He received his PhD in Physics from Harvard University and was a postdoctoral scholar at Caltech prior to his appointment at Maryland. His research themes range from quantum electromechanical phenomena (such as the Casimir effect) to fundamental solar energy conversion processes with an emphasis on the optics, photonics, and thermodynamics of such systems. He is a recipient of the DARPA Young Faculty Award (2018), the NSF CAREER Award (2016), the ONR Young Investigator Program Award (2016), the OSA Adolph Lomb Medal (2015), the IEEE Photonics Society Young Investigator Award (2015), the SPIE Early Career Achievement Award (2014), and the NASA Early Career Faculty Space Technology Research Award (2012).