My first book, Depth Effects, explores connections between photographic and computational media.

My current project, Seeing Stars, examines the role of aesthetics in the visual methods of astronomy and astrophysics. From the first long-exposure astrophotographs in the late 19th century to simulations run today on supercomputers, I’m interested in how specific ways of seeing and picturing the universe have profoundly reshaped our understanding of reality.

My research has been supported by fellowships from the American Council of Learned Societies, Getty Foundation, National Endowment for the Humanities, and Library Company of Philadelphia.