The cliche of doing a Ph.D., or indeed any research project, is that it requires single-minded, obsessive focus. Dabbling, side-quests, and shallow engagement with numerous interests is discouraged, because the point is depth, not breadth. I’m going to present an alternative perspective: while it’s true that the problem you focus on (or your research goal) needs to go deep, the topic within which you situate your motivation and contribution need not be singular. PL doesn’t have to be the only kind of work you engage with, and in fact, your PL work will probably be better if it’s not. I’ll share how being an itinerant polymath has impacted my career (for better and for worse) and opine about why the research world needs more of us.

Ph.D. Carnegie Mellon University, 2015

Postdoc UC Santa Cruz, 2015-2016

Assistant Professor, NC State University, 2016-2022