I am currently serving as Director of Graduate Studies and Associate Senior Instructional Professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Chicago. Prior to this position, I was an Associate Professor of Instruction in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences at Northwestern University, a Helmsley Postdoctoral Teaching Scholar in the Department of Physics at Yale University, and a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Vassar College. I received my Ph.D. in the Department of Physics at the University of Chicago, where I studied dark matter phenomenology with Professor Edward Kolb. I previously obtained an Ed.M. in Mind, Brain, and Education and the Teaching and Learning of Physics from Harvard University, and an A.B. and S.M. from the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Dartmouth College.
I am completely devoted to promoting excellence in university physics teaching. Over the last ten years, I have taught physics and astronomy courses at all levels of the undergraduate curriculum, including traditional introductory sequences, intermediate classical mechanics, electrodynamics, thermodynamics and statistical mechanics, and planetary astrophysics, and advanced seminars in elementary particle physics and modern cosmology.
I believe that excellence in physics teaching depends profoundly on a pedagogy informed by our scientific understanding of teaching and learning from cognitive science and physics education research. Established models of the cognitive and emotional development of adolescents and young adults allow us to understand the broader psychological context in which learning takes place. Research on cognitive constructivism, conceptual change, and metacognition shapes our understanding of the dynamics of learning and how it is most effectively facilitated. Research on social constructivism prompts us to provide ample opportunities for students to work alongside peers and teachers both inside and outside the classroom. Studies of motivation challenge us to foster students’ intrinsic motivation for learning physics. Finally, findings in physics education research allow us to anticipate the preconceptions that students bring to the classroom, teach effective problem-solving strategies, and employ a wealth of pedagogical tools, assessment techniques, and educational technologies to promote inclusion and success in the physics classroom.
I lead a small, interdisciplinary research program in mind, brain, and education, which is informed by and in turn informs my pedagogy. In the last several years, I have been developing a collection of contemplative practices aimed at integrating formal theory and personal experience in the undergraduate physics curriculum. This research has involved student research assistants with backgrounds in physics and astronomy, mathematics, cognitive science, and neuroscience, many of whom have presented our findings at professional conferences and co-authored peer-reviewed publications.
All of my professional activities are motivated by a strong belief in the inherent value of diversity and the uniqueness of each individual. I believe that creating an atmosphere that is welcoming and inclusive to all educational backgrounds, cognitive styles and abilities, cultural views, personal experiences, and motivations is essential to promote deep learning for all students. The pedagogical tools, assessment techniques, and educational technologies I employ in my courses provide constant opportunities for students to find personal meaning in the material, reflect on their own understanding, engage metacognitively in their unique learning process, contribute to discussion, and experience a sense of belonging in our learning community.
Professionally, I am actively involved in the following activities:
Leading the Department of Physics graduate program serving approximately 240 graduate students working alongside 55 physics faculty members and 30 researchers in other departments in the The University of Chicago Physical and Biological Sciences Divisions, at the The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, and at three national research laboratories—Argonne National Laboratory, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, and NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Overseeing all facets of the graduate program including academic program policies, admissions and recruitment, the graduate curriculum, doctoral candidacy, academic and research advising, thesis and advisory committees, good standing and academic probation, funding, research prizes and fellowships, and teaching assistant training and advising.
Advancing policies, programs, and best practices to support diversity, equity, and inclusion in the graduate program in line with the Department of Physics Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategic Plan, including active recruitment of students from historically underrepresented groups, holistic admissions, candidacy course oversight, tutoring programs for first-year graduate students, advisor-advisee expectation compacts, critical research skills workshop series, annual academic progress reports, and graduate student town halls. Supporting similar efforts in the undergraduate program.
Spearheading efforts to support teaching innovation in the graduate and undergraduate curricula by offering faculty professional development in pedagogy, support for active-learning pedagogy, training in inclusive teaching practices, science education journal clubs, faculty learning community discussions on the teaching and learning of physics, a graduate seminar on the teaching and learning and physics, and recruitment, hiring, and supervision of instructional professors specialized in physics education.
Partnering with offices across the Physical Sciences Division and the College to further the educational missions of the department, division, and university, including creating and implementing new academic program policies, providing students with institutional and community resources, guiding faculty through emergent issues in their engagement with their graduate and undergraduate students, and offering individualized support to students facing significant academic or personal challenges.