Research
Multiple approaches, one goal: understanding how molecular hydrogen forms, evolves, and regulates star formation in galaxies.
I study the physical conditions that set the transition between atomic (HI) and molecular (H2) gas in galaxies. Using analytic models and simulation data, I investigate how density, radiation fields, and shielding determine where molecular gas can form, and how this transition varies across different galactic environments.
Using galaxy-scale simulations, I track the formation, growth, and destruction of molecular clouds. My work focuses on how cloud mass, lifetime, and environment correlate with accretion and destruction rates, revealing how molecular gas is continuously cycling rather than existing in static structures.
Using the models and analytic tools I have developed, I analyze observations of nearby molecular clouds using already existing data from Planck, FIMS/SPEAR, and GALFA-HI to create maps of H2 formation and destruction rates to understand how molecular gas is cycling in the local interstellar medium and how this relates to star formation activity.
I am currently a co-investigator on a proposal to develop a high-resolution UV spectrograph for the Eos Small Explorer mission. If selected, this instrument would provide unprecedented sensitivity to far-UV lines of H2 in the interstellar medium, enabling transformative studies of molecular gas in our galaxy and beyond.
I am currently a physics PhD student at Rutgers University, working on problems in the interstellar medium and galaxy evolution. My research combines numerical simulations, analytic modeling, and observational data, with a focus on molecular gas in both local and high-redshift galaxies.