Brief Bio

I was born in the Midwest, in Columbus, Ohio. Shortly afterwards, my family moved to Southern California. I was raised by my dad—himself an engineer and educator, amongst other things—over the following years.

(More on the origin of my name can be found here.)

The remainder of my early years were spent living up and down the Southern and Central California coast, including Ventura, Goleta, Torrance, and Palos Verdes, the last of which was where I attended secondary school.

Over the years, I fostered a large number of hobbies and interests. I played football, basketball, soccer, ice hockey, baseball, and golf competitively, while throughout high school, I participated in the Junior Classical League—winning over two dozen awards in various regional- and state-level competitions. Via the latter, I formed a deep passion for the Classics (and history more generally) that lasts to this day.

Throughout my childhood, I also loved to read, draw, and build things. Whether it was designing airplanes, reading my dad’s old engineering textbooks, or going to museums, my innermost machinery has always been driven by an unending desire to learn more and create more.

I ultimately moved to Philadelphia, where I received my bachelor’s degree with high honors from the University of Pennsylvania (first intending to be an archaeologist or architect before choosing engineering). After moving back to Southern California for a year to work in aerospace and defense, I resumed my education at MIT, where I earned my master’s and doctoral degrees.

While at Penn and MIT, I also had the opportunity to mentor a number of students and teach, and (in the case of MIT) serve as a live-in graduate resident tutor in a vibrant undergraduate community. Teaching, mentoring, and educational outreach remain integral parts of my life.

Having moved back to Southern California, I continue working on a broad range of topics both professionally and personally, and I have been fortunate to make—through hard work and persistence—many of my childhood dreams reality.