Biography
About
I am an experimental physicist teaching physics and robotics at Mater Dei. Before becoming a teacher, I spent a lot of time doing the kind of physics that doesn’t come with an answer key! I’ve worked on research involving electronic devices, particle detectors, cryogenic systems, and data collection. Basically, I like figuring out how things work—and then figuring out why they aren’t working when they don’t! My goal as a teacher is to bring that same curiosity, problem-solving, and hands-on experience into the classroom so students can see that physics isn’t just equations on a page. It’s how we understand the world around us.
Since I love to build and make things, I also enjoy sewing, knitting and building legos. I enjoy living near the ocean but also find peace in the serenity of the mountains, or really any areas with a lot of trees. Most of all, my favorite activity is being with my husband, 3 kids and 2 cats, whether that’s trying new recipes, watching a movie or taking a walk.
What I Love About MD
As a graduate of junior and senior high school Catholic school education, I am excited to be a part of Mater Dei’s dedication to engaging academics in a faith-driven community.
Other experience: I’ve been lucky enough to explore some pretty big questions in physics! My research experiences have taken me from studying the inside of stars and the mysteries of dark matter to investigating materials that are only a few atoms thick.
At CSULB, I’ve researched the electronic properties of Platinum Ditelluride (PtTe₂), which is unique because it is a 2D material. I’ve worked with crystals that are incredibly thin, fabricated tiny electrical connections using electron beam lithography, and used electrical measurements to investigate how these materials behave.
I also worked at CSULB on asteroseismology, which is basically using the vibrations of stars to learn about what is happening inside them—kind of like using earthquakes to study the inside of Earth. I wrote Python code to analyze stellar data and investigate ways to better determine the masses of stars.
At the University of Washington's Institute for Nuclear Theory, I worked with the DAMIC-M dark matter experiment, where I helped test the electronic and thermal performance of silicon detectors. I measured things like resistance, capacitance, and temperature and analyzed the data to figure out how the detectors could perform better.
And at the University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, I worked on the Nab particle physics experiment, studying its electronics and detectors. I wrote Python code to analyze detector signals and worked with the cooling system to improve how the detector was warmed up and prevent particles from building up on its surface.
So my research background covers a pretty fun range—from the inside of stars, to invisible matter in the universe, to particle detectors, to materials that are only a few atoms thick. The common thread is curiosity. Real research rarely comes with an answer key. You ask a question, build or test something, collect data, discover something unexpected, and figure out where to go next. That’s the kind of physics I want my students to experience: not just learning what scientists already know, but learning how scientists figure things out.
Education:
M.S. Applied Physics, CSULB, B.S. Physics, CSULB, M.A. Psychology, Pepperdine University, B.A. French, CSULB
Teaching since: 2024
At MD since: 2026
