About me

I earned tenure as a history professor at an R1 university and published a prize-winning book with Oxford University Press.

Seemingly, I was living the academic dream.

Then, in 2020, I burned out.

I felt trapped in the wrong career and the wrong life.

So I gave it all up and walked away. I joined a big tech company, moved to a new city, and redesigned my life from scratch.

First I worked as an instructional designer in AWS Support engineering. Now I'm a UX Researcher at AWS.

I'm passionate about helping grad students and PhDs realize their own value, jump to industry, and build a life where they can flourish.

Just for fun: I'm learning Norwegian and love walks in the Washington outdoors while listening to UXR and/or Norwegian podcasts.