How long have you been working in sPHENIX and at what institution?
I have been working on sPHENIX for 3 years through MIT, and I started right before Run23 started up.
What is the focus of your work on the sPHENIX experiment? What is your thesis title (if you have picked it)?
My focus so far has primarily been on light and heavy flavor reconstruction. I made the initial the Kshort and Lambda 0 reconstructions and managed most of the data production for the particle reconstruction stage of the Quark Matter 25 dataset. Although I am still in my third year and have not yet chosen a specific thesis topic, I hope to continue analyzing heavy flavor reconstructions.
Where did you grow up and what is your educational background before your current position?
I grew up in Columbus, Ohio and attended The Ohio State University for my undergraduate studies.
Awards or biggest talk highlight?
I will be presenting on Heavy Flavor and Quarkonia at sPHENIX during the Heavy Flavor workshop at the RHIC/AGS Users' meeting in May 2025. This will be my first major talk.
How did you decide to go into heavy ion or spin research?
Ulrich Heinz was my undergraduate quantum professor, and he recommended me for an internship at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. There, I worked in Ron Soltz's group on heavy ion research.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I enjoy doing crafts and was the president of the Knitting and Crafting Club, although I prefer crocheting over knitting. I'm a huge fan of video games, especially independent/"indie" games. I also love board and tabletop games like Dungeons and Dragons. Watching movies is another passion of mine, particularly classic films. One of my favorite series is the 1930s comedy/mystery "The Thin Man," which follows Nick and Nora Charles, a couple who solve crimes together.
Fun fact?
I have webbed toes. You might wonder if this makes me swim faster, but since my webbed toes are only on one foot, any advantage they provide would just make me swim in circles.