Résumé/
Curriculum Vitae

Work Experience

(Any views expressed on my website are mine and do not reflect the views of my employers.)

U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration
Operations Research Analyst
(October 2020 – Present)

I work in NNSA’s Office of Cost Estimating and Program Evaluation, where I provide independent analysis of major programs, budgets, and projects.

• Portfolio management: Led CEPE program evaluation for Stockpile Research, Technology, and Engineering; Defense Nuclear Security; Information Technology and Cybersecurity; and Secure Transportation, as well as integration areas including High Energy Density Physics (i.e., fusion), Artificial Intelligence, Quantum Computing, Dynamic Experiments, and Rapid Capabilities.

• Budget review and evaluation: Independently assessed budget submissions in my portfolio for accuracy and thoroughness to help develop effective, efficient, and balanced proposals as part of the annual budget planning and programming process.

• Project oversight: Evaluated early-stage proposals for large (~$1 billion) construction projects, including upgrades to the National Ignition Facility, for cost, schedule, and scope, including oversight and evaluation of Analyses of Alternatives according to federal best practices.

• Root cause assessments: Conducted two root cause assessments for large construction projects that were delivered to Congress and found problems in risk management that contributed to one project’s original estimate being severely underestimated.

• Congressional notifications: Led CEPE’s effort to improve the agency’s Congressional notification process for new construction projects after statutory notification deadlines had repeatedly been missed.

United States Air Force
Presidential Management Fellow/Operations Research Analyst
(November 2017 – October 2020)

I joined Headquarters Air Force as a Presidential Management Fellow and worked as an Operations Research Analyst, using quantitative analysis to answer questions about aircraft, readiness, and Air Force operations for senior leaders. In 2018, I was named the Air Force Outstanding Civilian Junior Analyst of the Year.

• Light attack aircraft: Built a simulation exploring the feasibility of using light attack aircraft in a counterinsurgency scenario. I briefed the analysis to the Secretary, Under Secretary, Chief of Staff, and Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force, helping inform the decision not to proceed with plans to purchase approximately 300 aircraft at a lifetime cost of ~$20 billion.

• Aircraft inventory management: Analyzed historical differences in aircraft attrition to predict future losses and help inform decisions about fleet size and readiness. The analysis was briefed to senior Air Force leaders.

• Advanced analytics: Helped stand up an advanced analytics pathfinder project that applied data science techniques to large operational datasets to generate new insights for Air Force operations.

• COVID-19: Created daily figures, maps, animations, historical trends, and future scenarios of the COVID-19 pandemic for senior Air Force leaders.

House Science, Space, and Technology Committee
Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics
Presidential Management Fellow Detail
(February 2019 – August 2019)

As part of my Presidential Management Fellowship, I completed a six-month detail to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology on the Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics on Congressional oversight and space policy issues.

• Agency oversight: Assisted with oversight of agencies within the Subcommittee’s jurisdiction, primarily NASA and the Federal Aviation Administration.

• Legacy of Apollo: Served as the primary committee staffer for the full Committee hearing, The Legacy of Apollo, held to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing.

• NASA Authorization Act: Researched and proposed legislative language addressing data science and near-Earth objects for the House’s NASA Authorization Act.

• Hearing support: Prepared members of Congress for hearings by developing background materials and suggested questions and met with government, academic, and industry stakeholders.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Space Studies Board
Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Graduate Fellow
(January 2017 – April 2017)

I served as a Mirzayan Fellow with the Space Studies Board to gain experience with science and space policy. My primary project was writing the proceedings of the workshop Searching for Life Across Space and Time (see Publications). I also assisted with committee meetings and gained a broader understanding of how the National Academies and the science policy process work.