research

Introduction

Since 1999, I have been employed at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, where I have been involved in the operations and data analysis of the XMM-Newton X-ray/UV/optical satellite observatory and, most-recently, with the development of the Swift gamma-ray burst mission. This working environment has also resulted in expertise with the current Chandra and RXTE missions, and familiarity with the upcoming Astro E2 and Constellation-X projects. This fleet of space missions provides a host of exciting teaching and research opportunities for university-based teams. They provide the basis for a set of vibrant, rapidly-evolving research areas in high-energy astrophysics and are the current sources of an enormous data archive that stretches back to the beginning of high-energy observations in astronomy, forty years ago.

1. gamma-ray bursts in the Swift era 2. high-resolution x-ray spectroscopy 3. multi-instrument observations of high-energy sources 4. astrotomography of accreting sources 5. accretion disk atmospheres