Kansas City, Missouri, United States
I am a PhD candidate in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Georgia Institute of Technology with expertise in geospatial analysis, environmental data analytics, and interdisciplinary scientific research. My work combines hyperspectral and multispectral satellite remote sensing, hydrology, geochemistry, and Python-based data analysis to investigate complex environmental systems across large spatial and temporal scales. As part of a NASA-funded astrobiology research program, I have led and contributed to projects involving satellite image processing, geospatial classification, field campaign planning, environmental monitoring, and quantitative modeling. My technical experience includes ArcGIS Pro, QGIS, ENVI, Google Earth Engine, Python, MATLAB, PHREEQC, and hyperspectral/multispectral remote sensing workflows using Sentinel-2, Sentinel-3, and EMIT datasets. My current research focuses on integrating remote sensing and geospatial datasets to characterize hydrological and environmental processes in extreme lake systems in Western Australia, including development of regional-scale classification frameworks and time-series environmental analyses. Beyond technical analysis, I have coordinated international field logistics, collaborated with multidisciplinary teams and Indigenous community stakeholders, contributed to funded research initiatives, and presented scientific findings at national conferences. I enjoy solving complex spatial and environmental problems by combining data-driven analysis with practical field and operational experience.
• Performed geospatial and environmental analysis of hypersaline lake systems across Western Australia using geochemical, hydrological, climate, and remote sensing datasets. • Applied hyperspectral and multispectral satellite imagery (EMIT, Sentinel-2, Sentinel-3) to classify environmental systems and monitor landscape-scale change. • Developed Python and Google Earth Engine workflows for satellite image processing, bloom detection, and time-series environmental analysis. • Integrated large environmental datasets to evaluate hydrological connectivity, geochemical evolution, and ecological variability across regional lake systems. • Produced data-driven analyses supporting research on extreme terrestrial environments and planetary analog systems. Project Management & International Collaboration: • Coordinated permitting, logistics, and operational planning for an international environmental field campaign in Western Australia in partnership with Indigenous stakeholders and regional land management organizations. • Collaborated with the Esperance Tjaltjraak Native Title Aboriginal Corporation (ETNTAC) and Wudjari Community representatives to support environmentally and culturally informed research initiatives. • Facilitated workshops and stakeholder engagement activities integrating scientific, environmental, and community priorities into field operations planning. • Conducted collaborative field investigations and technical knowledge exchange related to geochemistry, remote sensing, and environmental monitoring methodologies. • Delivered public presentations and outreach activities communicating scientific findings and broader environmental research impacts to community audiences.
Teaching assistant for undergraduate and graduate courses at Georgia Tech Teaching Assistant (Fall 2023) EAS 4380/6380 - Land Remote Sensing Teaching Assistant (Spring 2022) EAS 4370/6370 - Physics of Planets Lab Lecturer & Teaching Assistant (Fall 2021) EAS 1601 - Habitable Planet Lab Lecturer & Teaching Assistant (Spring & Fall 2020) EAS 1601 - Habitable Planet
• Contributed to the Vertical Entry Robot for Navigating Europa (VERNE), a NASA-supported robotic mission concept designed to investigate subsurface ocean environments beneath Europa’s ice shell. ➔Evaluated scientific opportunities, operational constraints, and technical challenges associated with subsurface ocean world exploration and life detection missions. ➔Conducted research of sample handling and astrobiological life detection technologies relevant to extreme planetary environments. ➔Assisted in the integration of scientific instrumentation and life detection technologies into the Subsurface Science and Search for Life in Ocean Worlds (SSSLOW) mission concept payload. ➔Collaborated with interdisciplinary engineering and science teams to support mission concept development for future planetary exploration initiatives.
• Served as Principal Investigator for the Ceres Ocean Reconnaissance and Analysis (CORA) mission concept, a planetary lander designed to investigate Ceres' habitability. ➔Led development of mission science objectives, exploration strategies, and technical concepts focused on assessing planetary habitability and volatile-rich environments. ➔Collaborated with interdisciplinary science and engineering teams to support mission architecture development, instrumentation planning, and systems-level mission design. ➔Evaluated scientific and operational challenges associated with robotic exploration of extreme planetary environments. ➔Contributed to mission concept planning involving planetary science, remote sensing, astrobiology, and environmental analyses.
• Advisors: Dr. Alison Olcott, Dr. Gregory Rudnick, Dr. Steven Hawley ➔Characterized microscopic pseudofossils preserved in halite using optical microscopy, UV fluorescence, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to assess biosignature preservation in evaporitic environments (“The Hairy Blob” study revisited) ➔Analyzed galaxy populations in the Gemini Observations of Galaxies in Rich Early Environments (GOGREEN) survey to distinguish passive and star-forming systems ➔Determined nitrogen abundances in green pea galaxies using spectroscopic data to investigate chemical evolution in star-forming systems
GEOL 121 - Prehistoric Life: DNA to Dinosaurs (Fall 2017 & 2018)
• Advisor: Dr. Darren DePoy ➔Contributed to the development of pETSI, a prototype Exoplanet Transmission Spectroscopy Imager, including instrument testing and data analysis for detecting atmospheric absorption features during planetary transits