I am a physics PhD candidate working on atom-ion interactions and cavity qed with Yb ions in the Vuletic group. We have demonstrated the loading of a surface-planar ion trap from a magneto-optical trap and studied the collision dynamics of an ion in its parent gas at low energy. We are currently adding Rb to our atom-ion system to study Rb-Yb^+ collisions and are currently building a system to couple a linear array of ion traps to a high finesse optical resonator. I received my B.S. in Physics from Harvey Mudd College in 2004.