What is your position or role in the DESI project?
I work in the DESI lensing topical group and I co-chair the DESI-II working group.
Where were you born?
Australia
Where do you live now?
Santa Cruz, California
What do you do as part of DESI?
My DESI work focuses on two things. First, together with the DESI lensing group, I am working on getting cosmological constraints for the Y1 data using galaxy clustering and galaxy lensing. Second, I am working in the DESI-II working group where we think about what science projects we could carry out after the end of the DESI 5 year survey.
What is the most interesting or exciting thing about your job?
Learning about new things everyday. I love knowing that there is still so much to discover.
Any advice for an aspiring scientist?
During your PhD, and postdoc years, it is important to specialize, and to “dig deep”. But after, don’t forget to also look around and see what else is going on. Try going to some talks in other departments and in other fields. Don’t ignore the bigger picture of the world in which we live.
What do you do for fun?
Activities with my kids, swimming, and gardening.
If you weren’t a scientist, what would be your dream job?
I would be a permaculture farmer.
What excites/interests you most about DESI?
The fact that we have so much data! I did my PhD on a survey that was 2 square degrees, so I still marvel at how much data we have with DESI.
