What is your position or role in the DESI project?
I am a postdoc in the Lyman alpha forest cosmology group. I recently began to co-lead a topical group which focuses on measuring and interpreting small-scale correlations in the forest. With these small-scale measurements, we hope to be able to test things like the neutrino mass, different dark matter models, and the temperature and pressure of gas in the universe around ten-twelve billion years ago. I am also working on a project to understand the distribution of hot gas in the cosmic web in the more recent universe (from ~8 billion years ago to today) by combining DESI data with maps from ACT, a microwave telescope.
Where were you born?
I was born and raised in the US (born in Florida, grew up in Rhode Island).
Where do you live now?
I live in Barcelona and absolutely love it!
What do you do as part of DESI?
I work on measurements, systematics, and interpretation of the Lyman alpha forest in 3D, through a statistic called Px (P-cross). I am also working to help envision new formats for future collaboration meetings, with sustainability and accessibility at the forefront.
What is the most interesting or exciting thing about your job?
I most enjoy working at the intersection of data and models. It’s very interesting to visualize computer simulations of our universe in different ways, and get insight on the processes that shaped the structure we see today. Then, comparing the predictions from simulations or semi-analytic models directly with observational measurements is the most exciting part — we get to test our theories and see if they hold up.
Any advice for an aspiring scientist?
Your passion is the most important part of your journey. You will experience lots of times when you feel like you’re not smart enough, or that there’s just too much to learn, or that your research is failing. But in my experience, if you have passion and excitement for the subject, you can carry on through those tough times, find the energy to work hard, and come out the other side with a unique understanding and expertise in your subject that no one else will have. However, if you get bored or burnt out, it is much harder to get through the difficult times. So make sure to find ways to rest, recharge, and rediscover what drives you and excites you.
What do you do for fun?
I love to dance; I’ve tried many different dance styles from different parts of the world and it’s always a great way to feel good & connect with others. I also like learning languages, playing and listening to music with friends, and exploring Barcelona and other parts of Spain.
If you weren’t a scientist, what would be your dream job?
Something in the arts, since I love to dance and make music. When I was a kid, at some point my dream job was “astrophysicist—ballerina—jazz pianist”. These days, I have some opportunities to combine science and art, so maybe someday the dream will come true!
What excites/interests you most about DESI?
The opportunities to probe beyond-standard-model cosmology— the results on time-varying dark energy have been very interesting thus far, and I’m excited to see if we can continue to hone these results and probe the dark components in different ways.
