Assistant Professor, Purdue University
Who am I?
I'm an astrobiologist and Assistant Professor in the Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS) Department at Purdue University. The focus of my lab, the Laboratory for Origins and Astrobiology Research (LOAR) is to experimentally and theoretically explore the origin of life on Earth and the search for life on other worlds.
I am not accepting PhD student applications for Fall 2025.
More about me: I did my PhD in astrophysics and astrobiology at the Origins Institute at McMaster University in Canada, under the supervision of Ralph Pudritz. My expertise is in mass spectrometry, gas chromatography, vacuum flow system experimentation, numerical modeling, quantum chemistry, chemical kinetics, thermodynamics, and wet-dry cycling experimentation. My research is centered around the RNA world hypothesis, which suggests first life on Earth was made up of RNA rather than the more complex DNA/RNA/protein-based life we see today.
Education & Academic Positions
Assistant Professor
Purdue University, 2024 –51 Pegasi b Postdoctoral Fellow
Johns Hopkins University, 2023 – 2024Banting Postdoctoral Fellow
Johns Hopkins University, 2021 – 2023PhD in Physics and Astronomy - Astrobiology
McMaster University, 2021MSc in Physics and Astronomy - Astrobiology
McMaster University, 2017BSc in Astronomy
University of British Columbia, 2015BSc in Software Engineering
University of Calgary, 2010
Research Overview
One of the deepest questions intelligent beings can ponder is, where did we come from? Evolution by natural selection explains how simple cellular life progressed into the diverse set of species we observe on Earth today, but it is still unclear how non-living, organic molecules converted into to something that can reproduce and evolve. Evidence is growing for the idea that if the right ingredients are settled in the right environment, life will arise naturally. My research focuses on the early stages of this hypothesis, beginning on the surface of our early habitable planet with only the basic starting materials delivered by asteroids and comets, or those readily available from atmospheric and terrestrial processes. For details, see the features section below, or the tab labelled publications. Everything I publish is available to read for free on arxiv.