I was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. I have a Bachelors of Science in Physics from Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA and a PhD in Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences from University of Colorado, Boulder. I have served as a researcher and professor, and am the co-founder of an energy storage technology company, Skip Technology, which is working to develop innovative solutions for Long Duration Energy Storage (LDES).