I’m a Los Angeles born and Las Vegas raised eldest son of two psychotherapists. I’ve bounced from coast-to-coast since leaving Las Vegas in 2003 for my undergraduate education at Boston University. There I studied and began my research career in astronomy under the invaluable mentorship of Professor Dan Clemens. After graduating in 2007, I came back west to the University of California at Berkeley to start my way toward a Ph.D. in astrophysics, a journey that is nearing it’s end now, in 2013. Doctorate in hand, I’m not sure exactly where I’ll be headed, but I plan to improve the understanding and appreciation for science in the US and around the world.

Outside of classrooms and research labs, I spent my time growing up playing competitive ice hockey, which included the first ever trip to the USA Hockey National Championships for a Las Vegas youth hockey team. These days, I find myself on the golf course (like any good retired hockey player) and squash court more than the ice rink. Since April 2010, I’ve been matched with an awesome young man as a little brother through Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area, and it has been one of the most rewarding relationships in my life ever since. I also enjoy tinkering with digital photography, and reading science and fiction books and popular science blogs.