about

pronouns: he/him

Raised in the Appalachian Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania, I have spent my entire life admiring and learning about nature and the environment. This passion and curiosity sparked a scientific career in the field of chemistry, through which I aim to teach others about the incredible systems and mechanisms that enable life, environmental change, and technology.

I received an A.B. from Harvard University and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). I previously held a role as an R&D chemist at Dow Chemical Company. I currently work as a Milton and Rosalind Chang Fellow through Caltech, pursuing a science communication project related to industrial contamination. This fellowship has supported the development of the ContamiNation podcast.

Although my career is focused on chemistry, I maintain passions involving nature, the environment, and conservation. I am an avid birder and naturalist, and I have served as a board member for non-profit organizations committed to nature education and conservation. I have attended several United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) meetings as an official NGO observer. As a Harvard University Gardner Fellow, I spent time in Nkuringo, Uganda investigating the effects of ecotourism, governmental land management initiatives, and local conservation efforts on endangered Mountain Gorillas. I am also a regular instructor at the renowned Hog Island Audubon Camp.

In addition to my work in and passion for science and nature, I am a musician who plays fiddle, banjo, and guitar in the Appalachian “old-time” tradition. I also bake a mean pie…