Santa Fe Institute

Bio

My interests are broadly on how chemical organization evolves in nature. Previously I worked on studying complex chemistry in star-forming regions of the interstellar medium through the use of laboratory and observational spectroscopy. Currently I work on the logic and evolution of early bacterial metabolism and the origin of life using computational and theoretical methods. In the long-term my research goals are centered around developing conceptual frameworks that allow for a meaningful perspective on the evolution of chemical organization from cold dark interstellar clouds to complex multicellular organisms and ecosystems. My scientific training grounds were, in order: the University of Amsterdam where I obtained a M.Sc. in Chemistry; the California Institute of Technology where I completed a Ph.D. in Chemical Physics; and the Santa Fe Institute where I was a postdoctoral fellow for one year before transitioning to my current Omidyar position.