ESC

Curriculum Vitae

Education

PhD in Astrophysics (Aug 2004 – Aug 2010)
University of Minnesota
  • Thesis: The History of Star Formation in Nearby Dwarf Galaxies

  • PhD Advisor: Evan Skillman

BA in Physics and Astrophysics Double Major (Aug 2000 – May 2004)
University of California, Berkeley

Academic Positions

Associate Professor, Astronomy Department, UC Berkeley (July 2020 – Present)

Assistant Professor, Astronomy Department, UC Berkeley (July 2016 – June 2020)

Hubble Fellow, University of Washington (Sept 2014 – June 2016)

Hubble Fellow, UC Santa Cruz (Sept 2013 – Aug 2014)

Visiting Scholar and Humboldt Fellow, Max-Planck Institut Für Astronomie, Heidelberg, Germany (Summers 2011 – 2019)

Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Washington (Oct 2010 – Aug 2013)

Professional Membership

Full Member, American Astronomical Society (2010 – Present)

Major Science Program Membership

Project Scientist and Stars & Galaxies Science Lead, Ultraviolet Explorer (UVEX) (2021 – Present)

Full Member, Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) (2019 – 2021, 2024 – Present)

Awards

Miller Professorship, Miller Institute (2026-2027)

Newton Lacy Pierce Prize, American Astronomical Society (2019)

Hellman Faculty Fellowship, Hellman Foundation (2018)

Alexander Humboldt Fellowship, Humboldt Foundation (2018 – 2021)

Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship, Sloan Foundation (2017)

Hubble Fellowship, Space Telescope Science Institute (2013 – 2016)

Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship, University of Minnesota (2009 – 2010)

Russel Penrose Fellowship, University of Minnesota (2004 – 2006)

John E. Person Community Scholar, UC Berkeley (2000 – 2004)

Teaching

Astro 128 – Undergraduate Astronomy Data Lab (Spring 2019, 2020, 2021 2024, 2025)

Astro 218 – Graduate-level Galaxies (Fall 2021, 2023)

Astro 250 – Graduate-level Stellar Populations (Fall 2016, Spring 2022, 2026)

Astro 7A – Intro to Astro for Intended Majors (Fall 2017, 2018, 2019, 2025)

Astro 292 – Chemical Evolution Forum (Spring 2019)

Astro 292 – Cosmic Dawn Forum (Fall 2016)

Astro 98/198 – Python DeCal Mentor (Spring 2019, Fall 2025)

Select Department and University Service

Faculty Athletics Council (2025 - present)

Vice Chair, Astronomy Department (2024 – 2025)

Head Graduate Advisor (2019 – 2026)

Undergraduate Coding Curriculum Committee (2024-2025)

Graduate Recruitment Committee (2020 – 2021, 2022 – 2023)

Speaker Diversity Committee (2021 – 2022)

Student Prize Committee (2022 – 2023)

Colloquium Organizer (2016 – 2021, 2026)

Select Professional Service

NASA Euclid Users Panel, Chair, NASA (2025 – Present)

JWST Proposal Review, STScI (2022 – 2026)

Keck Time Allocation Committee, UCO (2017-2020, 2025)

TMT Science Advisory Panel, TIO (2024)

Hubble Fellowship Selection Committee, STScI (2023 – 2024)

HST / JWST Long Term Variability Working Group, STScI (2023 – 2024)

Publication Referee for A&A, ApJ, AJ, MNRAS, PASP (2009 – Present)

Select Conference Organization

UVEX Leadership Meeting (June 2025), Organizer

Cosmic Origins: The First Billion Years (Sept 2024), SAC member

Small Galaxies, Cosmic Questions II (July 2024), SOC member

Early Disk Galaxy Formation: From JWST to the Milky Way (Feb 2023), SOC member

The Intersection of Age Measurements Across Cosmic Time (Dec 2019), Organizer

Star Clusters Over Cosmic Time (Dec 2019), SOC member

Faint End of the Galaxy UVLF (Dec 2018), Organizer

Bay Area Local Group Meeting (Dec 2018), Organizer

Globular Clusters Across Cosmic Time (Dec 2018), Organizer

Select Recent Talks

Colloquium – Caltech (January 2026)

Colloquium – University of Minnesota (Feb 2025)

UVEX/NASA Senior Requirements Review – Caltech, UVEX Science Requirements (Feb 2025)

Colloquium – Northwestern University (Feb 2025)

Colloquium – University of Minnesota (Sept 2024)

Contributed Talk – Dwarf Galaxies in the LSST Era, KICP, Chicago (July 2024)

UCB Lunch Talk – UC Berkeley (March 2024)

NASA Reverse Site Visit – Caltech, UVEX: Low-Mass Galaxies Science Case (Sept 2023)

Colloquium – Stanford University (May 2023)

Select Major Observing Programs & Grants

Exploring the Accretion History and Halo of Giant Elliptical Cen A with Resolved Stars – co-I & Admin PI, JWST Cycle 5, 131.3 hours

The Metallicity Distribution Functions of M31 Ultra-Faint Dwarf Galaxies – co-PI & Admin PI, HST Cycle 33, 99 orbits

J-Virgo: A JWST Treasury Survey of the Virgo Cluster – PI, JWST Cycle 4,146.6 hours

Resolving the Local Volume with Euclid – co-PI, 2025, NASA/ADAP

A Closer Look at the Formation and Evolution of M31’s Inner Disk – co-I, JWST Cycle 3, 26.5 hours

The Ultraviolet Explorer (UVEX) – NASA MIDEX, Project Scientist, Stars & Galaxies Science Lead

Alpha Elements and the Baryon Cycle in Isolated Dwarf Galaxies – PI, JWST Cycle 2, 25.3 hours

JWST ERS for Resolved Stellar Populations – PI, 27.3 hours

The Local Group Legacy Database of HST Photometry – co-I & Admin PI

Tracing the 6-D Orbital and Formation History of the Complete M31 Satellite System – PI, 244 orbits