Hi, 你好！
Welcome to my little space in this dimension. I use this website to share my thoughts, reflections, work, habits, and random projects — and to keep track of things I think about too much, and not enough.
I hope you enjoy your visit!
NOTES from Sapphire (3/4/2026): This site is still under construction. I aim to update something daily — thanks to the patient, brilliant soul who guided me through initiating and perfecting this project.
About
In the summer of 2017, I attended Stanford's summer program, studying abnormal psychology, emotion studies, and decision making.
I went on to Smith College in Northampton, MA, where I double-majored in Physics (advised by Prof. Travis Norsen) and Philosophy (advised by Prof. Jeffrey Ramsey and Prof. Nalini Bhushan). My coursework included mathematics, physics, psychology, philosophy, journalism, and acting. My research spanned a comparative study of Nietzsche and Chinese and Indian philosophy, and fundamental problems in physics. Under the guidance of Prof. Joyce Palmer-Fortune, I led and participated in STEM pedagogy courses for two semesters, supported Women in STEM initiatives, and TAed introductory Physics (Classical Mechanics and Electromagnetism). I graduated in 2022.
After Smith, I joined the MIT Mathematics Department as a course administrator and teaching assistant across 12 introductory courses, including Linear Algebra with Prof. Gilbert Strang and Multivariable Calculus with Prof. John Bush. I also managed advertising for the international exchange program and the Women in Math speaker series, organized departmental events, and coordinated academic accommodations.
In 2023, I moved to New York for my MA in Philosophical Foundations of Physics at Columbia University, under the supervision of Prof. David Albert. My research focuses on the philosophy of laws of nature and the interpretation of quantum mechanics. My thesis addresses the measurement problem through the Humean Best System Account, which treats laws of nature as the simplest and most informative summaries of the total history of the universe. I rebut Chris Dorst's recent claim that the measurement problem dissolves under a Humean framework and argue instead that it cannot be dissolved through metaphysical reinterpretation and requires a physically coherent solution. Evaluating Bohmian Mechanics and the Many-Worlds Interpretation against Humean criteria, I conclude that MWI is the more compatible interpretation, primarily because it respects the relativistic structure of spacetime that Humeanism depends on.
I completed my MA in February 2026.
I am also organizing a bilingual (Mandarin/English) philosophy of physics book club. More information can be found here.