHosted a 12-week undergraduate researcher at MPIA

2014 – 2018

Graduate scholarship, German Research Foundation (DFG)Collaborative Research Center "The Milky Way" (SFB 881, A1)

2014 – 2018

IMPRS fellowshipInternational Max Planck Research School, Heidelberg

Mentoring & teaching

2026

Elizabeth Olsen, BSc studentUniversity of Hawai'i, Hilo. Subgrid models and feedback

2023 – 2025

Finn Giddings, graduate studentUniversity of Hawai'i, Mānoa. FUV radiation in LYRA

2023

REU supervisor for Keaton DonaghueUniversity of Hawai'i, Hilo

2023

ASTR 260, Computational Physics & AstronomySelected lectures. University of Hawai'i, Hilo

2022

Proposal Writing for Quantitative DisciplinesHalf-term graduate course. Princeton University

2020 – 2021

Alejandra Fresco, graduate studentMPE Garching. Stacked Mg II detection with SDSS

2017

Rokas Zemaitis, REU studentMPIA Heidelberg. Computational galaxy formation

2014 – 2015

Physics lab instructorUniversity of Heidelberg. Fourier optics; Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensing

Teaching material: getting started with bash, remote clusters and Python analysis (PDF).

Service & outreach

2022

Volunteer'Imiloa Astronomy Center, Hilo

2019 – 2021

Galaxy journal club coordinatorMPA, Garching

2019

Public talk for Dark Matter DayMPA, Garching

2017

Public talk at March for ScienceHeidelberg

2016 – 2017

Equal opportunity officerMPIA, Heidelberg

2014 – 2016

Graduate student representativeMPIA, Heidelberg

Outside work

I have an energetic toddler and a witty, smart and charming husband. I'm always up for trying a new sport: I have done Hawaiian outrigger paddling, swimming, running, mountain biking, hiking, climbing, volleyball, soccer, gymnastics, Taekwondo and underwater rugby. I also garden, build carpentry projects, and paint, sometimes on commission.