BIOGRAPHY

After multiple rejected applications for an Astrologer position at the Magicians Learning Magiks society (MLMs), I decided to change careers and become an Astrophysicist instead. I am now a Postdoctoral Associate at the Rice Space Institute and the Department of Physics and Astronomy.

I currently lead my own program to study stellar flares, particularly those around cool, small stars called M dwarfs, which are much more energetic than flares from our Sun. I use multiwavelength data from observatories on the ground and in space (like the Very Large Array and Hubble Space Telescope), to better understand the high-energy processes that occur in the stellar atmosphere. My work will ultimately help determine if planets around these stars have the potential to host life.

I earned my doctoral degree at the University of Colorado Boulder, and before that I was an undergraduate student here at Rice (Martel ’18)! Multiple programs aimed at supporting minority and underrepresented groups contributed to my successes in academia, including the Texas Astronomy Undergraduate Research Experience for Under-represented Students (TAURUS) program at the University of Texas at Austin and the Space Astronomy Summer Program (SASP) at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI). I am always happy to talk to students and members of our community about work or opportunities, so please feel free to reach me by email at any time!