I am a historian of Germany and the natural sciences, and I am currently the Books Editor at Physics Today, one of the world’s leading physics magazines. I received my PhD from the Committee on Conceptual and Historical Studies of Science at the University of Chicago in 2019. My academic research focuses on the interaction between scientists and the state, primarily in twentieth century Germany.
My book project, Nazi Entanglement: Pascual Jordan, Quantum Mechanics, and the Legacy of the Third Reich, presents the first-ever biographical examination of one of the major scientific figures of the twentieth century, physicist Pascual Jordan (1902–1980). While Jordan’s contributions to quantum physics are fundamental to our understanding of the field today, he is also remembered for his decision to join the Nazi Party in 1933. Using a panoply of previously unknown archival sources, I describe in detail Jordan’s associations with far-right groups prior to Hitler’s seizure of power, his negotiations and machinations with various power centers in the Nazi state after 1933 and during World War II, as well as his political and pedagogical aims in postwar West Germany.
I recently published an article based on this research, focusing on Jordan’s wartime activities, in the top-ranked history of science journal Isis.
At Chicago, along with my PhD, I received an MA in history in 2013; I completed my undergraduate work at Princeton University, where I received a BA with honors in history of science in 2011.
If you are interested, my curriculum vitae is available here, and a list of my publications is located here.