My primary research interest is the detection of gravitational waves and how those detections will allow us to observe the universe in an entirely new way. Gravitational waves are ripples in the curvature of spacetime produced by the collisions of black holes or neutron stars. I am part of an international collaboration called the LIGO project (the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory). Its goal is to directly detect gravitational waves using multiple laser interferometers, each of which consists of a giant 4-km-long L-shaped device. LIGO is the largest single project funded by the NSF. My research focuses on improving the models that LIGO and other gravitational-wave detectors will use to analyze their signals. I am especially interested in how gravitational-wave observations will probe the interiors of neutron stars and test our understanding of Einstein’s description of gravity. Originally from Bergen County, I received my undergraduate degree from Caltech and graduate degrees from Cornell. I then held postdoctoral positions at the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics (at UCSB), the NASA/Caltech Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the Center for Gravitation and Cosmology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. I currently teach the "University Physics" course at Montclair, and I'm looking forward to meeting the other faculty, staff, and students in the College of Science and Mathematics.

Theoretical astrophysics, especially general relativity, compact objects (neutron stars, black holes), and gravitational-wave astronomy.