I was born and raised in Yangzhou, China, where I spent my teenage years. After graduating from high school, I came to the US for college and spent three years in Ann Arbor studying chemistry, earth science, and environmental history.

While at Michigan, I worked on melting carbonates and iron-rich alloys at Jackie Li's lab, operating a multi-anvil press and tinkering with vacuums, lathes, and electronic circuits. This experience piqued my interest in high-pressure experiments, which led me to pursue mineral physics in graduate school at Harvard with Rebecca Fischer. During my grad program, I continued my experimental research on phase transitions in oxides and silicates with diamond anvil cells. With Rebecca's encouragement, I also developed a growing interest in computational modeling. I collaborated closely with Lars Stixrude on thermodynamic calculations of mantle rocks and their water storage capacity. I also began exploring other modeling tools like machine learning and first-principles simulations.

When the pandemic hit, I decided to make the most of this seemingly stagnant time by taking a space history class taught by Matt Herschel on Zoom and reading Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow with the rest of the class. This digression from mineral physics allowed me to discover my passion for the history of science. I then began formally taking courses in the history of science department and conducting guided research with Ben Wilson. This training has been invaluable in helping me grapple with complex but fundamental questions asked about or within science, including how it functions as a social organization, the role of error and bias, and the interactions between theory, modeling, experimentation, and instrumentation, as well as the meaning of objectivity.

Outside of academia, I enjoy reading and cooking, as well as biking and camping in my free time. I currently live in Pasadena, CA.